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Human: [Starwars] why would Vader and Kylo's voice be so distorted with their helmets on? Wouldn't it be simpler having a better speaker which would make their voices clear? Is it something to do with sounding the part of being evil? To intimidate? Assistant: Intimidation.

Human: [Starwars] why would Vader and Kylo's voice be so distorted with their helmets on? Wouldn't it be simpler having a better speaker which would make their voices clear? Is it something to do with sounding the part of being evil? To intimidate? Assistant: If you listen to Vader's actual voice, both in prequels and in episode 6 when he takes his mask off, it doesn't sound like an intimidating voice at all. Coupled with the fact that Vader had a bunch of damage done, presumably to his organs and body, he'll probably need a voice modulator to speak for long amounts of times, as well as to make him more intimidating. Kylo on the other hand is simply mimicking Vader, complete with mask design and black outfit.

Human: Give a gift of History with the AskHistorians 2022 Holiday Book Recommendation Thread! The holidays season is approaching as November ends. Happy holidays to one of the most fantastic communities on the net! It’s been a wild year, and sadly many of last years issues continue now. I planned to run this later in December, but figured now is the best time considering all the problems with shipping and stuff selling out that keeps happening. Tis coming up to the season for gift giving, and its a safe bet that folks here both like giving and receiving all kinds of history books. As such we offer this thread for all your holiday book recommendation needs! If you are looking for a particular book, please ask below in a comment and tell us the time period or events you're curious about! Please don't just drop a link to a book in this thread. In recommending, you should post at least a paragraph explaining why this book is important, or a good fit, and so on. Let us know what you like about this book so much! Don't forget to check out the existing [AskHistorians book list]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books), a fantastic list of books compiled by flairs and experts from the sub. Or you can browse [last years thread]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r47yv3/give_a_gift_of_history_with_the_askhistorians/?), or the [year before]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kcece4/askhistorians_2020_holiday_book_recommendation/) while we wait for new suggestions to come rolling in! Have yourselves a great holiday season readers, and let us know about all your favorite, must recommend books! Stay safe out there! Assistant: Any good, non-academic books about the history of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan and Korea?

Human: Give a gift of History with the AskHistorians 2022 Holiday Book Recommendation Thread! The holidays season is approaching as November ends. Happy holidays to one of the most fantastic communities on the net! It’s been a wild year, and sadly many of last years issues continue now. I planned to run this later in December, but figured now is the best time considering all the problems with shipping and stuff selling out that keeps happening. Tis coming up to the season for gift giving, and its a safe bet that folks here both like giving and receiving all kinds of history books. As such we offer this thread for all your holiday book recommendation needs! If you are looking for a particular book, please ask below in a comment and tell us the time period or events you're curious about! Please don't just drop a link to a book in this thread. In recommending, you should post at least a paragraph explaining why this book is important, or a good fit, and so on. Let us know what you like about this book so much! Don't forget to check out the existing [AskHistorians book list]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books), a fantastic list of books compiled by flairs and experts from the sub. Or you can browse [last years thread]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r47yv3/give_a_gift_of_history_with_the_askhistorians/?), or the [year before]( https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kcece4/askhistorians_2020_holiday_book_recommendation/) while we wait for new suggestions to come rolling in! Have yourselves a great holiday season readers, and let us know about all your favorite, must recommend books! Stay safe out there! Assistant: So, my brother has become interested in expanding his general historical/political knowledge this year thanks to University Challenge. He knows little about history outside of music stuff and the basic outline he learnt from school. I'd love to buy him a book that explores history on a general level and would help to increase his understanding of the world on the whole. Any recommendations?

Human: My supervisor is tougher with me because she believes I can take it. Is it fair ? (F29 - PhD student in communication ) My supervisor - as well as my chair committee - told me they are harder on my while I defended my comprehensive exam. It was the hardest moment of my academic life so far and even though they told me it was clear for them it was a success, it made me rethink about everything and why I was putting myself through this. I feel it is ok that they try to bring me further in general but during a defense … seem unfair to me, my colleagues are having it waaaay easier I feel (a PhD is already hard enough in itself). What are your thoughts ? Are you tougher on some students because you *believe in them* ? Assistant: “Equality” means each person gets the same; “equity” means each person gets what they need (not necessarily the same). Is one more “fair” than the other? Hard to say. Sounds like you were treated equitably though.

Human: My supervisor is tougher with me because she believes I can take it. Is it fair ? (F29 - PhD student in communication ) My supervisor - as well as my chair committee - told me they are harder on my while I defended my comprehensive exam. It was the hardest moment of my academic life so far and even though they told me it was clear for them it was a success, it made me rethink about everything and why I was putting myself through this. I feel it is ok that they try to bring me further in general but during a defense … seem unfair to me, my colleagues are having it waaaay easier I feel (a PhD is already hard enough in itself). What are your thoughts ? Are you tougher on some students because you *believe in them* ? Assistant: My PhD advisor worked harder to get his other PhD-students jobs and research funding because they were allegedly less potent to make it on their own. He literally said this. "I don't have to worry about molobodd, he will do fine regardless." He wasn't wrong, but this very notion still pisses me off, decades later.

Human: [general time travel] The Earth travels through the Solar System which travels through the Milky Way so how is this dealt with? How do time travelers not end up floating in space? I understand a device that can navigate spacetime can go anywhere any time but how does one establish exactly where to travel? Assistant: All motion is relative, and there aren't really any 'objective' fixed points in space. These time travel powers/devices/etc might just treat Earth as the fixed point and the rest of the universe as something moving around it.

Human: [general time travel] The Earth travels through the Solar System which travels through the Milky Way so how is this dealt with? How do time travelers not end up floating in space? I understand a device that can navigate spacetime can go anywhere any time but how does one establish exactly where to travel? Assistant: TARDIS = Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Human: CMV: There is a shortage of workers because the pandemic has taught us that the economy doesnt need us; and over the last year & a half we have individually found ways to minimize or even eliminate our dependence on abusive employers. I am a professional chef and the pandemic and lockdown hit the food scene like the fist of an angry god. Many restaurants immediately shut down to wait it out. Many restaurants shut down and went out of business. Some restaurants were able to stay in business by effectively converting to a dine-out-only model. Overall, the ability to secure employment as a chef or cook was essentially impossible. The restaurants that stayed open & serviced the delivery scene pared their staff down to minimal, absolutely essential, most senior staff. There were unemployed cooks everywhere. Now that we're back to 100% seating capacity and guests can even fill the bar, there are no cooks to be found. This is just one example, but the media is saturated with news of labor shortages. There is a reason and it's not that everyone who was unemployed during lockdown instantly became successful software developers. Assistant: There is no "labor shortage". There is a gap between what employers will pay, and what workers are worth. 2 things contribute 1: companies want someone to work at a wage that is lower than what the supply of workers want to do it for. Examples like truck drivers, cooks, etc. 2: companies want qualifications that people that would fill those jobs don't have. Examples like a bachelor's degree for cashiers, 10 years of coding experience for data entry, etc

Human: CMV: There is a shortage of workers because the pandemic has taught us that the economy doesnt need us; and over the last year & a half we have individually found ways to minimize or even eliminate our dependence on abusive employers. I am a professional chef and the pandemic and lockdown hit the food scene like the fist of an angry god. Many restaurants immediately shut down to wait it out. Many restaurants shut down and went out of business. Some restaurants were able to stay in business by effectively converting to a dine-out-only model. Overall, the ability to secure employment as a chef or cook was essentially impossible. The restaurants that stayed open & serviced the delivery scene pared their staff down to minimal, absolutely essential, most senior staff. There were unemployed cooks everywhere. Now that we're back to 100% seating capacity and guests can even fill the bar, there are no cooks to be found. This is just one example, but the media is saturated with news of labor shortages. There is a reason and it's not that everyone who was unemployed during lockdown instantly became successful software developers. Assistant: Why do you want your view changed, and what kind of evidence would change your view?

Human: [CA] Was this interview creepy? Or am I overreacting? So I had my final interview with a start up today, the interview was with the CEO. He’s 24m, I am a 22 F. During the interview he asked me the usual what questions do you have for me question. So I asked about the long term goals of the company and development of the role as the company grows. He answered about the growth portion but then said for example “there’s another manager who looks just like you. She promoted very quickly, I say she looks like you because she is beautiful just like you. You should take it as a compliment.” (I got creeped out). He then asked me what my goals were, he said for example, “ I want to grow this company x amount, I want to find a long term girlfriend and buy a house” he said what about you? So then I said I want to become A manager and in the very long term, a director. Then he said yes but how about your personal goals. Then I said oh well I do ___ for my hobby I want to grow more in that skill. He then says no, like how about your family goals? Then I said what do you mean? He said do you want to provide for your family, buy a house… then I said I do want to buy a house. Then I pretty much didn’t ask any other questions because I really wanted to be done with the interview. Am I over reacting or was this super creepy? Assistant: What a gross dumbass, I'm sorry you went through that nonsense, that's some shit right out of a bad HR video from the 90s about harassment. Your gut is correct. You're young so I'm going to tell you this as well, your gut is almost always correct in these situations. Get up and leave the room if someone is being disgusting to you in this way, it's okay to leave an interview that's uncomfortable and creeping you out.

Human: [CA] Was this interview creepy? Or am I overreacting? So I had my final interview with a start up today, the interview was with the CEO. He’s 24m, I am a 22 F. During the interview he asked me the usual what questions do you have for me question. So I asked about the long term goals of the company and development of the role as the company grows. He answered about the growth portion but then said for example “there’s another manager who looks just like you. She promoted very quickly, I say she looks like you because she is beautiful just like you. You should take it as a compliment.” (I got creeped out). He then asked me what my goals were, he said for example, “ I want to grow this company x amount, I want to find a long term girlfriend and buy a house” he said what about you? So then I said I want to become A manager and in the very long term, a director. Then he said yes but how about your personal goals. Then I said oh well I do ___ for my hobby I want to grow more in that skill. He then says no, like how about your family goals? Then I said what do you mean? He said do you want to provide for your family, buy a house… then I said I do want to buy a house. Then I pretty much didn’t ask any other questions because I really wanted to be done with the interview. Am I over reacting or was this super creepy? Assistant: Gross. Super gross.

Human: What software do you use for reading papers? To take notes, highlight, tag etc. I have tried various PDF readers but they are not specifically designed for research papers. I recently came across Paperly (https://paperly.app/), which is close to what I was looking for, but unfortunately it is not available for Linux. Any suggestions? Assistant: I use adobe reader to view the PDF, and microsoft word to write my thoughts about the paper directly into a literature review. Anything else is wasting time.

Human: What software do you use for reading papers? To take notes, highlight, tag etc. I have tried various PDF readers but they are not specifically designed for research papers. I recently came across Paperly (https://paperly.app/), which is close to what I was looking for, but unfortunately it is not available for Linux. Any suggestions? Assistant: I still print mine out but this looks like a much better substitute! Thanks for sharing.

Human: I don't have a sous vide setup, but my oven's lowest setting is 170F. So couldn't I just oven-bake my steaks for a long time at 170F, vacuum-sealed in plastic to avoid them drying out (same concept as sous vide), and then sear them on the grill or with a Searzall? Assistant: You could always do this instead. http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/cook-your-meat-in-a-beer-cooler-the-worlds-best-sous-vide-hack.html

Human: I don't have a sous vide setup, but my oven's lowest setting is 170F. So couldn't I just oven-bake my steaks for a long time at 170F, vacuum-sealed in plastic to avoid them drying out (same concept as sous vide), and then sear them on the grill or with a Searzall? Assistant: The air temp inside the oven varies. The water bath ensures that the bag and contents are all the same temp. That's the trick. In your example, you'd be better off putting a large pot of water in the oven, then putting the bagged steaks in that bath. The reason not to do this is that you really want to cook steak closer to 125F.

Human: What did you do for your final year project? I'm in my final year and would love to get some inspiration. Assistant: You'll hear lots of super impressive projects on here. Mine's way more boring. We programmed a motorized trashcan to follow a path to "take itself out" as a proof of concept. Pretty boring but it worked. 🤷‍♂️

Human: What did you do for your final year project? I'm in my final year and would love to get some inspiration. Assistant: MechEng. Formula SAE.

Human: [DC] Batman is steadfast in his refusal to kill- has he ever broken that rule and killed anyone? In his training with the league of assassins, when he was starting out, or anytime during his career? It seems impossible that NO ONE has died out of thousands. : Assistant: In the Nolanverse, he's open to pretty broad interpretations of his one rule. I mean, he shoots machine guns from his Batplane right into Talia's truck, which causes her to crash and die. That's basically breaking two rules in one shot. Add to that Ra's and Dent, Nolan Batman kills all the time.

Human: [DC] Batman is steadfast in his refusal to kill- has he ever broken that rule and killed anyone? In his training with the league of assassins, when he was starting out, or anytime during his career? It seems impossible that NO ONE has died out of thousands. : Assistant: Relevant http://youtu.be/1byycwl8qgc

Human: How should I cook steak and what type of steak for a stir fry? I’m very beginner with cooking meat like steak since I don’t eat it very often. I made a steak stir fry last night and cut the steak into very thin little slices, marinated for 30 min in my sauce, and then stir fried in a wok until it was brown. I then threw it back in once my veggies were cooked just to reheat it. However, it tasted very chewy to me and didn’t look nice and tender like you would see in a recipe picture. I honestly don’t remember what cut of steak it was. Assistant: Did you cut with or against the grain? It would definitely change the texture

Human: How should I cook steak and what type of steak for a stir fry? I’m very beginner with cooking meat like steak since I don’t eat it very often. I made a steak stir fry last night and cut the steak into very thin little slices, marinated for 30 min in my sauce, and then stir fried in a wok until it was brown. I then threw it back in once my veggies were cooked just to reheat it. However, it tasted very chewy to me and didn’t look nice and tender like you would see in a recipe picture. I honestly don’t remember what cut of steak it was. Assistant: Use tri-tip if you can find it!! Always my go to.

Human: Neighbor's cows keep escaping/damaging property NC A little backstory - In 2019, my wife and I decided to capitalize on the housing market and sell our house to move out of the suburbs, and build our dream home out in the country. We purchased a 6 acre lot, built our home, and started living a peaceful and private life out in the country. Based on the slope of the landscape, and where the septic system perc'd, we had to build along the border of our property, which was very close to the adjoining property. We didn't see this as an issue though, because that land had been condemned and had no suitable place to install a septic system, so we knew nobody would ever be able to live over there. There are 2 old pole barns located on the property that housed some farm equipment owned by the owner of the land. It was a charming addition to the landscape, so we never had any problem with their look, or their age. The owner of the land had asked us if we wanted to purchase that land to add it to our 6 acre parcel, but at the time we couldn't afford it after building the house. Additionally, he was asking for fair market value, which was about 15k per acre. We told him we would think about it, and maybe we would make him an offer in a year or so, once we could secure the funds. We were not in a hurry to make the offer though, because we figured nobody would buy a condemned piece of land, and that it only had value to one party - us. Well fast forward, and wouldn't you know he found some suckers who didn't do any due diligence to find that the land was condemned and they ended up paying fair market value for it. (it also never went on the market, so we had no idea the owner was shopping it around after we told him we needed some time to secure the funds to purchase it ourselves). No big deal. The new owners were going to turn it into a small farm with cows, chickens, and goats. Cool. We both grew up on farms, so it added to the charm of living out in the country. They can't live there, so we knew we would only really see them when they would come tend to the animals. Well shortly after we noticed goats were getting out pretty regularly and eating up our lawn and some flowers we had. There wasn't much in the way of landscaping since we had just moved in and hadn't gotten far enough to put in anything substantial yet, so not a big deal at that point. We have tried speaking with them, but they don't speak english and seem to have no interest in being friendly neighbors. As time has gone on, they have really junked up the barns to the point now where we would not be able to sell our home (at least not at fair market value) because nobody would live next to such a junked up landscape. They closed in one of the barns to house junked cars to work on, which they do at all hours creating a lot of noise, and an eyesore to boot. It is zoned Rural Agricultural, so unfortunately the county doesn't have any ordinances that enforce "no ugly". The county did issue a couple violations for the junk cars on the property, but he told us that the fines were minimal and there was really no penalty for not paying them. Well fast forward again and now the cows get out regularly. This past weekend, the entire herd escaped in the middle of the night during a big rain storm, so the ground was very soft and their hooves left damage all over our property. I'm talking 4-6 inch holes punched into the ground, enough to really twist your ankle if you stepped in one that you didn't see. Not to mention all of the wonderful "meadow muffins" the cows left all across the lawn. We got 2 separate quotes to see how much it would cost to repair everything, averaging out to about 5k in damages. Home owners insurance does not cover damage done by animals, so we hired an attorney to go after them for the repair costs. Additionally, we're requesting them to put in proper fencing to prevent this from continuing to happen. **Questions: are we going about this the right way?** **Also, is there any angle we can go after regarding the diminished value of our property, or inability to enjoy our property as we intended when we made this move?** **The new owners are paying for the land through seller financing, and the seller requires them to have insurance, but they do not. Is the lien holder also liable in this situation?** Any help or insight is greatly appreciated! We just want to live a peaceful life out here without having to worry about cows or bulls getting out and hurting our children when they're outside playing. Assistant: Contact the lien holder and say something like "i know you are have sold the land but if there's an opportunity for me to buy it in the future, we are ready to purchase. And by the way, the buyers are awful." If the land purchase was seller-financed then maybe you will get lucky down the road.

Human: Neighbor's cows keep escaping/damaging property NC A little backstory - In 2019, my wife and I decided to capitalize on the housing market and sell our house to move out of the suburbs, and build our dream home out in the country. We purchased a 6 acre lot, built our home, and started living a peaceful and private life out in the country. Based on the slope of the landscape, and where the septic system perc'd, we had to build along the border of our property, which was very close to the adjoining property. We didn't see this as an issue though, because that land had been condemned and had no suitable place to install a septic system, so we knew nobody would ever be able to live over there. There are 2 old pole barns located on the property that housed some farm equipment owned by the owner of the land. It was a charming addition to the landscape, so we never had any problem with their look, or their age. The owner of the land had asked us if we wanted to purchase that land to add it to our 6 acre parcel, but at the time we couldn't afford it after building the house. Additionally, he was asking for fair market value, which was about 15k per acre. We told him we would think about it, and maybe we would make him an offer in a year or so, once we could secure the funds. We were not in a hurry to make the offer though, because we figured nobody would buy a condemned piece of land, and that it only had value to one party - us. Well fast forward, and wouldn't you know he found some suckers who didn't do any due diligence to find that the land was condemned and they ended up paying fair market value for it. (it also never went on the market, so we had no idea the owner was shopping it around after we told him we needed some time to secure the funds to purchase it ourselves). No big deal. The new owners were going to turn it into a small farm with cows, chickens, and goats. Cool. We both grew up on farms, so it added to the charm of living out in the country. They can't live there, so we knew we would only really see them when they would come tend to the animals. Well shortly after we noticed goats were getting out pretty regularly and eating up our lawn and some flowers we had. There wasn't much in the way of landscaping since we had just moved in and hadn't gotten far enough to put in anything substantial yet, so not a big deal at that point. We have tried speaking with them, but they don't speak english and seem to have no interest in being friendly neighbors. As time has gone on, they have really junked up the barns to the point now where we would not be able to sell our home (at least not at fair market value) because nobody would live next to such a junked up landscape. They closed in one of the barns to house junked cars to work on, which they do at all hours creating a lot of noise, and an eyesore to boot. It is zoned Rural Agricultural, so unfortunately the county doesn't have any ordinances that enforce "no ugly". The county did issue a couple violations for the junk cars on the property, but he told us that the fines were minimal and there was really no penalty for not paying them. Well fast forward again and now the cows get out regularly. This past weekend, the entire herd escaped in the middle of the night during a big rain storm, so the ground was very soft and their hooves left damage all over our property. I'm talking 4-6 inch holes punched into the ground, enough to really twist your ankle if you stepped in one that you didn't see. Not to mention all of the wonderful "meadow muffins" the cows left all across the lawn. We got 2 separate quotes to see how much it would cost to repair everything, averaging out to about 5k in damages. Home owners insurance does not cover damage done by animals, so we hired an attorney to go after them for the repair costs. Additionally, we're requesting them to put in proper fencing to prevent this from continuing to happen. **Questions: are we going about this the right way?** **Also, is there any angle we can go after regarding the diminished value of our property, or inability to enjoy our property as we intended when we made this move?** **The new owners are paying for the land through seller financing, and the seller requires them to have insurance, but they do not. Is the lien holder also liable in this situation?** Any help or insight is greatly appreciated! We just want to live a peaceful life out here without having to worry about cows or bulls getting out and hurting our children when they're outside playing. Assistant: The only way to prevent this from happening is to fence in your property. Country folk live by a different set of rules. They could care less about the threat of court and fines. That said, they can make your life more miserable than they already have.

Human: Bought a house - seller won’t move out Location: Shoreline, WA Hi all - so my husband and I bought a house together. The seller asked for a leaseback - meaning he’d continue to live in the house for 30 days after closing, for $0 rent during that time. We agreed, and this was signed as part of the sale agreement. So we closed on the house several weeks ago, and the seller stayed in the home. Well, the termination date of the leaseback is a week from now, and the seller/tenant let us know he won’t be able to move out in time. We asked for further details, but he stopped responding, and hasn’t communicated with us for nearly a week now. We are now preparing for the worst - that this guy plans to squat in our new home indefinitely. We currently live in a home we own and are trying to sell, so once it’s sold, we will be homeless if we can’t get into our new home. The leaseback agreement contains language “if tenant holds over without written consent of landlord, tenant shall be liable for rent and all other damages sustained by landlord because of such holdover to the extent permitted by applicable laws”. Can you help me figure out what the “applicable laws” are here? Can we start charging some reasonable rent without the seller/tenant signing on to it (since the 30-day rent was $0…)? Should we start eviction proceedings as soon as the original date passes? I just want to move into my new house at the end of the month like our contract says I can…. Assistant: He's not squatting. You will need to follow the process to remove a tenant. You should start the eviction process right away.

Human: Bought a house - seller won’t move out Location: Shoreline, WA Hi all - so my husband and I bought a house together. The seller asked for a leaseback - meaning he’d continue to live in the house for 30 days after closing, for $0 rent during that time. We agreed, and this was signed as part of the sale agreement. So we closed on the house several weeks ago, and the seller stayed in the home. Well, the termination date of the leaseback is a week from now, and the seller/tenant let us know he won’t be able to move out in time. We asked for further details, but he stopped responding, and hasn’t communicated with us for nearly a week now. We are now preparing for the worst - that this guy plans to squat in our new home indefinitely. We currently live in a home we own and are trying to sell, so once it’s sold, we will be homeless if we can’t get into our new home. The leaseback agreement contains language “if tenant holds over without written consent of landlord, tenant shall be liable for rent and all other damages sustained by landlord because of such holdover to the extent permitted by applicable laws”. Can you help me figure out what the “applicable laws” are here? Can we start charging some reasonable rent without the seller/tenant signing on to it (since the 30-day rent was $0…)? Should we start eviction proceedings as soon as the original date passes? I just want to move into my new house at the end of the month like our contract says I can…. Assistant: RCW 59.12.030. An attorney can start an unlawful detainer if its a holdover tenant Edit: To answer your question on "applicable laws," it is contained in rcw 59.12. See RCW 59.12.170

Human: Is a degree in philosophy worth it? I am potentially considering a degree in philosophy and are getting a lot of mixed signals in terms of the use I will get from it (as far as employability). I've read that it doesn't provide a lot of clear options as it won't equip me with job-specific skills, but I've also read that it can be an extremely useful degree as it shows a potential employer your ability to engage with big ideas and work through complex problems. I know paired with another degree (ie. something realting to policy creation) it will look really good but I'm not sure I want to do a double major or another degree just to make the philosophy one useful. just looking for other opinions :) Assistant: You can't meaningfully discuss a question like that as though the answer is the same for everyone. Is it worth it for whom?

Human: Is a degree in philosophy worth it? I am potentially considering a degree in philosophy and are getting a lot of mixed signals in terms of the use I will get from it (as far as employability). I've read that it doesn't provide a lot of clear options as it won't equip me with job-specific skills, but I've also read that it can be an extremely useful degree as it shows a potential employer your ability to engage with big ideas and work through complex problems. I know paired with another degree (ie. something realting to policy creation) it will look really good but I'm not sure I want to do a double major or another degree just to make the philosophy one useful. just looking for other opinions :) Assistant: I'd recommend you double major. Philosophy isn't actually a bad degree to do - it's better than the other humanities and liberal arts, and IIRC its payment prospects are only beaten out by STEM fields - but it's still a humanities with all that implies. I'm doubling in physics and philosophy. Other people I know are doing economics and philosophy or CS and philosophy.

Human: Why did camus mean by rebelling against the absurd aren't we suppose to accept the absurd and lives with it? my understanding of the absurd-We rational beings wanting clarity,wanting to know things about the world,for instance-inherent purposes.....and the universe's silent response to our questions. How do you rebel against that? (thank you) Assistant: I would say for Camus rebelling against the absurd is how his ideal person, the "Absurd Man" defeats crushing existential dread. In the end of Myth he talks about some specific examples of who he considered to be rebels and also lists some occupations that he feels fit the bill.

Human: Why did camus mean by rebelling against the absurd aren't we suppose to accept the absurd and lives with it? my understanding of the absurd-We rational beings wanting clarity,wanting to know things about the world,for instance-inherent purposes.....and the universe's silent response to our questions. How do you rebel against that? (thank you) Assistant: I don't think he proposed rebelling against absurd. Do you have a quote in mind?

Human: UPDATE: My landlocked neighbors, the sheriff and me So many people have been asking for an update and so I wrote something up and had my lawyer review it just so people can stop bombarding my inbox. He made some changes and cut it down a bit but here is the approved statement (TL;DR at end for the impatient): Original post here So when we left off last, my neighbors had resorted to actually parking on my land in order to block me in and were using the police to try to strong arm me into giving into their demands. Thanks to the suggestions here, I set up a meeting with a highly recommended real estate lawyer in the area. We discussed the entire situation and he suggested a few options for trying to resolve this whole mess. He warned that lawsuits, especially about land rights, can take years and years to work through the courts and of course, that means they cost a fortune. Instead, as a cheaper and faster alternative, he suggested that the neighbors and we go to what's called "non-binding mediation". As he described it, it's a process where both sides meet and a neutral mediator tries to find a "middle ground" that everyone can agree on. If they do, some sort of contract is written up and everyone signs it. This way you can avoid the time and expense of a lawsuit. So we figured, why not give it a shot since there was really nothing to lose at this point. So my lawyer makes the arrangements with the neighbors directly and although it was not an easy or quick process, they eventually agreed. Then there were more weeks spent trying to agree on a mediator. Once that was finally done, we set up a date last week at some other lawyer's conference room for everyone to meet. My lawyer spent a lot of time preparing and discussing the various possibilities and outcomes and going in, I was super nervous and second guessing the decision not to just file a lawsuit. But my lawyer was really great and assured that this was the best decision for this kind of situation. So on the way into the meeting, we get stuck in the elevator together on the way up. No one says a word and they just looked like they wanted to kill me right there in the office. We get out and are eventually split into two separate rooms, and are told to meet in the conference room when we were ready. So after calming me down again, we head into the main room and the mediator, another lawyer, introduces himself to everyone and explains the process. Immediately, the neighbors start giving him a hard time and asking him questions that basically accused him of working for us. But he stayed calm and kept repeating that he was neutral and that while he hoped to broker a resolution, he did not work for either side and it was entirely up to the parties how this would end. And so began World War III, right there in the conference room. My neighbors, true to form, proved to everyone in the entire building that they were plum crazy with all their red-faced ranting and raving and yelling, most of which was directed at our lawyer and the mediator. So we get split up into separate rooms again I guess to try to calm things down. It's now been a half hour in the separate room and I am just about to tell my lawyer to pull the plug on the whole thing when the mediator comes to our room by himself and says he has a proposal. He explains that he was able to calm the neighbors down and got the feeling that this wasn't just about them landlocking themselves, but rather them feeling that somehow, I had taken advantage of them! He quickly explained that he did not agree with their "assessment" but it was his job to find some middle ground anyway. So my lawyer asked him what their proposal was. The mediator says that the neighbors were willing to go after their seller for an "easement by necessity" and not use my land (or block my gate), but that they could not currently afford to pay for a lawyer to file the lawsuit they needed. Worried, I asked what they wanted to get from me out of this whole deal, since this seemed almost too good to be true. Even my lawyer was surprised. So the mediator takes a deep breath and warns us that we're probably not going to like the offer, but that it was just the first offer and that everything was still potentially negotiable. Really worried now, we ask again what the neighbors wanted. The mediator says "As I explained, [the neighbors] can't afford to pay for a lawsuit right now, so they would like you to pay for it in exchange for them abandoning their claim to use your land." I was too dumbfounded to even say anything, but my lawyer had the presence of mind to ask just exactly how much these lunatics expected me to pay them to go away. That's when the mediator pulled his chair up real close to us, leaned in, and said "about three fiddy". And that's right about when I realized that our neighbors were a three hundred foot tall monster from the paleolithic era. Let this be a lesson to you all - be careful who you ask for updates! **TL;DR** Hired lawyer. Tried to avoid lawsuit via mediation. Crazy neighbors finally agreed but, as expected, showed their true colors. Now I need to find change for a dollar. Assistant: First I thought "update on landlocked neighbors on April 1, this has to be fake". Then I started reading and I bought it. Then I got to the end. 10/10, well pranked. I even missed that the username was different.

Human: UPDATE: My landlocked neighbors, the sheriff and me So many people have been asking for an update and so I wrote something up and had my lawyer review it just so people can stop bombarding my inbox. He made some changes and cut it down a bit but here is the approved statement (TL;DR at end for the impatient): Original post here So when we left off last, my neighbors had resorted to actually parking on my land in order to block me in and were using the police to try to strong arm me into giving into their demands. Thanks to the suggestions here, I set up a meeting with a highly recommended real estate lawyer in the area. We discussed the entire situation and he suggested a few options for trying to resolve this whole mess. He warned that lawsuits, especially about land rights, can take years and years to work through the courts and of course, that means they cost a fortune. Instead, as a cheaper and faster alternative, he suggested that the neighbors and we go to what's called "non-binding mediation". As he described it, it's a process where both sides meet and a neutral mediator tries to find a "middle ground" that everyone can agree on. If they do, some sort of contract is written up and everyone signs it. This way you can avoid the time and expense of a lawsuit. So we figured, why not give it a shot since there was really nothing to lose at this point. So my lawyer makes the arrangements with the neighbors directly and although it was not an easy or quick process, they eventually agreed. Then there were more weeks spent trying to agree on a mediator. Once that was finally done, we set up a date last week at some other lawyer's conference room for everyone to meet. My lawyer spent a lot of time preparing and discussing the various possibilities and outcomes and going in, I was super nervous and second guessing the decision not to just file a lawsuit. But my lawyer was really great and assured that this was the best decision for this kind of situation. So on the way into the meeting, we get stuck in the elevator together on the way up. No one says a word and they just looked like they wanted to kill me right there in the office. We get out and are eventually split into two separate rooms, and are told to meet in the conference room when we were ready. So after calming me down again, we head into the main room and the mediator, another lawyer, introduces himself to everyone and explains the process. Immediately, the neighbors start giving him a hard time and asking him questions that basically accused him of working for us. But he stayed calm and kept repeating that he was neutral and that while he hoped to broker a resolution, he did not work for either side and it was entirely up to the parties how this would end. And so began World War III, right there in the conference room. My neighbors, true to form, proved to everyone in the entire building that they were plum crazy with all their red-faced ranting and raving and yelling, most of which was directed at our lawyer and the mediator. So we get split up into separate rooms again I guess to try to calm things down. It's now been a half hour in the separate room and I am just about to tell my lawyer to pull the plug on the whole thing when the mediator comes to our room by himself and says he has a proposal. He explains that he was able to calm the neighbors down and got the feeling that this wasn't just about them landlocking themselves, but rather them feeling that somehow, I had taken advantage of them! He quickly explained that he did not agree with their "assessment" but it was his job to find some middle ground anyway. So my lawyer asked him what their proposal was. The mediator says that the neighbors were willing to go after their seller for an "easement by necessity" and not use my land (or block my gate), but that they could not currently afford to pay for a lawyer to file the lawsuit they needed. Worried, I asked what they wanted to get from me out of this whole deal, since this seemed almost too good to be true. Even my lawyer was surprised. So the mediator takes a deep breath and warns us that we're probably not going to like the offer, but that it was just the first offer and that everything was still potentially negotiable. Really worried now, we ask again what the neighbors wanted. The mediator says "As I explained, [the neighbors] can't afford to pay for a lawsuit right now, so they would like you to pay for it in exchange for them abandoning their claim to use your land." I was too dumbfounded to even say anything, but my lawyer had the presence of mind to ask just exactly how much these lunatics expected me to pay them to go away. That's when the mediator pulled his chair up real close to us, leaned in, and said "about three fiddy". And that's right about when I realized that our neighbors were a three hundred foot tall monster from the paleolithic era. Let this be a lesson to you all - be careful who you ask for updates! **TL;DR** Hired lawyer. Tried to avoid lawsuit via mediation. Crazy neighbors finally agreed but, as expected, showed their true colors. Now I need to find change for a dollar. Assistant: OP DELIVERED! I had almost given up on you edit: And Goddamn you OP. There's a specia place in hell for you

Human: How did American cheese get to be so popular in South Korean street food? I've been watching a lot of those South Korean street food videos on Youtube (ETTV, Yummyboy) and I've noticed that American cheese is *very* common in a lot of them. I know the obvious answer is that Americans probably introduced processed cheese to Korea during the war and it stuck around after that, but... America has had military presence in dozens of countries since the advent of processed cheese but it hasn't seemed to catch on anywhere else. I know for example American cheese is generally hard to find in Western Europe, and most people there tend to not particularly like it. However in South Korea, it seems to be a staple ingredient among street vendors and fast casual type restaurants. So why do South Koreans seem to have such an affinity for American cheese? Assistant: Actual cheese tends to be pretty stinky to the Korean palate and probably clashes with the spices more than American cheese. Adding lots of cheese is more popular with spicy dishes where the fat of the cheese tones down the spice bite a notch, so it doesn't really make sense to have cheese taste clash with the spice. Case in point -- shredded mozzarella (pizza cheese) is also popular on top of food because it is neutral tasting.

Human: How did American cheese get to be so popular in South Korean street food? I've been watching a lot of those South Korean street food videos on Youtube (ETTV, Yummyboy) and I've noticed that American cheese is *very* common in a lot of them. I know the obvious answer is that Americans probably introduced processed cheese to Korea during the war and it stuck around after that, but... America has had military presence in dozens of countries since the advent of processed cheese but it hasn't seemed to catch on anywhere else. I know for example American cheese is generally hard to find in Western Europe, and most people there tend to not particularly like it. However in South Korea, it seems to be a staple ingredient among street vendors and fast casual type restaurants. So why do South Koreans seem to have such an affinity for American cheese? Assistant: This article suggests the start of the trend can be linked to the financial crisis. Not being an expert, it seems to be a pretty decent explanation.

Human: [34F] Nurse fired for mistake during delivery of my son, but I’m being told the mistake poses no risks to my health. After receiving an epidural during labor, I asked the labor nurse when they’d be placing the catheter (as they did with my first born). She informed me that a catheter isn’t necessary. When my son had transitioned and it was time to push, the delivery nurse and Obstetrician came in and asked where the catheter was, since they had planned to pull it before delivery. I told them the prior labor nurse said it was not necessary. There was a clear concerned look shared between the delivery nurse and OB. They tried to put a catheter in me before pushing to drain my bladder, but my son’s head was too far down and blocked it. So I delivered my son with a very full bladder (I had drunk a lot of water prior to receiving the epidural, as instructed by another labor nurse). They gave me a catheter after delivery and drained my bladder then. But after a few hours I was still unable to pee, which I think was because of a distended bladder. So I got another catheter for 6 or so hours. After that, everything has been fine. I’ve had no bladder, urination, or incontinence issues. One of the labor nurses said that there may be a risk of incontinence later in life, but my OB said there were zero long term risks to my health. However, I just found out that the nurse who made the mistake was terminated for that reason. Am I facing potential health risks? Why is the catheter with an epidural standard of care if there are no health risks associated with not placing one? Thank you for your insight!! TLDR: I delivered a baby with a very full bladder. Is there any risk of long term damage to my bladder or ability to urinate? Assistant: If the physician ordered a catheter to be placed and the nurse didn't follow that order, that could lead to her being fired, even if there was no negative outcome.

Human: [34F] Nurse fired for mistake during delivery of my son, but I’m being told the mistake poses no risks to my health. After receiving an epidural during labor, I asked the labor nurse when they’d be placing the catheter (as they did with my first born). She informed me that a catheter isn’t necessary. When my son had transitioned and it was time to push, the delivery nurse and Obstetrician came in and asked where the catheter was, since they had planned to pull it before delivery. I told them the prior labor nurse said it was not necessary. There was a clear concerned look shared between the delivery nurse and OB. They tried to put a catheter in me before pushing to drain my bladder, but my son’s head was too far down and blocked it. So I delivered my son with a very full bladder (I had drunk a lot of water prior to receiving the epidural, as instructed by another labor nurse). They gave me a catheter after delivery and drained my bladder then. But after a few hours I was still unable to pee, which I think was because of a distended bladder. So I got another catheter for 6 or so hours. After that, everything has been fine. I’ve had no bladder, urination, or incontinence issues. One of the labor nurses said that there may be a risk of incontinence later in life, but my OB said there were zero long term risks to my health. However, I just found out that the nurse who made the mistake was terminated for that reason. Am I facing potential health risks? Why is the catheter with an epidural standard of care if there are no health risks associated with not placing one? Thank you for your insight!! TLDR: I delivered a baby with a very full bladder. Is there any risk of long term damage to my bladder or ability to urinate? Assistant: I didnt have a catheter after my epidural when I had my daughter. I ended up peeing all over the doctor after delivery when the doctor was removing my placenta (he was also pushing on my belly at the time). That was almost 12 years ago and I have had zero issues. Edit: Not a doctor

Human: AskScience AMA Series: We are the Molecular Programming Society. We are part of an emerging field of researchers who design molecules like DNA and RNA to compute, make decisions, self-assemble, move autonomously, diagnose disease, deliver therapeutics, and more! Ask us anything! We are the Molecular Programming Society, an international grassroots team of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, who are programming the behavior of physical matter. We build liquid computers that run on chemistry, instead of electricity. Using these chemical computers, we program non-biological matter to grow, heal, adapt, communicate with the surrounding environment, replicate, and disassemble. The same switches that make up your laptops and cell phones can be implemented as chemical reactions 1]. In electronics, information is encoded as high or low voltages of electricity. In our chemical computers, information is encoded as high or low concentrations of molecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, and other chemicals). By designing how these components bind to each other, we can program molecules to calculate square roots [2], implement neural networks that recognize human handwriting [3], and play a game of tic-tac-toe [4]. Chemical computers are slow, expensive, error prone, and take incredible effort to program... but they have one key advantage that makes them particularly exciting: The outputs of chemical computers are molecules, which can directly bind to and rearrange physical matter. Broad libraries of interfaces exist [5] that allow chemical computers to control the growth and reconfiguration of nanostructures, actuate soft robotics up to the centimeter scale, regulate drug release, grow metal wires, and direct tissue growth. Similar interfaces allow chemical computers to sense environmental stimuli as inputs, including chemical concentrations, pressure, light, heat, and electrical signals. In the near future, chemical computers will enable humans to control matter through programming languages, instead of top-down brute force. Intelligent medicines will monitor the human body for disease markers and deliver custom therapeutics on demand. DNA-based computers will archive the internet for ultra-long term storage. In the more distant future, we can imagine programming airplane wings to detect and heal damage, cellphones to rearrange and update their hardware at the push of a button, and skyscrapers that grow up from seeds planted in the earth. Currently our society is drafting a textbook called The Art of Molecular Programming, which will elucidate the principles of molecular programming and hopefully inspire more people (you!) to help us spark this second computer revolution. We'll start at 1pm EDT (17 UT). Ask us anything! # Links and references: Our grassroots team ([website, email](hello@molecularprogrammers.org), [twitter) includes members who work at Aalto University, Brown, Cambridge, Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Nanovery, NIST, National Taiwan University, Newcastle University, North Carolina A&T State University, Technical University of Munich, University of Malta, University of Edinburgh, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UT Austin, University of Vienna, and University of Washington. Collectively, our society members have published over 900 peer-reviewed papers on topics related to molecular programming. ## Some of our Google Scholar profiles: - Matthew Aquilina, u/fomaq - Sifang Chen - Sam Davidson, u/googee3 - Will Earley, u/sourtin_ - Anastasia Ershova, u/axolotldna - Elisa Franco, u/RNAspaghetti - Georgeos Hardo, u/Georgeos_Hardo - Jocelyn Kishi, u/MolecularHacker - Jurek Kozyra, u/jurek_nanovery - Heon Joo (HJ) Lee, u/Hlee260 - Yi Li, u/Alexstroneer - Lee Organick, u/lee_dna - Arun Richard, u/arunrichardc - Brenda Rubenstein, u/dbrube - Namita Sarraf, u/n_sarraf - Dominic Scalise, u/DScalise - Grigory Tikhomirov, u/nanoassembly - Marko Vasić, u/markovasic - P Lourdu Xavier, u/Holliday_junction ## Referenced literature: [1] Seelig, Georg, et al. "Enzyme-free nucleic acid logic circuits." science 314.5805 (2006): 1585-1588. [2] Qian, Lulu, and Erik Winfree. "Scaling up digital circuit computation with DNA strand displacement cascades." Science 332.6034 (2011): 1196-1201. [3] Cherry, Kevin M., and Lulu Qian. "Scaling up molecular pattern recognition with DNA-based winner-take-all neural networks." Nature 559.7714 (2018): 370-376. [4] Stojanovic, Milan N., and Darko Stefanovic. "A deoxyribozyme-based molecular automaton." Nature biotechnology 21.9 (2003): 1069-1074. [5] Scalise, Dominic, and Rebecca Schulman. "Controlling matter at the molecular scale with DNA circuits." Annual review of biomedical engineering 21 (2019): 469-493. Assistant: As a programmer very interested in physics and chemistry, this all sounds amazing. Do you people have an estimated timeframe when you'll publish The Art of Molecular Programming? Any way to get early access to it?

Human: AskScience AMA Series: We are the Molecular Programming Society. We are part of an emerging field of researchers who design molecules like DNA and RNA to compute, make decisions, self-assemble, move autonomously, diagnose disease, deliver therapeutics, and more! Ask us anything! We are the Molecular Programming Society, an international grassroots team of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, who are programming the behavior of physical matter. We build liquid computers that run on chemistry, instead of electricity. Using these chemical computers, we program non-biological matter to grow, heal, adapt, communicate with the surrounding environment, replicate, and disassemble. The same switches that make up your laptops and cell phones can be implemented as chemical reactions 1]. In electronics, information is encoded as high or low voltages of electricity. In our chemical computers, information is encoded as high or low concentrations of molecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, and other chemicals). By designing how these components bind to each other, we can program molecules to calculate square roots [2], implement neural networks that recognize human handwriting [3], and play a game of tic-tac-toe [4]. Chemical computers are slow, expensive, error prone, and take incredible effort to program... but they have one key advantage that makes them particularly exciting: The outputs of chemical computers are molecules, which can directly bind to and rearrange physical matter. Broad libraries of interfaces exist [5] that allow chemical computers to control the growth and reconfiguration of nanostructures, actuate soft robotics up to the centimeter scale, regulate drug release, grow metal wires, and direct tissue growth. Similar interfaces allow chemical computers to sense environmental stimuli as inputs, including chemical concentrations, pressure, light, heat, and electrical signals. In the near future, chemical computers will enable humans to control matter through programming languages, instead of top-down brute force. Intelligent medicines will monitor the human body for disease markers and deliver custom therapeutics on demand. DNA-based computers will archive the internet for ultra-long term storage. In the more distant future, we can imagine programming airplane wings to detect and heal damage, cellphones to rearrange and update their hardware at the push of a button, and skyscrapers that grow up from seeds planted in the earth. Currently our society is drafting a textbook called The Art of Molecular Programming, which will elucidate the principles of molecular programming and hopefully inspire more people (you!) to help us spark this second computer revolution. We'll start at 1pm EDT (17 UT). Ask us anything! # Links and references: Our grassroots team ([website, email](hello@molecularprogrammers.org), [twitter) includes members who work at Aalto University, Brown, Cambridge, Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Nanovery, NIST, National Taiwan University, Newcastle University, North Carolina A&T State University, Technical University of Munich, University of Malta, University of Edinburgh, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UT Austin, University of Vienna, and University of Washington. Collectively, our society members have published over 900 peer-reviewed papers on topics related to molecular programming. ## Some of our Google Scholar profiles: - Matthew Aquilina, u/fomaq - Sifang Chen - Sam Davidson, u/googee3 - Will Earley, u/sourtin_ - Anastasia Ershova, u/axolotldna - Elisa Franco, u/RNAspaghetti - Georgeos Hardo, u/Georgeos_Hardo - Jocelyn Kishi, u/MolecularHacker - Jurek Kozyra, u/jurek_nanovery - Heon Joo (HJ) Lee, u/Hlee260 - Yi Li, u/Alexstroneer - Lee Organick, u/lee_dna - Arun Richard, u/arunrichardc - Brenda Rubenstein, u/dbrube - Namita Sarraf, u/n_sarraf - Dominic Scalise, u/DScalise - Grigory Tikhomirov, u/nanoassembly - Marko Vasić, u/markovasic - P Lourdu Xavier, u/Holliday_junction ## Referenced literature: [1] Seelig, Georg, et al. "Enzyme-free nucleic acid logic circuits." science 314.5805 (2006): 1585-1588. [2] Qian, Lulu, and Erik Winfree. "Scaling up digital circuit computation with DNA strand displacement cascades." Science 332.6034 (2011): 1196-1201. [3] Cherry, Kevin M., and Lulu Qian. "Scaling up molecular pattern recognition with DNA-based winner-take-all neural networks." Nature 559.7714 (2018): 370-376. [4] Stojanovic, Milan N., and Darko Stefanovic. "A deoxyribozyme-based molecular automaton." Nature biotechnology 21.9 (2003): 1069-1074. [5] Scalise, Dominic, and Rebecca Schulman. "Controlling matter at the molecular scale with DNA circuits." Annual review of biomedical engineering 21 (2019): 469-493. Assistant: Do we have a working model of a chemical computer? How did you build it and what can it actually do right now?

Human: Only doing uni work between 9am and 6pm weekdays - is this achievable? (grad student) My biggest goal for this term is managing my work-life balance better. Last term I barely did any work the first month of my course which meant the last 3 weeks of term was spent doing university work all day everyday including weekends to catch-up and get the grades I want (I am aiming for a distinction). At undergraduate a few students talked about how they would work between 9 and 6pm every weekday and spend evenings and weekends relaxing and doing anything but university work. I never did that at undergraduate as I did not have to put that much effort in aside during most of the year aside from the 4-6 week long summer exam season where I worked all day everyday to get a first. ​ I am wondering if working like this is a good idea for master's level? I think I would feel more motivated to work during the day if I knew it then meant I could stop everything at 6pm and relax as well as have two full days off every week. I have been feeling a little jealous of friends who work full time on how at 5-6pm they go home and that's it, work is finished whereas at university the work follows you home. ​ I would love any insight into this including whether I am interpreting the academic expectations of master's level correctly or whether I am underestimating them? ​ I should also add that reading this post through I come across as an apathetic, lazy student but I am anything but that. I love my course and I loved my undergrad course I just worked smartly and knew how to make the hours count. Assistant: This is what I do. I wouldn’t say I’m in a super intense situation, I am pursuing a MS in Biology with a TA. I still find that I have a lot going on, but I fit it into more of an 8-5 schedule, including classes. This semester I teach a late lab once a week and I have some research assistant duties that will stretch my schedule out further, but I find that keeping a consistent schedule like what you are talking about helps me be more productive and mentally healthy.

Human: Only doing uni work between 9am and 6pm weekdays - is this achievable? (grad student) My biggest goal for this term is managing my work-life balance better. Last term I barely did any work the first month of my course which meant the last 3 weeks of term was spent doing university work all day everyday including weekends to catch-up and get the grades I want (I am aiming for a distinction). At undergraduate a few students talked about how they would work between 9 and 6pm every weekday and spend evenings and weekends relaxing and doing anything but university work. I never did that at undergraduate as I did not have to put that much effort in aside during most of the year aside from the 4-6 week long summer exam season where I worked all day everyday to get a first. ​ I am wondering if working like this is a good idea for master's level? I think I would feel more motivated to work during the day if I knew it then meant I could stop everything at 6pm and relax as well as have two full days off every week. I have been feeling a little jealous of friends who work full time on how at 5-6pm they go home and that's it, work is finished whereas at university the work follows you home. ​ I would love any insight into this including whether I am interpreting the academic expectations of master's level correctly or whether I am underestimating them? ​ I should also add that reading this post through I come across as an apathetic, lazy student but I am anything but that. I love my course and I loved my undergrad course I just worked smartly and knew how to make the hours count. Assistant: I can't even remember the last time I really did no work at all over the weekend.

Human: Is academia actually as pessimistic as /r/AskAcademia and /r/gradschool make it out to be? One would get the impression from all the grad students suffering from impostor syndrome and all the posts about getting out of academia that academia is full of pessimists...thoughts? I'm only an undergrad, but I've met many grad students and profs, and most seem pretty happy with their choice of career. Maybe the appearance of pessimism just stems from the fact that academia is just a competitive industry? I know it's hard to get a professorial position, and most grad students probably want to become professors. Assistant: Keep in mind that academia is a job, and when people get together and talk about their jobs, it's largely negative.

Human: Is academia actually as pessimistic as /r/AskAcademia and /r/gradschool make it out to be? One would get the impression from all the grad students suffering from impostor syndrome and all the posts about getting out of academia that academia is full of pessimists...thoughts? I'm only an undergrad, but I've met many grad students and profs, and most seem pretty happy with their choice of career. Maybe the appearance of pessimism just stems from the fact that academia is just a competitive industry? I know it's hard to get a professorial position, and most grad students probably want to become professors. Assistant: People love to swap horror/war stories. Even when people like their jobs, they like to complain about their jobs even more.

Human: After offering a coworker a room to rent while she goes through a divorce, her ex-husband has not only called the police to try to report that I raped her, but has also started telling people he thinks I committed murder This all takes place in California A friend of mine that I met through work is getting divorced. She doesn’t know anyone in the area so I offered her a room to stay in temporarily until she can get back on her feet. Two days after she told her husband that she was leaving him and moving out, he got into her phone and started reading our text messages. He has apparently gone off the deep end. Mind you, her and I have never talked or texted about anything sexual, never even discussed being in a relationship, Nothing of that sort. All personal conversations we have had are related to her being unhappy in her relationship and her wanting to divorce her husband. The very next day after he got into her phone, he called the police and told them that, as her boss, I groomed her, and then I sexually assaulted her (I’m not her boss and her and I have never done anything remotely personal or sexual). He handed her the phone, and told her to tell the police what he just said is true. She asked him to leave the room, and told the police that they were in the middle of getting a divorce, and he is going crazy, and that it absolutely never happened. The next day she packed up a bunch of her stuff and left. Drove three hours to where her parents live. Quit her job. All of that. In a weird twist of fate, the next day the roommate that lived with them for the last two years, committed suicide in a very gruesome way. She decided to go back to the house, to help her soon to be ex-husband deal with cleaning up the house and getting it ready to sell after that happen. During this time, her soon to be ex-husband convinced himself that the roommate did not really commit suicide, but that I went over to the house and killed the roommate. I am worried that this guy is becoming detached from reality and that he’s going to try something serious. But, because the stories have only been told to me by someone else and he has never directly threatened me, or tried to come after me, I don’t really know what my options are. Can I call the police and get a restraining order based on word-of-mouth? What exactly should I legally do in this situation? This all happened in a different county than the county I live in, by the way Assistant: Umm anyone else wonder if the husband actually murdered the roommate....?

Human: After offering a coworker a room to rent while she goes through a divorce, her ex-husband has not only called the police to try to report that I raped her, but has also started telling people he thinks I committed murder This all takes place in California A friend of mine that I met through work is getting divorced. She doesn’t know anyone in the area so I offered her a room to stay in temporarily until she can get back on her feet. Two days after she told her husband that she was leaving him and moving out, he got into her phone and started reading our text messages. He has apparently gone off the deep end. Mind you, her and I have never talked or texted about anything sexual, never even discussed being in a relationship, Nothing of that sort. All personal conversations we have had are related to her being unhappy in her relationship and her wanting to divorce her husband. The very next day after he got into her phone, he called the police and told them that, as her boss, I groomed her, and then I sexually assaulted her (I’m not her boss and her and I have never done anything remotely personal or sexual). He handed her the phone, and told her to tell the police what he just said is true. She asked him to leave the room, and told the police that they were in the middle of getting a divorce, and he is going crazy, and that it absolutely never happened. The next day she packed up a bunch of her stuff and left. Drove three hours to where her parents live. Quit her job. All of that. In a weird twist of fate, the next day the roommate that lived with them for the last two years, committed suicide in a very gruesome way. She decided to go back to the house, to help her soon to be ex-husband deal with cleaning up the house and getting it ready to sell after that happen. During this time, her soon to be ex-husband convinced himself that the roommate did not really commit suicide, but that I went over to the house and killed the roommate. I am worried that this guy is becoming detached from reality and that he’s going to try something serious. But, because the stories have only been told to me by someone else and he has never directly threatened me, or tried to come after me, I don’t really know what my options are. Can I call the police and get a restraining order based on word-of-mouth? What exactly should I legally do in this situation? This all happened in a different county than the county I live in, by the way Assistant: I'd try to 'disappear' from the internet. Make any social media accounts private. Unless you think he may have started following you on your accounts in which case I would delete them. See if your address comes up anywhere and if so try to get it changed...maybe get a Post Office Box instead? Maybe change your phone number. Just try to digitally disappear.

Human: I want to make tiramisu for the first time. What brand of ladyfingers would you recommend? I don't feel like making my own this time, and was not sure what would work/taste best. Assistant: Savoiardi (sp?)

Human: I want to make tiramisu for the first time. What brand of ladyfingers would you recommend? I don't feel like making my own this time, and was not sure what would work/taste best. Assistant: Alessi is great if you can get them where you live. If you can't, others should be fine. But don't be tempted to use fresh ones - the fresh will be too mushy once you dip them in the liquid. Get Alessi or any other available brand of DRY ones.

Human: Where can I buy chestnut paste? (UK) Hello everyone! Just wanna ask where can I buy chestnut paste in the UK in store (Not online)? Thanks~ Assistant: I bought chesnut puree in Asda, was next to the instant stuffings. It’s quite watery , not the best for sweets as getting even softer when you add sugar. You can buy frozen chestnut paste in hungarian or romanian shops. I didn’t find in polish shops in my area, but maybe others have in stock. That is way better, almost solid perfect for baking or cake fillings.

Human: Where can I buy chestnut paste? (UK) Hello everyone! Just wanna ask where can I buy chestnut paste in the UK in store (Not online)? Thanks~ Assistant: Larger supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco stock them. They are under the brand name ‘Merchant’.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: I read about a "Zip Bomb" today that is a zipped file that is only 42kb when compressed, but unzipped is 45.5 Petabytes. My question is how can so much information be compressed into such a small file size? Assistant: Actually, there is an *infinite* zip file. http://www.steike.com/code/useless/zip-file-quine/ Good for testing virus scanners, etc. some of them will crash trying to analyze it.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: I read about a "Zip Bomb" today that is a zipped file that is only 42kb when compressed, but unzipped is 45.5 Petabytes. My question is how can so much information be compressed into such a small file size? Assistant: 42.zip is just zeros, zipped, which can be compressed easily. Say your compression algorithm just says "1 billion zeros in a row make up this file ". That instruction is easily under 50 bytes, but represents one gig. Keep nesting these zipped files in folders, zipping them, then zipping that, repeat until you hit an arbitrary limit by the software, and you have a huge file unzipped, but its really nothing.

Human: What technologies are nearly at the maximum point of theoretical efficiency? We all know about Moore's law that make computers ever more efficient every year (or 18 months ;) ), and so far, no doomsayers have been coming around to cool off our enthusiasm for ever faster and smaller computers as it seems the theoretical limits are just so far ahead. But there are other technologies that surely rely on different processes that are mature enough to be almost at the limit; one may think of electrical generators who are well above 90% efficiency. So, what other technologies cannot conceivably be improved much more as they are already near their maximum efficiency? Assistant: The bike

Human: What technologies are nearly at the maximum point of theoretical efficiency? We all know about Moore's law that make computers ever more efficient every year (or 18 months ;) ), and so far, no doomsayers have been coming around to cool off our enthusiasm for ever faster and smaller computers as it seems the theoretical limits are just so far ahead. But there are other technologies that surely rely on different processes that are mature enough to be almost at the limit; one may think of electrical generators who are well above 90% efficiency. So, what other technologies cannot conceivably be improved much more as they are already near their maximum efficiency? Assistant: For engines, the Stirling Engine is about as close as you can get. It operates at almost the Carnot efficiency, which is the theoretical limit for devices that use thermal energy to do work. The only problem is that it's hard to make one that operates at high speeds due to the mechanics of how they work. I've seen them used more recently in small scale solar thermal generators (i.e. devices that use focused sunlight to heat a liquid to generate power).

Human: If we "age" because our cells chop off the ends of our DNA after each replication, how can we produce sperm and eggs which create a baby with "young" DNA? I've been reading about aging and the Hayflick limit and I'm struggling to figure out how anything which is old can create something young. I did read that cancer cells are able to avoid the Hayflick limit by using the Telomerase enzyme, but does that simply stop the ends from getting chopped off DNA or does it actively repair the DNA? If the latter, how does the enzyme know when to stop adding links? Thanks! Assistant: Telomerase, if I recall right, adds hexameric repeats to the telomeres. In spermatogonia, there's a upregulation of KitI, which spurs telomerase activity. Along with an RNA template, the telomerase just drops a bunch of repeats at the end of the chromosome, but then the system shuts off as the spermatogonia mature to spermatozoa. Someone with more developmental bio experience can probably answer this in more detail.

Human: If we "age" because our cells chop off the ends of our DNA after each replication, how can we produce sperm and eggs which create a baby with "young" DNA? I've been reading about aging and the Hayflick limit and I'm struggling to figure out how anything which is old can create something young. I did read that cancer cells are able to avoid the Hayflick limit by using the Telomerase enzyme, but does that simply stop the ends from getting chopped off DNA or does it actively repair the DNA? If the latter, how does the enzyme know when to stop adding links? Thanks! Assistant: Well your question would only really apply to sperm. All eggs are created at the time of birth. I can't answer anything else though.

Human: Thank you My dog died this week, we sought care before she passed at a small vet clinic. When we took her there we didn’t know it would be our last time seeing her alive. Due to COVID it was all curb service. We ran into about 7 other customers in the parking lot. 3/7 from what I know ended up in the same heartbreaking situation. It suddenly struck me that the deaths experienced in my state due to COVID are the conditions that vets have to deal with all year round. The amount of tragedy and heartbreak. That vet clinic was so sweet to me and my 18 year old daughter. The sincerity and patience they had was amazing. She was being put in for oxygen therapy and when they called later to say we wouldn’t have enough time to make it before she would pass, they held her for me. She was loved and I am so thankful that they were there with her, she deserved that humanity. From the bottom of my heart thank you for the love and kindness all vets show to these precious members of our families. Thank you so so much. Assistant: Thank you for writing this. As a vet tech I do a lot of the holding/petting/loving on pets in their last moments when the owners can’t be there for whatever reason. It nice to know it really is appreciated.

Human: Thank you My dog died this week, we sought care before she passed at a small vet clinic. When we took her there we didn’t know it would be our last time seeing her alive. Due to COVID it was all curb service. We ran into about 7 other customers in the parking lot. 3/7 from what I know ended up in the same heartbreaking situation. It suddenly struck me that the deaths experienced in my state due to COVID are the conditions that vets have to deal with all year round. The amount of tragedy and heartbreak. That vet clinic was so sweet to me and my 18 year old daughter. The sincerity and patience they had was amazing. She was being put in for oxygen therapy and when they called later to say we wouldn’t have enough time to make it before she would pass, they held her for me. She was loved and I am so thankful that they were there with her, she deserved that humanity. From the bottom of my heart thank you for the love and kindness all vets show to these precious members of our families. Thank you so so much. Assistant: Sending you and your daughter love during this hard time. Blessed be.

Human: I can't eat at restaurants due to food allergies. How can I learn to cook restaurant-quality food at home with no point of reference? I have severe food allergies, so I need to prepare all my own food. I can't eat at restaurants, buy processed food, or eat food that friends prepare. My story: After college, I moved to a "foodie" neighborhood and had disposable income for the first time in my life. For a few months, I enjoyed eating out at restaurants several nights a week. However, I would get very sick afterwards. I soon found out that the problem was caused by severe food allergies, and that restaurants commonly used many of the foods that triggered my allergies. I stopped eating at restaurants and cut all of the allergens out of my diet, and now my health is better. My problem: I think I am a pretty good home cook. Certainly, I have a lot of practice. I have a small collection of "perfected" recipes that could absolutely be served at restaurants. However, there is a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes I will go out to restaurants with my husband (I will just order a drink) and watch his reaction as he tastes something completely new and amazing. He will close his eyes and savor the flavor. He has this blissful expression on his face; he is so fundamentally happy on a deep, primordial level. He enjoys most of the food that I cook too, but his reaction is different. He will taste what I cook say, "Wow, your food is really good." He is a very honest critic, so it's not like he is just saying that to make me happy. However, my cooking doesn't seem to blow his mind the way that some restaurant cooking can. It breaks my heart a little bit that I can't make him so happy in that way, and also that I will never be able to taste something so delicious myself. Part of the problem is that I am a vegetarian, and my husband is not. I have to make various substitutions, and my set of ingredients is somewhat limited due to my allergies. Another part of the problem is that I have no point of reference, in the sense that I am not sure how some foods are supposed to taste. The only time I really ate at restaurants was for that few months right after college (a few years ago), and I was doing it as a vegetarian. I grew up in a small town in the midwest where there were no high quality grocery stores or restaurant options. My question: I want to learn to cook mind-blowingly good food from many different cuisines, to essentially replicate the restaurant experience at home. I am looking for specific suggestions, such as: * Book recommendations that deal with the theory side of cooking: techniques, and balancing flavors, etc. Due to the allergies, I can't follow most recipes found in cookbooks to the letter. However, I feel like if I understood the theory better, that would be less of a problem. * Suggestions for YouTube channels, blogs, etc. on cooking. There are already a few that I like. * I can't take group cooking lessons in person, but I have thought about hiring a personal chef or a culinary student to give me private lessons in my own kitchen. What do you think of this idea? Has anyone done this before? How would I go about finding the right person? * Exercises/suggestions for developing my palette Assistant: With no information on your allergies it's hard to recommend things for you to try to cook, and being vegetarian with tons of unknown food allergies makes it near impossible. Give us some details

Human: I can't eat at restaurants due to food allergies. How can I learn to cook restaurant-quality food at home with no point of reference? I have severe food allergies, so I need to prepare all my own food. I can't eat at restaurants, buy processed food, or eat food that friends prepare. My story: After college, I moved to a "foodie" neighborhood and had disposable income for the first time in my life. For a few months, I enjoyed eating out at restaurants several nights a week. However, I would get very sick afterwards. I soon found out that the problem was caused by severe food allergies, and that restaurants commonly used many of the foods that triggered my allergies. I stopped eating at restaurants and cut all of the allergens out of my diet, and now my health is better. My problem: I think I am a pretty good home cook. Certainly, I have a lot of practice. I have a small collection of "perfected" recipes that could absolutely be served at restaurants. However, there is a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes I will go out to restaurants with my husband (I will just order a drink) and watch his reaction as he tastes something completely new and amazing. He will close his eyes and savor the flavor. He has this blissful expression on his face; he is so fundamentally happy on a deep, primordial level. He enjoys most of the food that I cook too, but his reaction is different. He will taste what I cook say, "Wow, your food is really good." He is a very honest critic, so it's not like he is just saying that to make me happy. However, my cooking doesn't seem to blow his mind the way that some restaurant cooking can. It breaks my heart a little bit that I can't make him so happy in that way, and also that I will never be able to taste something so delicious myself. Part of the problem is that I am a vegetarian, and my husband is not. I have to make various substitutions, and my set of ingredients is somewhat limited due to my allergies. Another part of the problem is that I have no point of reference, in the sense that I am not sure how some foods are supposed to taste. The only time I really ate at restaurants was for that few months right after college (a few years ago), and I was doing it as a vegetarian. I grew up in a small town in the midwest where there were no high quality grocery stores or restaurant options. My question: I want to learn to cook mind-blowingly good food from many different cuisines, to essentially replicate the restaurant experience at home. I am looking for specific suggestions, such as: * Book recommendations that deal with the theory side of cooking: techniques, and balancing flavors, etc. Due to the allergies, I can't follow most recipes found in cookbooks to the letter. However, I feel like if I understood the theory better, that would be less of a problem. * Suggestions for YouTube channels, blogs, etc. on cooking. There are already a few that I like. * I can't take group cooking lessons in person, but I have thought about hiring a personal chef or a culinary student to give me private lessons in my own kitchen. What do you think of this idea? Has anyone done this before? How would I go about finding the right person? * Exercises/suggestions for developing my palette Assistant: I'm wondering if he is getting that feeling from umami flavour? It's very present in meaty dishes but can also be found in things like mushrooms and soy sauce. Maybe looking at incorporating umami flavours into meals as much as possible? I know when I feel that "mmm" and close my eyes, it's usually because of umami or copious amounts of butter.

Human: [Demolition Man] What do you think was the significant turning point in the Franchise Wars that gave Taco Bell the upper-hand? Assistant: It is *much* easier to make a good taco without meat than it is to make a good burger without meat, especially at the scale that franchises operate. When eating meat was outlawed, burger chains pretty much collapsed. Pizza places lasted longer, but taco bell won out.

Human: [Demolition Man] What do you think was the significant turning point in the Franchise Wars that gave Taco Bell the upper-hand? Assistant: Weapons of más destruction.

Human: What do you think will be the next breakthrough in material science? Assistant: My brother did his master's thesis on something called high-entropy alloys. It's 5 or 6 different metals at roughly similar percent composition. I think the main advantage is they are able to maintain structure at higher than typical temperatures. I told him to write the wiki article, but he's busy.

Human: What do you think will be the next breakthrough in material science? Assistant: There are going to be some amazing materials trickling down to the consumer market. Your next phone very likely could have a metallic glass case and sapphire screen.

Human: [Marvel/DC] What street level villains could become national/global threats if they just applied themselves? Assistant: The Purple man easily.

Human: [Marvel/DC] What street level villains could become national/global threats if they just applied themselves? Assistant: lol this premise reminds me of The Spot. He was a low level villain in Spider-Man who can throw black holes and teleport between them, but after Brand New Day, they rewrote him to become a deadly assassin because the russian mob put his son in the hospital and filled with vengeance.

Human: [NY] Co-worker is barging into my office and yelling at me for no reason. Does me having a heart condition factor into helping to make this stop? An employee barged into my office, swinging open the door very fast, and instantly started yelling at me, repeating herself over and over. It was because she thought I had given her the wrong file, but I pointed out it was right. My workplace is normally very quiet. I felt pain in my heart (my real heart... not metaphorically) from the shock of her barging in and yelling hysterically to be honest. I suspected I was having heart problems before this, but I had not yet been able to see the doctor. I have since been diagnosed with a heart problem and I've been feeling ill. After the incident, my boss happened to walk in. I was still standing in shock and breathing a little hard. I tried to tell my boss what happened, but she interrupted me before I finished my first sentence and said, "You can't change someone's personality." I have never complained about an employee, but this employee has had a pattern of yelling at me over the phone over nothing, having a really crazy critical tone in emails, and bossing me around, even though she has no authority over anyone. The things she is getting mad about almost never have anything to do with me, and she is misunderstanding how to use something. I've worked there for 14 years, and she's been there 2. I later learned she was treating our assistant director the same, and my boss was also dismissing her concerns with the personality comment, or telling us how great she is at a particular task she does. It feels a bit like gas-lighting. We both feel our boss doesn't want to deal with it. I informed my boss of all the previous incidents. Heart-wise, I don't know if I can handle someone surprising me like she did and yelling at me. I'm worried if I disclose this they might say I'm not fit to work. I only miss a few days a year due to sick time. I have positive annual reviews of my work with no concerns. Should I print out my medical records to prove I have this heart problem? Assistant: ...telling someone they can't yell at people and need to knock on a door to enter isn't changing someone's "personality". That's standard practice for most offices. You're got a bigger problem here and should speak with HR about the situation.

Human: [NY] Co-worker is barging into my office and yelling at me for no reason. Does me having a heart condition factor into helping to make this stop? An employee barged into my office, swinging open the door very fast, and instantly started yelling at me, repeating herself over and over. It was because she thought I had given her the wrong file, but I pointed out it was right. My workplace is normally very quiet. I felt pain in my heart (my real heart... not metaphorically) from the shock of her barging in and yelling hysterically to be honest. I suspected I was having heart problems before this, but I had not yet been able to see the doctor. I have since been diagnosed with a heart problem and I've been feeling ill. After the incident, my boss happened to walk in. I was still standing in shock and breathing a little hard. I tried to tell my boss what happened, but she interrupted me before I finished my first sentence and said, "You can't change someone's personality." I have never complained about an employee, but this employee has had a pattern of yelling at me over the phone over nothing, having a really crazy critical tone in emails, and bossing me around, even though she has no authority over anyone. The things she is getting mad about almost never have anything to do with me, and she is misunderstanding how to use something. I've worked there for 14 years, and she's been there 2. I later learned she was treating our assistant director the same, and my boss was also dismissing her concerns with the personality comment, or telling us how great she is at a particular task she does. It feels a bit like gas-lighting. We both feel our boss doesn't want to deal with it. I informed my boss of all the previous incidents. Heart-wise, I don't know if I can handle someone surprising me like she did and yelling at me. I'm worried if I disclose this they might say I'm not fit to work. I only miss a few days a year due to sick time. I have positive annual reviews of my work with no concerns. Should I print out my medical records to prove I have this heart problem? Assistant: Your boss is an a\*\*

Human: Just for fun: What is the most satisfying mechanical sound? Assistant: The best mechanical sound is no sound at all

Human: Just for fun: What is the most satisfying mechanical sound? Assistant: A string of big diesel-electric locomotives with the throttle being notched out from idle. A jet engine winding up and then lighting off. Extra points for the smell of kerosene if you're standing close. The woomp of the wind catching the limp sails of a sailboat. The arc of a DC TIG welder.

Human: My son's school lost him!!! My son is 4 years old and autistic. He just started a new school that was supposed to be better for him with his disabilities. He only attended for 2 days. On the SECOND day while I was waiting for the teacher to bring him to my vehicle, I received a phone call from a police officer saying they had my child. Long story short, my son ended up in the hands of a man who witnesses told police he was pulling my son down the road offering him candy to get him to walk with him. These women called the police after they saw the man take my child to a home that wasn't even his. The school was negligent and didn't even know he was missing. They are investigating how he got away and who was in charge but I want to sue the school because they were in charge of my child and he could have been seriously hurt. I also want to sue the police department because they let the guy go after 2 statements from witnesses. My partner went around where it happened and knocked on doors with ring doorbells. Some of them had footage of the man grabbing/pulling/ dangling candy in his face. Somehow this happened in 2 different cities because my son went missing from one town and was found in a different town. The town he was taken from is going to take over the case because they told me it was handled poorly by the other police department. If anyone has any advice at all I'd be very grateful! Thank you! Assistant: You wrote that while you were waiting in your car, that the police called you saying they had your son. How did the police know to contact you? How long was he missing for? When did the school realize he was missing? He was found in a different town, how did your son get there? I’m sure your wrote your post in a whirlwind of panic and frustration, just trying to understand better.

Human: My son's school lost him!!! My son is 4 years old and autistic. He just started a new school that was supposed to be better for him with his disabilities. He only attended for 2 days. On the SECOND day while I was waiting for the teacher to bring him to my vehicle, I received a phone call from a police officer saying they had my child. Long story short, my son ended up in the hands of a man who witnesses told police he was pulling my son down the road offering him candy to get him to walk with him. These women called the police after they saw the man take my child to a home that wasn't even his. The school was negligent and didn't even know he was missing. They are investigating how he got away and who was in charge but I want to sue the school because they were in charge of my child and he could have been seriously hurt. I also want to sue the police department because they let the guy go after 2 statements from witnesses. My partner went around where it happened and knocked on doors with ring doorbells. Some of them had footage of the man grabbing/pulling/ dangling candy in his face. Somehow this happened in 2 different cities because my son went missing from one town and was found in a different town. The town he was taken from is going to take over the case because they told me it was handled poorly by the other police department. If anyone has any advice at all I'd be very grateful! Thank you! Assistant: You’re not going to be able to sue police.

Human: [Marvel] Does Doctor Doom have a legitimate doctorate? IIRC he was booted out of university following the accident that scars his face. Did he even complete undergrad? Of course any Latervian degree he might have is highly questionable... Assistant: He can make sentient robots and wield the forces of the universe. Look, if you are asking if he graduated maybe not, he did get badly hurt before publishing his thesis, but if you are asking if he has the knowledge to deserve the title then yes he does. Though as a side note he was working on his Thesis with Richards who later published his findings, so if Richards is a doctor doom is too.

Human: [Marvel] Does Doctor Doom have a legitimate doctorate? IIRC he was booted out of university following the accident that scars his face. Did he even complete undergrad? Of course any Latervian degree he might have is highly questionable... Assistant: He could always just legally change his first name from Victor to Doctor. Problem solved.

Human: Help us fight for net neutrality! The ability to browse the internet is at risk. The FCC preparing to remove net neutrality. This will allow internet service providers to change how they allow access to websites. AskScience and every other site on the internet is put in risk if net neutrality is removed. Help us fight! https://www.battleforthenet.com/ Assistant: We can already see the effects of restricted content on academia through the paywalled publishing practices of most journals. The high cost of institutional licenses or large-scale purchasing of individual articles can be an overwhelming expense for new companies or smaller universities. Science relies upon the free flow of information and knowledge between persons and institutions around the world. Ending net neutrality puts that at risk.

Human: Help us fight for net neutrality! The ability to browse the internet is at risk. The FCC preparing to remove net neutrality. This will allow internet service providers to change how they allow access to websites. AskScience and every other site on the internet is put in risk if net neutrality is removed. Help us fight! https://www.battleforthenet.com/ Assistant: I tried calling but his mailbox was full. I'm extremely proud of you reddit,I cant believe this many people are telling the FCC Chairman this.

Human: What are your must need things to have on hand? About to do a little shopping to get more baking-related things to have on hand. I don't need just the basics as I'm pretty sure I have all of those down! I wanna be able to wow people with stuff I have without finding a recipe and saving it for a later date to buy those ingredients/tools. Thanks in advance :) Assistant: Molasses! A bottle will last years in the cabinet, and it's one of those things that you don't need often but there's no substitute for, flavor-wise. Plus if you run out of brown sugar, you can sub white and a little molasses in a pinch, depending on your recipe. I've done with a few times with banana bread and it comes out perfect like usual.

Human: What are your must need things to have on hand? About to do a little shopping to get more baking-related things to have on hand. I don't need just the basics as I'm pretty sure I have all of those down! I wanna be able to wow people with stuff I have without finding a recipe and saving it for a later date to buy those ingredients/tools. Thanks in advance :) Assistant: How built out is your spice cabinet? That could be a good place to start.

Human: What are some of the coolest Physics facts that most people don’t know?? I’m interested in a lot of the complex Physics properties throughout our universe but don’t much about them! Anyone got any cool/interesting ones? Much appreciated Assistant: The moon is gradually receding from us, and eventually its angular size in the sky will always be less than the angular size of the sun, so total solar eclipses will never happen again. It's because total solar eclipses occur that we were first able to verify Einstein's theory of general relativity. We are so lucky.

Human: What are some of the coolest Physics facts that most people don’t know?? I’m interested in a lot of the complex Physics properties throughout our universe but don’t much about them! Anyone got any cool/interesting ones? Much appreciated Assistant: A Phonon is a quantum sound particle

Human: [General] If I chop the human part of a centaur off would a coroner be able to tell it wasnt human or are all the appropriate human bits in the top half? For example when a centaur breaths is it filling the human lungs in the chest or the horse lungs in the body? Assistant: Pathfinder (a variant of Dungeons and Dragons) addresses this in one of their adventures - the players find a tannery with 'strangely incomplete horse hides' in the process of being tanned. An expert's knowledge of the natural world can identify the hides as coming from centaurs, which means there are physiological differences, even in just the hides of the horse portion of the centaur, enough that an expert has a good chance of identifying the difference.

Human: [General] If I chop the human part of a centaur off would a coroner be able to tell it wasnt human or are all the appropriate human bits in the top half? For example when a centaur breaths is it filling the human lungs in the chest or the horse lungs in the body? Assistant: The muscle structure would be way different. Even if the human physiology was the same the anatomy wouldn't be.

Human: Seriously, what is a good answer to “oh you’re studying philosophy? And what are you going to do with it?” I’m tired of dealing with these questions, I’m going there because I’m excited for philosophy and want to study it. But I’d also love to give less abstract answers. Does anyone know what careers you can do with a philosophy degree? Assistant: I like to counter with a question: Can you name a job that doesn't require critical, well thought out thinking? Because philosophy does this, it trains you, as others pointed out, to think and convey ideas. Some of those ideas can be quite complicated and employers need people to convey complicated ideas so that everyone can understand them.

Human: Seriously, what is a good answer to “oh you’re studying philosophy? And what are you going to do with it?” I’m tired of dealing with these questions, I’m going there because I’m excited for philosophy and want to study it. But I’d also love to give less abstract answers. Does anyone know what careers you can do with a philosophy degree? Assistant: Here ya go! :D https://www.reddit.com/r/AskPhilosophyFAQ/comments/4i8d2u/what_can_i_do_with_a_philosophy_degree_should_i/

Human: Is district cooling feasible for residential areas? I grew up in Austin, Texas which gets very hot in the summer alongside the rest of central Texas - July and August temperatures are regularly in the 95-105ºF (35-41ºC) range, so *everyone* has lots of air conditioning. Because of problems with the state power system the efficiency and consumption of HVAC has become a hot topic, and a bit of a political one too. One solution that the local university and some of the state buildings have in our downtown is use of a district heating and cooling system. The university has a lot of chilled water plants that distribute it to campus buildings for cooling. Some are also used as an energy storage mechanism, as they'll chill and store water during off peak times and then circulate it during the peak. My question: is there anywhere (especially in the US) that's deployed this model for residential areas, or even suburbs? I imagine it'd be a big infrastructure investment, but could pay off, especially when it comes to total cost of ownership. Obviously it would be difficult to retrofit for existing built up areas, but for new city districts, or greenfield developments like master planned suburbs, would it be feasible? Thanks! Assistant: Toronto Ontario has a district cooling system. It uses the lake as a heat sink instead of the air.

Human: Is district cooling feasible for residential areas? I grew up in Austin, Texas which gets very hot in the summer alongside the rest of central Texas - July and August temperatures are regularly in the 95-105ºF (35-41ºC) range, so *everyone* has lots of air conditioning. Because of problems with the state power system the efficiency and consumption of HVAC has become a hot topic, and a bit of a political one too. One solution that the local university and some of the state buildings have in our downtown is use of a district heating and cooling system. The university has a lot of chilled water plants that distribute it to campus buildings for cooling. Some are also used as an energy storage mechanism, as they'll chill and store water during off peak times and then circulate it during the peak. My question: is there anywhere (especially in the US) that's deployed this model for residential areas, or even suburbs? I imagine it'd be a big infrastructure investment, but could pay off, especially when it comes to total cost of ownership. Obviously it would be difficult to retrofit for existing built up areas, but for new city districts, or greenfield developments like master planned suburbs, would it be feasible? Thanks! Assistant: Cornell University has a system where they draw deep water from Cayuga Lake for cooling. Since its a single payer, its just infrastructure spending. In a district cooling application its appropriate to charge based on usage. BTU meters can be used for billing, but are more complicated than electrical power meters. They need entering and leaving fluid temperature, and flow rate. Its hard to setup because of the infrastructure startup costs, and system maintenance.

Human: Virginia - I purchased a house with a home security system, and the company that installed it will not tell me where a malfunctioning loudspeaker was installed. Fairfax, Virginia I purchased a home 5 years ago. Home came installed with a nationally known company's wireless home security system. I did not, nor do I ever want a home security system. At the time of purcahse the home security system was well over 15 years old according to the previous homeowner. After the home purchase was complete, that week, I removed all door and window sensors, as well as (what I think was) the main control panel, its little power supply, and the telephone back up connection. There is no where else in the house that even begins to resemble anything related to a home security system. Well apparently, somewhere in this 4,000 square foot house, there are two hidden loudspeakers that are hard wired to the house's power as well as having small, "long lasting" back up batteries. From what I can tell, at least one of the speakers is malfunctioning and making a seemingly random alarm noise for a few seconds, a few times per week. Apparently it has to do with a dying battery. I called the home security company, and after numerous conversations, they have confirmed that they likely know (based off some installer notes in the previous homeowners account) where the two loudspeakers are located, but they are refusing to tell me where they are located. The conversation typically turns to them trying to sell me a more modern system. They also said that they could send out an installer technician for a few hundred bucks to "discretely and safely remove the loudspeakers," but again, refuse to just read back the installer notes. I just want to know where these loudspeakers are. What are my options here to forcefully compel these assholes to tell me what the notes on the home's account say? Assistant: Generally they look like doorbell speakers, or are hidden in your attic. Check out there, and look up the company’s equipment on google.

Human: Virginia - I purchased a house with a home security system, and the company that installed it will not tell me where a malfunctioning loudspeaker was installed. Fairfax, Virginia I purchased a home 5 years ago. Home came installed with a nationally known company's wireless home security system. I did not, nor do I ever want a home security system. At the time of purcahse the home security system was well over 15 years old according to the previous homeowner. After the home purchase was complete, that week, I removed all door and window sensors, as well as (what I think was) the main control panel, its little power supply, and the telephone back up connection. There is no where else in the house that even begins to resemble anything related to a home security system. Well apparently, somewhere in this 4,000 square foot house, there are two hidden loudspeakers that are hard wired to the house's power as well as having small, "long lasting" back up batteries. From what I can tell, at least one of the speakers is malfunctioning and making a seemingly random alarm noise for a few seconds, a few times per week. Apparently it has to do with a dying battery. I called the home security company, and after numerous conversations, they have confirmed that they likely know (based off some installer notes in the previous homeowners account) where the two loudspeakers are located, but they are refusing to tell me where they are located. The conversation typically turns to them trying to sell me a more modern system. They also said that they could send out an installer technician for a few hundred bucks to "discretely and safely remove the loudspeakers," but again, refuse to just read back the installer notes. I just want to know where these loudspeakers are. What are my options here to forcefully compel these assholes to tell me what the notes on the home's account say? Assistant: You can't make them help you since you have no contract with them. You could call back, hope for a different person and turn on the charm to see if they'll tell you what they know. Otherwise, a couple hundred dollars is a drop in the bucket when you're moving into a house. Just hold your nose and pay them.

Human: I live in South Korea, where people with a cold commonly wear surgical masks. Does this actually do anything? Here's a photo for anyone who wonders what it looks like. How much of an impact does this have on protection from further external viruses, or spreading the cough, or anything at all? Assistant: The most common way for respiratory viruses to spread is for someone to touch a surface that has been sneezed on, then rub their nasal passages. A mask may remind the wearer not to touch the nose. It could also catch some of the droplets when you sneeze, and avoid contaminating your surroundings.

Human: I live in South Korea, where people with a cold commonly wear surgical masks. Does this actually do anything? Here's a photo for anyone who wonders what it looks like. How much of an impact does this have on protection from further external viruses, or spreading the cough, or anything at all? Assistant: It's to protect the people around you from you. If you're sick, and cough, the mask does a really good job catching it.

Human: Why do professors ignore letter of recommendation requests instead of just declining? Is it a sign that they simply forgot to reply or missed my email, or is it that they just can't be bothered to reply at all if they aren't interested? ​ **Edit:** When I make requests in the future, would it be appropriate to tack on "just a simple yes or no answer is fine" at the end of the email, to hint that I would appreciate even a very curt refusal rather than silence? Assistant: Students have no concept of how wildly overwhelming most academics' inboxes are

Human: Why do professors ignore letter of recommendation requests instead of just declining? Is it a sign that they simply forgot to reply or missed my email, or is it that they just can't be bothered to reply at all if they aren't interested? ​ **Edit:** When I make requests in the future, would it be appropriate to tack on "just a simple yes or no answer is fine" at the end of the email, to hint that I would appreciate even a very curt refusal rather than silence? Assistant: They're probably somewhere on the spectrum of wanting to do so but not having the time available for it. While you might appreciate a quick yes/no, it might not be so simple for them to commit. Did you give a clear deadline and provide all the info needed for them to do the request? If not, then a response also has to include time to sort out these details. In my crunch teaching time, I'll ignore emails for weeks to focus on what I have to get done and reply to Reddit questions.

Human: Lavender troubles I am making lemon and lavender madeleines for a party and the recipe called for lavender buds in the cake batter for the flavor.. I figured I would use some from my garden. Well- today I went out and the sun had scorched my blooms, and there was no culinary lavender at the grocery stores. I am sure it would be fine without, but the lemon in the recipe comes from a lemon frosted dip, not in the cake. Would substituting zest sound too lemony? Alternatively any other ideas to give the cake a little flavor that would complement the lemon in the frosting? Maybe open that bottle of Valencia orange peel? 🤔 Any and all ideas please! Assistant: Rosemary! I make rosemary or lavender shortbread interchangeably. Rosemary is slightly more savory but it’s super nice with some sweetness and the lemon will make it bright. Maybe taste and dust with some granulated sugar after the lemon dip if you feel like it a coming across too savory.

Human: Lavender troubles I am making lemon and lavender madeleines for a party and the recipe called for lavender buds in the cake batter for the flavor.. I figured I would use some from my garden. Well- today I went out and the sun had scorched my blooms, and there was no culinary lavender at the grocery stores. I am sure it would be fine without, but the lemon in the recipe comes from a lemon frosted dip, not in the cake. Would substituting zest sound too lemony? Alternatively any other ideas to give the cake a little flavor that would complement the lemon in the frosting? Maybe open that bottle of Valencia orange peel? 🤔 Any and all ideas please! Assistant: Similar to rosemary, thyme also goes great with lemon!

Human: I want to quit my senior aerospace job and pursue data science bootcamp fulltime Im a senior aerospace engineer but i am very intrigued by data science and envision to working as a ML engineer. My thought process is that with 4-5 month effort and $20K investment, i will have a second career! Within 5 years, i have a chance to making +$200k minimum. I will NOT be able to get there if I stay within my current industry. What do you guys think? Am i being too optimistic? Is it doable? What am I overlooking? Edit: this post is cross posted. Sorry i didnt know there was a cross post option available Assistant: I believe that perceived shortage of ML engineers is probably temporarily. Currently, most ML engineers operates at the edge of innovation and many companies are willing to pay big bucks to move things forward. However, all cloud vendors and a gazillion startups are working to make ML engineering more approachable. In 5 years for many industries the ML engineer will be a more operational role and pay will reflect that.

Human: I want to quit my senior aerospace job and pursue data science bootcamp fulltime Im a senior aerospace engineer but i am very intrigued by data science and envision to working as a ML engineer. My thought process is that with 4-5 month effort and $20K investment, i will have a second career! Within 5 years, i have a chance to making +$200k minimum. I will NOT be able to get there if I stay within my current industry. What do you guys think? Am i being too optimistic? Is it doable? What am I overlooking? Edit: this post is cross posted. Sorry i didnt know there was a cross post option available Assistant: Got a PhD?

Human: [Captain America: Winter Soldier] Why did HYDRA try to kill Fury when he was in a SHIELD vehicle? Wouldn't they know it was bulletproof, could fly, etc.? Why not cap him in the john? Assistant: I believe they're plan was to claim that SHIELD or more specifically Fury and those agents loyal to him had gone rogue. That's why they used police vehicles in broad daylight so it appeared to be a legitimate arrest and not a hostile takeover. If they had succeeded then hydra would have had a scapegoat for the inevitable public outcry that would come from the executions they had planned...

Human: [Captain America: Winter Soldier] Why did HYDRA try to kill Fury when he was in a SHIELD vehicle? Wouldn't they know it was bulletproof, could fly, etc.? Why not cap him in the john? Assistant: In that car is literally the most vulnerable he's been in *years*.

Human: My estranged police officer parent is stalking me. How can I hide my next home address? I believe that they have used department resources to find my new address and I’m not sure what i can do to stop that from happening again. They have threatened to come to my house if I don’t communicate with them, but I’ve blocked them on everything. Please help me, I live in Texas. Assistant: Do you have them threatening to come to your house if you don’t communicate with them in texts or voicemails ?? If so , & even if you don’t contact the IAB department for whichever department the parent works for…IAB is completely separate from the other cops and is who you file a report with against cops doing dirty things

Human: My estranged police officer parent is stalking me. How can I hide my next home address? I believe that they have used department resources to find my new address and I’m not sure what i can do to stop that from happening again. They have threatened to come to my house if I don’t communicate with them, but I’ve blocked them on everything. Please help me, I live in Texas. Assistant: Restraining order?

Human: Neighbor has left her 6yo daughter with me for 4 days. How to proceed? Let me break it down in bullet points. \- I live in a building that has a mixture of regular and subsidized housing. About a year ago, a young mother moved in next door with her daughter. I am a 40yo man, working from home through Covid. She has confided in me that she struggles with heroin addiction, but was getting clean. I lent a kind ear and gave her a few bucks here and there. I have no interest in exploiting her. Dad is completely out of the picture. Grandparents too. \- It started with her just 'running to the store' and leaving her child with me. That was fine. We set up a little play area and she is happy/quiet cute little girl with a good imagination. \- There were times when she would go out and wouldn't come back for several hours. This escalated to a few times leaving her overnight. I've converted my office into a bedroom and got a bed from Craigslist. I always make sure she has breakfast, lunch, dinner and take her to the park or to the beach. Mom never compensated me, and the way she talks, it sometimes makes it sound like she's doing me a favor. \- The thing is, I've always kind of wanted a kid but never got around to it. We have bonded. I think that this is most love and structure this girl has gotten her entire life. I've enrolled her in school this fall, which is online learning. I was able to get her social security and health information. I'm university educated and we have structured learning time. She is incredibly bright. I've also looked into getting her enrolled in dance, since she has shown an interest. \- Mom hasn't been back in 4 days. I contacted the LL and apparently she hasn't paid rent in 3 months. Her phone has been disconnected as well. \- I know I should contact child services, but she has grown so attached I know it would break her heart. We would both be heartbroken to have her taken away and put into the system. Assistant: Social worker here. I would definitely contact a family law attorney before contacting CPS as they can help you ensure you have all of your bases covered. I am on the verge of tears reading this. What you have done is amazing and I desperately hope you get to keep her. She undoubtedly loves you just as much as you do her. Please let us know what happens. ❤️

Human: Neighbor has left her 6yo daughter with me for 4 days. How to proceed? Let me break it down in bullet points. \- I live in a building that has a mixture of regular and subsidized housing. About a year ago, a young mother moved in next door with her daughter. I am a 40yo man, working from home through Covid. She has confided in me that she struggles with heroin addiction, but was getting clean. I lent a kind ear and gave her a few bucks here and there. I have no interest in exploiting her. Dad is completely out of the picture. Grandparents too. \- It started with her just 'running to the store' and leaving her child with me. That was fine. We set up a little play area and she is happy/quiet cute little girl with a good imagination. \- There were times when she would go out and wouldn't come back for several hours. This escalated to a few times leaving her overnight. I've converted my office into a bedroom and got a bed from Craigslist. I always make sure she has breakfast, lunch, dinner and take her to the park or to the beach. Mom never compensated me, and the way she talks, it sometimes makes it sound like she's doing me a favor. \- The thing is, I've always kind of wanted a kid but never got around to it. We have bonded. I think that this is most love and structure this girl has gotten her entire life. I've enrolled her in school this fall, which is online learning. I was able to get her social security and health information. I'm university educated and we have structured learning time. She is incredibly bright. I've also looked into getting her enrolled in dance, since she has shown an interest. \- Mom hasn't been back in 4 days. I contacted the LL and apparently she hasn't paid rent in 3 months. Her phone has been disconnected as well. \- I know I should contact child services, but she has grown so attached I know it would break her heart. We would both be heartbroken to have her taken away and put into the system. Assistant: You need to clarify if you are in CANADA.... MOST OF THIS ADVICE IS FOR THE US.

Human: eli5: Why do certain fruits keep growing, even though we have genetically modified many fruits not to have seeds? Assistant: I actually worked on a farm for two summers that grew the seeds for seedless watermelon. It was all done by careful cross breeding. So you would have several strains of watermelon plant that when cross pollinated will produce a plant whose seeds grow infertile plants. This farmer had been working on these plants for about 15 years and he has continued in the 15 years since. He also grew yellow and orange watermelon and even had produced a tie-dye red and orange.

Human: eli5: Why do certain fruits keep growing, even though we have genetically modified many fruits not to have seeds? Assistant: Cloning. You take a cutting from the tree and start a new plant from it. Instead of a seed. Like bananas.

Human: Is it worth it to go back the get a masters after less than a year of working in hopes of getting a better job? I’ve been working for about 6 months and have been trying to land another job to no avail. I know everybody says your GPA doesn’t matter but when you can’t afford to not work while in school it kinda bit me in the ass and I had a 3.2. I feel like if I went to get my MS I’d have a better chance of getting a job I want in a field I’d like but I’m currently paying my loans off and idk if I could literally afford it cause I’m just a run of the mill student who did “OK”. Assistant: Thing is, a lot of people are probably passing up your resume because you have been working 6 months and are already trying to jump ship. You have little more to offer than a new grad, so why would they take a risk on you?

Human: Is it worth it to go back the get a masters after less than a year of working in hopes of getting a better job? I’ve been working for about 6 months and have been trying to land another job to no avail. I know everybody says your GPA doesn’t matter but when you can’t afford to not work while in school it kinda bit me in the ass and I had a 3.2. I feel like if I went to get my MS I’d have a better chance of getting a job I want in a field I’d like but I’m currently paying my loans off and idk if I could literally afford it cause I’m just a run of the mill student who did “OK”. Assistant: IMO a masters is only worth it if you can find someone else to pay for it.

Human: CMV: People should be more positive and friendly to everyone, regardless of how they are treated in return. It’s my point of view that having a positive, pleasant, and friendly demeanor to everyone around is an easy way to make the world a better place. Not only are people more likely to reflect that positive and friendly attitude back to you, it can help to convince others that you are worth investing time or energy into. Examples are during calls to a customer service help line, at work (both to customers as well as other employees), shopping at a grocery store, visiting a new area, asking for directions from others, meeting new people at an event, and in any encounter with someone who interacts with a negative outlook or attitude either at first or consistently. I have noticed that when I am friendly and pleasant in my demeanor, even if I don’t feel the best physically or mentally, other people most often return the same expression of kindness and treat me with the same respect I give them. Working for mostly tips right now, this positive attitude is essential to getting the best results of my service even if there are mistakes made outside of my control. It’s also important when I do make a mistake, because being positive and friendly means that I do what I can to correct the situation and sometimes go further out of my way for the customer to ensure they feel taken care of. Nobody naturally wants to be kind to someone who is being rude or mean, but being kind and positive anyways is a skill and an asset to me. Are there any reasons or circumstances that being positive or friendly to others would be negative to yourself? I’d love to know if there are, and why. Assistant: Yes— as a woman, being friendly and polite with strange men frequently results in them not respecting boundaries. I have found myself in multiple occasions where I feel unsafe, and wonder if I had been less friendly or memorable would I still be in the same situation? I tend to be a friendly-ish person but I have found myself in fewer deeply uncomfortable or unsafe encounters since I have adopted a more professional and punctuated manner when interacting with unfamiliar people.

Human: CMV: People should be more positive and friendly to everyone, regardless of how they are treated in return. It’s my point of view that having a positive, pleasant, and friendly demeanor to everyone around is an easy way to make the world a better place. Not only are people more likely to reflect that positive and friendly attitude back to you, it can help to convince others that you are worth investing time or energy into. Examples are during calls to a customer service help line, at work (both to customers as well as other employees), shopping at a grocery store, visiting a new area, asking for directions from others, meeting new people at an event, and in any encounter with someone who interacts with a negative outlook or attitude either at first or consistently. I have noticed that when I am friendly and pleasant in my demeanor, even if I don’t feel the best physically or mentally, other people most often return the same expression of kindness and treat me with the same respect I give them. Working for mostly tips right now, this positive attitude is essential to getting the best results of my service even if there are mistakes made outside of my control. It’s also important when I do make a mistake, because being positive and friendly means that I do what I can to correct the situation and sometimes go further out of my way for the customer to ensure they feel taken care of. Nobody naturally wants to be kind to someone who is being rude or mean, but being kind and positive anyways is a skill and an asset to me. Are there any reasons or circumstances that being positive or friendly to others would be negative to yourself? I’d love to know if there are, and why. Assistant: Sometimes the only language someone understands is a metaphorical fist to their face, and everyone has a right to self defense, socially as well as physically.

Human: I would like to incorporate more salads into my meals but have no clue on where to start. Any ideas? For the most part I buy romaine lettuce or spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and simply add ranch dressing. I want to experiment but not go overboard since some of the dressings can get quite expensive. Also what's the best way to keep the mix in the fridge? I'd like to take the leftovers to lunch but it always seems to get mushy after a few days. Thanks everyone! Assistant: I like having a 'pre dinner salad' because it helps me avoid pigging out on pasta or whatever.

Human: I would like to incorporate more salads into my meals but have no clue on where to start. Any ideas? For the most part I buy romaine lettuce or spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and simply add ranch dressing. I want to experiment but not go overboard since some of the dressings can get quite expensive. Also what's the best way to keep the mix in the fridge? I'd like to take the leftovers to lunch but it always seems to get mushy after a few days. Thanks everyone! Assistant: As far as keeping things fresh and crisp, a salad spinner can be helpful. Refresh your greens with a cold water wash, spin them dry and let them sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Perks them up and helps with that nice crisp texture.

Human: My sister keeps burning everything she bakes. I'm asking because I'm forced to eat them and it's nasty. Mostly cookies or brownies, I would say they are lightly charred but not inedible but it still tastes bad imo. I don't really ever bake myself but I think our oven is weird because she follows directions but everything burns. Should I tell her to not leave it in too long or what. Assistant: You should DEFINITELY get her to invest in an oven thermometer, even if her oven is new or she has a fancy digital one - you'd be surprised at how off some ovens can be. She should also be taking into consideration the type of baking pan/tin she is using, for example, a recipe may need an aluminium cookie pan but if she uses a nonstick one (which is darker in colour) it can affect the temperature/bake time that the recipe requires.

Human: My sister keeps burning everything she bakes. I'm asking because I'm forced to eat them and it's nasty. Mostly cookies or brownies, I would say they are lightly charred but not inedible but it still tastes bad imo. I don't really ever bake myself but I think our oven is weird because she follows directions but everything burns. Should I tell her to not leave it in too long or what. Assistant: Where is the oven rack positioned? If it's at lowest place in the oven they are going to get a lot hotter/darker.

Human: Can I cheat and use lemon pepper seasoning to make a dressing did salad? Olive oil, vinegar, lemon pepper seasoning, oregano, maybe some basil is what I'm thinking. I don't have lemons Assistant: why not. it's not cheating.

Human: Can I cheat and use lemon pepper seasoning to make a dressing did salad? Olive oil, vinegar, lemon pepper seasoning, oregano, maybe some basil is what I'm thinking. I don't have lemons Assistant: The essential components of a salad dressing emulsion are there (oil and vinegar), so the flavour ingredients are totally up to you.

Human: Questions about the financial feasibility of a PhD program with two kids in NYC. ​ Hello everyone. I'm finishing up a second MA in educational leadership and would like to continue my research. I am currently a certified high school teacher of students with disabilities and I thought that I wanted to go into administration. This degree taught me that is probably not the best path for me. I live in NYC and have looked at both EdD programs online (my favorites were Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt) and in person EdD and PhD programs in the city. It's pretty clear that the EdD programs are not going to give me the research opportunities that I want and the programs that are still interesting enough to pursue are all self funded. I'm currently considering applying to PhD programs that fit my area of interest but I don't have an idea how I'm going to live. Even if the research gets fully funded. What does the stipend look like? Would I be able to work full time as a teacher (not likely)? I have two kids and a supportive partner, my only (current) concern is money. Any insight is appreciated. Assistant: Do they have on site family housing for postdocs?

Human: Questions about the financial feasibility of a PhD program with two kids in NYC. ​ Hello everyone. I'm finishing up a second MA in educational leadership and would like to continue my research. I am currently a certified high school teacher of students with disabilities and I thought that I wanted to go into administration. This degree taught me that is probably not the best path for me. I live in NYC and have looked at both EdD programs online (my favorites were Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt) and in person EdD and PhD programs in the city. It's pretty clear that the EdD programs are not going to give me the research opportunities that I want and the programs that are still interesting enough to pursue are all self funded. I'm currently considering applying to PhD programs that fit my area of interest but I don't have an idea how I'm going to live. Even if the research gets fully funded. What does the stipend look like? Would I be able to work full time as a teacher (not likely)? I have two kids and a supportive partner, my only (current) concern is money. Any insight is appreciated. Assistant: Just had another thought-- what kind of research do you want to do? I was assuming education but is that correct? There's a huge field of educational research and consulting. Feels like a bit of a hiring boom right now, so if you have classroom teaching experience and any training in methods at all (interviews, basic survey), you might be able to get a research job right now. I know folks who got degrees while working for companies like ETS. Their schedules are way more flexible than teaching.

Human: [DC] So is the Gotham Judicial system ever going to find a more permanent solution for Joker? This Arkham Asylum shit clearly isn't working. Assistant: Well, what do you have in mind? Phantom Zone? How's that work out for General Zod? Omega effect? Yeah, good luck convincing Darkseid to be your jailer for you. Just take him behind the courthouse and shoot him in the head? There's a hundred ways for a supervillain to return from beyond the grave-- and the Joker's liable to find the exact one that'll make life hardest for Batman once he gets back.

Human: [DC] So is the Gotham Judicial system ever going to find a more permanent solution for Joker? This Arkham Asylum shit clearly isn't working. Assistant: Given that the DCU exists on a sliding time scale, probably not.

Human: Eli5: Why did cellphones stop creating a buzzing sound in speakers when receiving a call/text? I’m sure many of you remember your computer or car speakers buzzing in a very distinct rhythm before receiving a call or text in the 2000s. I’m just wondering what changed and how. Assistant: They haven't. I still have some speakers at work that buzz if I get my cell phone too close to them.

Human: Eli5: Why did cellphones stop creating a buzzing sound in speakers when receiving a call/text? I’m sure many of you remember your computer or car speakers buzzing in a very distinct rhythm before receiving a call or text in the 2000s. I’m just wondering what changed and how. Assistant: I used to hear it come out of the speaker of my answering machine if I had the cell phone near it. At least 3-4 seconds before the it would ring. Ahhhh… the days of cellphones, land lines, and answering machines all in the same household.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why is it that we think of mirrors as being silver colored, even though they reflect the exact colors of objects around them? Assistant: Silver is not a true color (in the sense of a wavelength of light). Silver is the name we have given to the effect we get from reflective surfaces such as mirrors, chrome, and originally, polished silver. EDIT: Fixed the opening parenthesis.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why is it that we think of mirrors as being silver colored, even though they reflect the exact colors of objects around them? Assistant: In a nutshell A mirror is a piece of glass that is coated with a thin price of silver or grey "metal". The process of coating the glass is literally called silvering. Then its polished to point of reflection. If you ever look at the back of a mirror most of them are grey.

Human: I don’t drink, what can I use as a substitute to alcohol in recipes? Assistant: Why don’t you just freeze the leftover wine in an ice cube tray and take out what you need each time?

Human: I don’t drink, what can I use as a substitute to alcohol in recipes? Assistant: Grocery stores (USA) sell cooking wines. They are around 10% ABV but have a lot more salt. They are shelf stable at room temperature, if wastefulness is your concern. I have Sherry, Marsala, Red wine, Wine, and Rice Wine in my pantry all the time. If avoiding alcohol all together I would start look to add small amount fresh lemon juice and extra stock/water.

Human: Frozen peas need to be fully cooked? So, I have been eating frozen peas my entire life and just yesterday I noticed on the bag it said “must be fully cooked to 165 degrees” i ate them anyways but I want to know if there is any reason for that. I’m not worried about it because as far as I know peas don’t need to be cooked but I am interested in if there is a reason behind that like a requirement from the FDA or something like that. Spanish is my first language sorry for any mistakes Assistant: No.. but how else would you eat peas? What are you doing with them?

Human: Frozen peas need to be fully cooked? So, I have been eating frozen peas my entire life and just yesterday I noticed on the bag it said “must be fully cooked to 165 degrees” i ate them anyways but I want to know if there is any reason for that. I’m not worried about it because as far as I know peas don’t need to be cooked but I am interested in if there is a reason behind that like a requirement from the FDA or something like that. Spanish is my first language sorry for any mistakes Assistant: I eat them out of the garden raw. The only issue is with the packaging and whether they have become dirty during processing. They do not need to be cooked to be healthy.

Human: Why do engineering companies hire contractors? Specifically in the defense field, and I don't mean temporary contractors. I mean the engineers who are pretty much a full time employee, but wear a different badge, and they stay there for the entire length of the contract. I even used to be a contractor, and we pretty much had guaranteed employment as long as we didn't seriously mess up. We even got better pay and benefits than the people we worked for. So why do engineering companies hire contractors instead of just making them their own employees? Assistant: Dude a lot of the engineers I work with here in defense don’t do anything technical. They’re primarily just interfaces with our contractors who do the actual designing, modeling, etc. It’s wild.

Human: Why do engineering companies hire contractors? Specifically in the defense field, and I don't mean temporary contractors. I mean the engineers who are pretty much a full time employee, but wear a different badge, and they stay there for the entire length of the contract. I even used to be a contractor, and we pretty much had guaranteed employment as long as we didn't seriously mess up. We even got better pay and benefits than the people we worked for. So why do engineering companies hire contractors instead of just making them their own employees? Assistant: So they can lay them off in a year without consequence.

Human: Why does my one cast iron pan stick, but the other doesn't? Hey all, I've had this question for a long time and never really found an answer I'm happy with.. I have two cast iron pans, One is 9in, and the other is 6.5. I feel I am using them properly (properly seasoned, cold oil/hot pan, stored with a light layer of oil etc.) ​ The 6.5in one works like a charm. Food doesn't stick AT ALL, when I cook an omelette I can actually spin it around in the pan, and when I tip in out, it leaves zero trace. Its actually extremely satisfying to use! (Today I even forgot to put oil on in my morning daze and it still did not stick at all) ​ When I follow the same procedure with the 9in one, it's an absolute food magnet. I waste half the eggs creating a layer of concrete on the bottom of the pan, no matter how long i preheat the pan, when I put oil on, etc. I've tried re-seasoning it, but no luck. What am i doing wrong?! Assistant: /r/castiron will love to help you. come on over!

Human: Why does my one cast iron pan stick, but the other doesn't? Hey all, I've had this question for a long time and never really found an answer I'm happy with.. I have two cast iron pans, One is 9in, and the other is 6.5. I feel I am using them properly (properly seasoned, cold oil/hot pan, stored with a light layer of oil etc.) ​ The 6.5in one works like a charm. Food doesn't stick AT ALL, when I cook an omelette I can actually spin it around in the pan, and when I tip in out, it leaves zero trace. Its actually extremely satisfying to use! (Today I even forgot to put oil on in my morning daze and it still did not stick at all) ​ When I follow the same procedure with the 9in one, it's an absolute food magnet. I waste half the eggs creating a layer of concrete on the bottom of the pan, no matter how long i preheat the pan, when I put oil on, etc. I've tried re-seasoning it, but no luck. What am i doing wrong?! Assistant: i've now taken an orbital sander to most of pans, and a dremel to the small one that the sander wouldn't fit in. i've also seen youtube videos of guys using a bit that fit into their drill. its the best thing to do. grind the top down, then season it a couple times through the oven, i used flax seed and a 350 degree oven for an hour.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why are electric chairs not able to kill people instantly? You see stories of people getting accidentally electrocuted in everyday life and dropping dead instantly, why aren’t electric chairs engineered with that amount of power? Assistant: It was designed to be more humane than hanging, but not too humane, in accordance with the amount of vengeance demanded by Americans in the late 1800s. Lethal injection was developed to be more humane than electrocution, but still, not too humane, in accordance with the amount of vengeance demanded by Americans in the 1980s.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why are electric chairs not able to kill people instantly? You see stories of people getting accidentally electrocuted in everyday life and dropping dead instantly, why aren’t electric chairs engineered with that amount of power? Assistant: A moderate voltage is more dangerous immediately than a high voltage. This is because a high voltage zap will essentially defibrillate your heart; it stops entirely for a second and begins to beat again. Whereas a moderate voltage won't stop your heart but can introduce an arrhythmia, which stops it from pumping, leading to very rapid death. Note: this only applies to very short shocks. High voltage is of course much worse if the exposure is longer, as it quickly fries your tissue.

Human: What do you typically do with grants in the humanities that don't involve travel? Hi all, I received a $12k grant a year ago, which was delayed due to covid. I'd like to get started buying research materials, but I'm wondering if I should try to delay the grant further, because travel still isn't happening and I don't really want to gamble on that fact changing. I can use a small portion of it for a summer stipend, but I cannot use it for a course release. I had $7k of the grant dedicated to travel. Are there any creative ways of spending grant money for folks in the humanities? If there were no restrictions, I'd spend it all on course release and research materials. Assistant: Research materials — every book you'll ever need A new computer Undergraduate student workers A good camera for taking pictures of documents Audio equipment for a multimedia experience or whatever A really awesome webcam Editing services (if you have something to edit) Manuscript consulting services Archival reproduction services Web server space for a few years A really bitchin' tattoo of whomever you are studying (just kidding)

Human: What do you typically do with grants in the humanities that don't involve travel? Hi all, I received a $12k grant a year ago, which was delayed due to covid. I'd like to get started buying research materials, but I'm wondering if I should try to delay the grant further, because travel still isn't happening and I don't really want to gamble on that fact changing. I can use a small portion of it for a summer stipend, but I cannot use it for a course release. I had $7k of the grant dedicated to travel. Are there any creative ways of spending grant money for folks in the humanities? If there were no restrictions, I'd spend it all on course release and research materials. Assistant: 👃🏻❄️

Human: What would a highway system look like if designed today? I’ve always wondered this. The highway system was largely designed in the mid 20th century. If we could somehow start fresh, what would a modern highway system look like? Some key points I would like answered - less lanes? More lanes? - more roundabouts? - construction materials - types of merging - address future proofing? (Easier for new technology to adapt, such as autonomous driving). This biggest reason I’ve wondered this is because with the rise of autonomous vehicles, it seems very unfortunate that we have to design them to adapt to a very old school design that varies state by state. I imagine its hard to get the cars to recognize the probably hundreds of different types of road signs and different designs whereas if we could build a highway designed to make it easier for autonomous vehicles than that would be much easier. Regardless, I’m still curious what a modern highway would look like without too much regard for autonomous driving. Thanks Assistant: Don't build it through the center of cities...

Human: What would a highway system look like if designed today? I’ve always wondered this. The highway system was largely designed in the mid 20th century. If we could somehow start fresh, what would a modern highway system look like? Some key points I would like answered - less lanes? More lanes? - more roundabouts? - construction materials - types of merging - address future proofing? (Easier for new technology to adapt, such as autonomous driving). This biggest reason I’ve wondered this is because with the rise of autonomous vehicles, it seems very unfortunate that we have to design them to adapt to a very old school design that varies state by state. I imagine its hard to get the cars to recognize the probably hundreds of different types of road signs and different designs whereas if we could build a highway designed to make it easier for autonomous vehicles than that would be much easier. Regardless, I’m still curious what a modern highway would look like without too much regard for autonomous driving. Thanks Assistant: So I live in olathe Kansas and we just built an interchange with an early left turn, I think this and/ or making left turns permanently blinking yellow would solve a lot. Get rid of suicide merges like in Minneapolis with the clover leafs Add more frontage roads like in Texas with the pass thrus where you can do a u turn without a light More roundabouts More flyovers No left lane merges or left lane exits Fines for being in left lane and not passing Mandated bike lanes or shoulder widths

Human: HOA threatening to tow my car Mobile formatting. Sorry if this is the wrong flair I (20M) live in a townhouse complex/neighborhood with my boyfriend (21M), his mother (60F), and her bf (??M). We have a full driveway; both sides of the garage are filled with my bf’s cars, then the driveway has his truck and his mom’s bf’s truck. I park on the street right in front of the house. The HOA is now threatening to tow my car for “safety hazards”, claiming it’s an obstruction to firetrucks (? but it’s not in front of a fire hydrant). They said I have to move it or it will be towed and I will be fined. My bf says realistically, I won’t be towed because the car has to either be actively obstructing someone/traffic or be abandoned. But the HOA has jurisdiction over the block so I’m not sure if those rules apply. Do I need to comply with them or can I fight this? Because literally where am I supposed to park?? I am in Georgia. Assistant: Check the bylaws. Since it is a townhouse complex, those may not be public streets. The bylaws may prohibit parking on those streets. There are many places with rules like that. Are there visitor parking areas?

Human: HOA threatening to tow my car Mobile formatting. Sorry if this is the wrong flair I (20M) live in a townhouse complex/neighborhood with my boyfriend (21M), his mother (60F), and her bf (??M). We have a full driveway; both sides of the garage are filled with my bf’s cars, then the driveway has his truck and his mom’s bf’s truck. I park on the street right in front of the house. The HOA is now threatening to tow my car for “safety hazards”, claiming it’s an obstruction to firetrucks (? but it’s not in front of a fire hydrant). They said I have to move it or it will be towed and I will be fined. My bf says realistically, I won’t be towed because the car has to either be actively obstructing someone/traffic or be abandoned. But the HOA has jurisdiction over the block so I’m not sure if those rules apply. Do I need to comply with them or can I fight this? Because literally where am I supposed to park?? I am in Georgia. Assistant: Many private streets are too narrow to allow for a vehicle to park on the street and provide enough space for emergency vehicles to drive past. This, in essence, makes all street parking illegal as it can block a firetruck from getting past your home to get to a house on fire further down the block. As for where can you park? Likely the answer is outside of the community, or on another street that isn't private width and can allow for street parking.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: what happens in the brain when you draw a blank on a name? I'm talking about those things that you normally know but may forget momentarily. It's like your brain draws a blank or can't access the info. What causes that when it happens? Assistant: Imagine living in a forest for your entire life, wandering around and making paths. Some paths, like to the nearest water source, you will take over and over again and they will become permanent. Paths that you only take a few times a year won't be as easy to take again and will get overgrown with time. Some paths may overlap each other making navigation confusing. When you blank on a name it means your brain couldn't find the right path at that moment.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: what happens in the brain when you draw a blank on a name? I'm talking about those things that you normally know but may forget momentarily. It's like your brain draws a blank or can't access the info. What causes that when it happens? Assistant: What were we talking about?

Human: Explain like I'm five years old why do manual transmission cars sell so poorly in the US compared to the rest of the world? Assistant: Two reasons - Rush hour traffic, and long drives People don't want to have to deal with a clutch in daily bumper to bumper traffic. I've done it and it **sucks**. At the same time, city to city travel, or even further, is just easier to not have to worry about shifting through hills, curves, passing, etc. Stick is fun to drive, and can be more economical, but the majority of US automobile consumer's just want to get from A to B with minimal effort

Human: Explain like I'm five years old why do manual transmission cars sell so poorly in the US compared to the rest of the world? Assistant: The US consumer market favors larger vehicles compared to other countries. Larger vehicles generally favor automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions are much more common in smaller vehicles and subsequently smaller vehicle markets.

Human: CMV: Johnny Depp's behaviour in court is inappropriate So this isn't a post to argue whether Amber Heard or Johnny Depp are innocent/guilty or who's going to win the trial. This post is to argue that Johnny Depp, and his team, behave inappropriately in court. I have several reasons to believe this, despite most of the media attention I've seen labelling his behaviour as endearing or funny. I'll present a few reasons why I believe this - One reason is that his reactions to statements, and quite often his sarcastic or sneaky comments to his team, make him seem like he's not taking the trial entirely seriously. Of course he has negative feelings towards Amber and her team, but making sarcastic comments to his team is unnecessary, childish, and unprofessional. Either Johnny or his team laughing or snickering at things is not appropriate, and it again makes him seem like he's not taking it seriously or doesn't respect the court. It also makes him seem unsympathetic. People say amber comes across cold and her facial expressions have been heavily judged but at least she seems mostly professional and respectful in court. Another reason - I've seen some criticism over the fact that amber has been drinking (water) on the stand and was eating while giving evidence. However Johnny and his team have done the same, even eating sweets, yet there's no criticism there? Likewise, Johnny's been doodling in court which makes him seem uninterested, bored, and frankly quite rude. In any other court case with non-famous people, if either defense or prosecution were doing things like doodling or eating sweets that would seem highly inappropriate. I understand he may be trying to calm himself or bring some lightness to a very heavy court session but that's not appropriate conduct. Johnny's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, is too touchy. This may well be tactical, but if it was a male lawyer hugging and touching a female they were representing, people would be saying how inappropriate it was. But I'm not saying any more on this point. Moreover, I think his confidence and waving to everyone in court, while amber comes across stern and quiet, could be viewed positively but could also be viewed as if he's being cocky. It's like he's playing up his famous status. Amber Heard's body language, facial expressions, behaviour and attitude has been SO heavily criticised by the media, but Johnny's been left unscathed even though some of his courtroom behaviours have been more than questionable. Assistant: >Moreover, I think his confidence and waving to everyone in court, while amber comes across stern and quiet, could be viewed positively but could also be viewed as if he's being cocky. It's like he's playing up his famous status. Yes. He wants the people on his side so he is showing his genuine character which is taken into account

Human: CMV: Johnny Depp's behaviour in court is inappropriate So this isn't a post to argue whether Amber Heard or Johnny Depp are innocent/guilty or who's going to win the trial. This post is to argue that Johnny Depp, and his team, behave inappropriately in court. I have several reasons to believe this, despite most of the media attention I've seen labelling his behaviour as endearing or funny. I'll present a few reasons why I believe this - One reason is that his reactions to statements, and quite often his sarcastic or sneaky comments to his team, make him seem like he's not taking the trial entirely seriously. Of course he has negative feelings towards Amber and her team, but making sarcastic comments to his team is unnecessary, childish, and unprofessional. Either Johnny or his team laughing or snickering at things is not appropriate, and it again makes him seem like he's not taking it seriously or doesn't respect the court. It also makes him seem unsympathetic. People say amber comes across cold and her facial expressions have been heavily judged but at least she seems mostly professional and respectful in court. Another reason - I've seen some criticism over the fact that amber has been drinking (water) on the stand and was eating while giving evidence. However Johnny and his team have done the same, even eating sweets, yet there's no criticism there? Likewise, Johnny's been doodling in court which makes him seem uninterested, bored, and frankly quite rude. In any other court case with non-famous people, if either defense or prosecution were doing things like doodling or eating sweets that would seem highly inappropriate. I understand he may be trying to calm himself or bring some lightness to a very heavy court session but that's not appropriate conduct. Johnny's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, is too touchy. This may well be tactical, but if it was a male lawyer hugging and touching a female they were representing, people would be saying how inappropriate it was. But I'm not saying any more on this point. Moreover, I think his confidence and waving to everyone in court, while amber comes across stern and quiet, could be viewed positively but could also be viewed as if he's being cocky. It's like he's playing up his famous status. Amber Heard's body language, facial expressions, behaviour and attitude has been SO heavily criticised by the media, but Johnny's been left unscathed even though some of his courtroom behaviours have been more than questionable. Assistant: What would change your view?

Human: How to break into the semiconductor industry? I've really wanted to work somewhere in semiconductors for a long time. I'm really fascinated by the complexities of the manufacturing process. I have a bachelor's degree in EE. I thought I was on the right track by taking graduate level courses in semiconductor manufacturing while in undergrad, but I have not had good experiences applying so far. I can't get any attention with any semiconductor companies, not even an interview. Just straight rejection emails across the board. What should I do? It seems like tons of people work in this field but I can't even get an interview. I keep hearing how these companies are desperate for people and hiring in huge numbers, but it isn't working out for me. Should I go to grad school? Assistant: Apply here: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=84194&clientkey=981F867322F1798A9D2A5FF296D6A35D PM me if you do intend to apply so you can list me as having referred you.

Human: How to break into the semiconductor industry? I've really wanted to work somewhere in semiconductors for a long time. I'm really fascinated by the complexities of the manufacturing process. I have a bachelor's degree in EE. I thought I was on the right track by taking graduate level courses in semiconductor manufacturing while in undergrad, but I have not had good experiences applying so far. I can't get any attention with any semiconductor companies, not even an interview. Just straight rejection emails across the board. What should I do? It seems like tons of people work in this field but I can't even get an interview. I keep hearing how these companies are desperate for people and hiring in huge numbers, but it isn't working out for me. Should I go to grad school? Assistant: Intel, TSMC, and Samsung are currently building new Fabs in the US. As an EE you may be able to “break in” on the Facilities Construction or Operations side then figure out which manufacturing dept you are most interested in. Most of the process engineers will be ME and ChemE…but an EE could easily pick up the equipment engineer side.

Human: CMV: Parents who refuse to take their screaming child out of an event/restaurant/whatever, secretly want others to suffer the way they have to. I posted this in another sub but that may have been a biased audience so I want to put this out to CMV for a broader sample. It just seems as though the parent lacks empathy for others and general courtesy. I would be willing to bet if you said anything to them or looked at them, you would get a very angered look/comment in return. If the child has been screaming for quite some time and shows no sign of stopping, why would you want to make others miserable unless you have the standpoint of Misery Loves Company? I don't think anyone is that oblivious to think that noise is not bothersome to others and I would be willing to bet these same people are annoyed at loud parties, early morning lawn mowers, ground shaking car stereos and other loud noises such as that that infringe on their piece and quiet. Assistant: I once took an airplane with a screaming child, this was a business trip so there was another guy on the plane that I knew. After we got off I said, “wow that baby was loud.” His response was, “what baby?” See, he had small children and I didn’t, so children that sounded loud to me didn’t sound that way to him. I think this could refute your premise.

Human: CMV: Parents who refuse to take their screaming child out of an event/restaurant/whatever, secretly want others to suffer the way they have to. I posted this in another sub but that may have been a biased audience so I want to put this out to CMV for a broader sample. It just seems as though the parent lacks empathy for others and general courtesy. I would be willing to bet if you said anything to them or looked at them, you would get a very angered look/comment in return. If the child has been screaming for quite some time and shows no sign of stopping, why would you want to make others miserable unless you have the standpoint of Misery Loves Company? I don't think anyone is that oblivious to think that noise is not bothersome to others and I would be willing to bet these same people are annoyed at loud parties, early morning lawn mowers, ground shaking car stereos and other loud noises such as that that infringe on their piece and quiet. Assistant: Lacking empathy and wanting people to suffer are 2 different things. Most are just selfish and don’t care but that doesn’t mean they secretly want others to suffer.

Human: Do people cook tortillas on a skillet or can i just cook it directly on the fire of my gas stove? It gave me more colour directly on the fire so was just wondering if this was traditional or how most people do it Assistant: Depends on what you want for your end result. Skillet provides for lighter toasting and more pliable tortillas. Over flame has more color from charring, and more rigid in structure. So depending if you are folding or rolling (IMO). Fold=Flame Rolling=Skillet

Human: Do people cook tortillas on a skillet or can i just cook it directly on the fire of my gas stove? It gave me more colour directly on the fire so was just wondering if this was traditional or how most people do it Assistant: You can do it on the gas burner grate of the range. I’ve done it many many times. You get a bit better color, etc as you said. Also, it’s faster.

Human: Professors, what is your area of specialization and what does your day-to-day research ACTUALLY consist of? I am an undergraduate freshman interested in a PhD and becoming a professor, but my interests are so wide! I’m trying to understand what different types of research are actually like, so if you could help me out I would appreciate it. Assistant: PhD in English here. There is a wide range of approaches taken within the field. Some people closely read primary texts, others get mired in theory/philosophy, and others go to archives to construct textual or historical arguments. Very little of this happens on a day-to-day basis because lesson planning, teaching, grading etc. take priority during the year. Summer is the time to research, but it is challenging to maintain momentum there (which is why I personally have drifted away from research).

Human: Professors, what is your area of specialization and what does your day-to-day research ACTUALLY consist of? I am an undergraduate freshman interested in a PhD and becoming a professor, but my interests are so wide! I’m trying to understand what different types of research are actually like, so if you could help me out I would appreciate it. Assistant: You need to specify a major at least.

Human: [Marvel] Spider-Man was bitten by a Radioactive (Or Genetically enhanced) Spider, but it was a very specic type of spider which if I remember was a common house spider. If say it was a tarantula or a black widow what types of powers would he get? less strength? better speed? stingers? Assistant: He would get urticating hairs. If a bad guy managed to touch him, these guard hairs would at the least make the bad guy itch like crazy. I shouldn't know this, bc I'm terrified of tarantulas. But another redditor told me this.

Human: [Marvel] Spider-Man was bitten by a Radioactive (Or Genetically enhanced) Spider, but it was a very specic type of spider which if I remember was a common house spider. If say it was a tarantula or a black widow what types of powers would he get? less strength? better speed? stingers? Assistant: Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 had his DNA spliced with a spiders and got fangs and stingers on his fingers i believe

Human: CMV: It should be a law that all bathroom doors open outwards so that you don’t have to touch the handle after washing your hands. It’s a fact that a large portion of the population doesn’t wash their hands after touching their cock or vaginer. Even worse than that, touching the grime that we experience during every day activities. The greatest collection for this is the handle on the bathroom door. It seems like every public bathroom door opens up inwards, requiring you to grab it with moist hands (considering you just washed them). Moist hands pick up much more germs than dry ones, so you have a combination of people with wet hands touching the handle, making it wet. Then someone who didn’t wash touches it and, since it’s wet, it picks up tons of germs. There are tons of seemingly nonsensical rules and guidelines that a state/ region requires when constructing a public building. I’m not saying we should force every building to reverse bathroom doors (as simple as it may be). But instead require new buildings to do this, then, maybe I can hope for a less disgusting world for my children. I am clinically insane so if this comes off as insane that’s why. Assistant: Why not just make it a law that they have automatic doors?

Human: CMV: It should be a law that all bathroom doors open outwards so that you don’t have to touch the handle after washing your hands. It’s a fact that a large portion of the population doesn’t wash their hands after touching their cock or vaginer. Even worse than that, touching the grime that we experience during every day activities. The greatest collection for this is the handle on the bathroom door. It seems like every public bathroom door opens up inwards, requiring you to grab it with moist hands (considering you just washed them). Moist hands pick up much more germs than dry ones, so you have a combination of people with wet hands touching the handle, making it wet. Then someone who didn’t wash touches it and, since it’s wet, it picks up tons of germs. There are tons of seemingly nonsensical rules and guidelines that a state/ region requires when constructing a public building. I’m not saying we should force every building to reverse bathroom doors (as simple as it may be). But instead require new buildings to do this, then, maybe I can hope for a less disgusting world for my children. I am clinically insane so if this comes off as insane that’s why. Assistant: Doors are limited in opening by the construction of the building. Ordering that doors open a specific way is unrealistic and it could cost a fortune in wasted space, as well as potentially cause other problems. There are other solutions out there: automatic doors, or my personal favorite, the StepNPull door opening system. It's a simple metal flange that attaches to the bottom of the door that allows someone to use their foot to open the door. It's amazing. It's cheap. It should be standard.

Human: Why is visible light ok but mircowaves burn me alive? Let me explain. "Microwaves" (the appliance) use microwaves to heat up food. Since visible light has a higher frequency, wouldn't visible light be more dangerous than microwaves? Sorry for the stupid question. I just really need to know the answer to this. Assistant: It's all about intensity. A typical microwave oven delivers about 1000 watts of microwaves. By comparison, a typical light bulb gives off about 10 watts of visible light. The light of 100 light bulbs, concentrated on a small part of your body, would also hurt you very badly.

Human: Why is visible light ok but mircowaves burn me alive? Let me explain. "Microwaves" (the appliance) use microwaves to heat up food. Since visible light has a higher frequency, wouldn't visible light be more dangerous than microwaves? Sorry for the stupid question. I just really need to know the answer to this. Assistant: Microwaves have lower energy per photon than visible light. Enough electromagnetic radiation of any frequency would burn things, microwaves produce enough. You ever burn something with a magnifying glass as a child? That’s visible light.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why do blockbuster movies like Avatar and End Game have there success measured in terms of money made instead of tickets sold, wouldn’t that make it easier to compare to older movies without accounting for today’s dollar vs a dollar 30 years ago? Assistant: Because a movie has yet to beat the classic Gone with the Wind adjusted for inflation, and a headline that a movie is the 17th highest grossing film adjusted for inflation is not sexy at all. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why do blockbuster movies like Avatar and End Game have there success measured in terms of money made instead of tickets sold, wouldn’t that make it easier to compare to older movies without accounting for today’s dollar vs a dollar 30 years ago? Assistant: OP also forgot to take into account that the population also increases. So if anything, thicket sales should be measured by percentage of pop that see the film, or percentage of movie goers

Human: Using "Marmite" or "Vegemite" for cooking I'd really like to hear peoples thoughts about this. To my understanding, marmite or vegemite are made from brewers yeast and the flavour is pretty intense when eaten raw or on toast (i can see how this is an aquired taste, though). What do you guys think about using it in sauces ( e.g. Beer based german Pork Roast sauce) or stews as a cheaty way to induce natural msg? I tried a couple of things and like the taste a lot in chilli or some soups. Assistant: We do it a lot with Vegemite. Secret trick for a really tasty gravy. I also often feed the kiddos some plain cooked pasta with a bit of vegemite stirred through it if they've been crook - it's pretty inoffensive to a dodgy stomach, but not horrendously bland to the palate

Human: Using "Marmite" or "Vegemite" for cooking I'd really like to hear peoples thoughts about this. To my understanding, marmite or vegemite are made from brewers yeast and the flavour is pretty intense when eaten raw or on toast (i can see how this is an aquired taste, though). What do you guys think about using it in sauces ( e.g. Beer based german Pork Roast sauce) or stews as a cheaty way to induce natural msg? I tried a couple of things and like the taste a lot in chilli or some soups. Assistant: Marmite is brilliant in a batter for fish and chips.

Human: IAMA macroeconomist. AMA. Let's see if this gets any traction. I'm a graduate student in economics, specializing in macroeconomics, broadly defined. I did an AMA a little over a year ago and the rules are the same this time around. Ask me about: * Macro theory * Monetary policy * Fiscal policy * Monetary theory * Econometrics * Why macroeconomics is, indeed, a (haltingly) empirical endeavor * History of thought, schools of thought, etc * Academia * Anything else economics-y I look forward to your questions. Assistant: Whats your opinion on Thomas Pikettys book Capital in the Twenty-First Century?

Human: IAMA macroeconomist. AMA. Let's see if this gets any traction. I'm a graduate student in economics, specializing in macroeconomics, broadly defined. I did an AMA a little over a year ago and the rules are the same this time around. Ask me about: * Macro theory * Monetary policy * Fiscal policy * Monetary theory * Econometrics * Why macroeconomics is, indeed, a (haltingly) empirical endeavor * History of thought, schools of thought, etc * Academia * Anything else economics-y I look forward to your questions. Assistant: This is a serious question relating to a current paper idea I have: What is an area where macro-econometricians and people who do model calibration currently disagree on? Can you link me to any papers on this topic? Thank you, -Helpless second year.

Human: I like my sirloin steak extremely rare, but this leaves doesn't allow and fats to render, short of trimming away lots of the steak or changing cuts, is there any way to help this? I eat my steak mooing. 45 seconds each side on a searing hot griddle. The bulk of the steak tastes like angles are dancing on my tongue. But parts of the steak are just impossible to cut without a steak knife. Stupid extra word in the title. And and instead of any. Well fuck Assistant: If you want rare, and no fat/gristle, your choice is filet mignon. Unfortunately, you sacrifice taste for tenderness. Otherwise, yeah, just use your chompers and chew!

Human: I like my sirloin steak extremely rare, but this leaves doesn't allow and fats to render, short of trimming away lots of the steak or changing cuts, is there any way to help this? I eat my steak mooing. 45 seconds each side on a searing hot griddle. The bulk of the steak tastes like angles are dancing on my tongue. But parts of the steak are just impossible to cut without a steak knife. Stupid extra word in the title. And and instead of any. Well fuck Assistant: You could try a meat tenderizer to marinade your steak in prior to cooking. Fresh pineapple is known to break down collagen which is normally reduced to a gel when the steak is cooked longer. This won't break down elastin (which can't be broken down even with cooking a long time), but it should help a fair bit. Pineapple juice from a can won't work however as it is often heat treated before going in the can which destroys the enzyme that tenderizes meat.

Human: How do you explain what metaphysics is to someone who knows nothing about philosophy? I'm gonna do my master specialisation in metaphysics and epistemology soon, so of course a lot of my friends and family have asked me to explain what it is. With epistemology it's relatively easy (i.e. "you do research about the concept of knowledge"), however with metaphysics I am having a hard time explaining it to peoplr who do not know any of the philosophical jargon. Assistant: I usually say something to the effect of “studying the stuff that makes all of the stuff into, well, stuff”. Or my also philosopher husband like to answer with a question — H: Are you a being? A: yes H: What gives you being it’s special ~beingness~? A: awkward silence H: (with desperation) please. My dissertation committee is growing inpatient. You could also burst into tears and say you don’t know anymore. This was my go-to during my phd.

Human: How do you explain what metaphysics is to someone who knows nothing about philosophy? I'm gonna do my master specialisation in metaphysics and epistemology soon, so of course a lot of my friends and family have asked me to explain what it is. With epistemology it's relatively easy (i.e. "you do research about the concept of knowledge"), however with metaphysics I am having a hard time explaining it to peoplr who do not know any of the philosophical jargon. Assistant: "What is?"

Human: Would it be reasonable to create a system where the waste heat from a refrigerator is run into either a floor mat or connected to a heated floor system to make better use of that energy? Refrigerators require a way to vent off all the heat it generates/moves. It seems to me that it would be better to make use of that heat by transferring it somewhere that it’s wanted then to just vent it into the air in the kitchen and then running ac to then cool the air. Meanwhile my wife’s feet are always freezing. Assistant: Back in college, a friend worked on a project where the building had a circulating working fluid, probably water, and all the thermal systems were local heat pumps. That seems to be the end state of what you're thinking. That was the late 80s, and the world doesn't work like that now, so I'm guessing it wasn't worth the effort. Now that we're getting serious about EE again, maybe?

Human: Would it be reasonable to create a system where the waste heat from a refrigerator is run into either a floor mat or connected to a heated floor system to make better use of that energy? Refrigerators require a way to vent off all the heat it generates/moves. It seems to me that it would be better to make use of that heat by transferring it somewhere that it’s wanted then to just vent it into the air in the kitchen and then running ac to then cool the air. Meanwhile my wife’s feet are always freezing. Assistant: Low quality heat sources are never worth harvesting. Ever. If you have these ideas, let them go.

Human: [Avengers, 2012] Was Thor really going to squish Captain America just for telling him to put the hammer down? I mean, he knows enough about humans to have no reason to expect Cap to survive when he swung at him. Assistant: Yep. And why wouldn’t he? From his pov, a human, and doesn’t know a lot about what is happening and why loki is so dangerous is standing between him and his brother. Thor calms down a bit after becoming worthy again, but it’s obvious that killing doesn’t phase him at all, if he considers the person to need killing

Human: [Avengers, 2012] Was Thor really going to squish Captain America just for telling him to put the hammer down? I mean, he knows enough about humans to have no reason to expect Cap to survive when he swung at him. Assistant: I think somewhere in there, the Asgardians don't have much of a grasp of what humans can survive.

Human: Upstairs Neighbor wants to build a deck over my Condo -Illinois I along with my siblings just inherited a condo. (Uncle passed away tragically 3 months ago). We basically just got the place in order to potentially list for sale and the condo president texts me—the guy above me wants to put a deck over one side. This would completely block all the light going into the condo now. It would lower the value in my opinion. He was just asking if it was ok if he gave this guy on the 2nd floor my number to discuss (hasn’t happened yet). Anyway, what is the best course of action to squash this. Doesn’t condo property end at the wall? I’m already prepared to go to the next board meeting In January. Also this is only a 6 unit building. There are no other upstairs decks. There is a deck for our unit that leads to yard. I requested bylaws, rules and regs, etc This is in Chicago, Illinois. Assistant: You've gotten a lot of good advice, I agree you need an attorney. Also your opinion that it may lower your value, isn't going to be worth much, you need a real estate appraiser to agree with you. One POSSIBLE thing to consider, since it's a small association - would it be possible to construct a deck in a way that your view and natural light is not obstructed, but make it a common element everyone in the complex can use? Like build a roof deck perhaps?

Human: Upstairs Neighbor wants to build a deck over my Condo -Illinois I along with my siblings just inherited a condo. (Uncle passed away tragically 3 months ago). We basically just got the place in order to potentially list for sale and the condo president texts me—the guy above me wants to put a deck over one side. This would completely block all the light going into the condo now. It would lower the value in my opinion. He was just asking if it was ok if he gave this guy on the 2nd floor my number to discuss (hasn’t happened yet). Anyway, what is the best course of action to squash this. Doesn’t condo property end at the wall? I’m already prepared to go to the next board meeting In January. Also this is only a 6 unit building. There are no other upstairs decks. There is a deck for our unit that leads to yard. I requested bylaws, rules and regs, etc This is in Chicago, Illinois. Assistant: Tell them they can build it, after they buy your unit for the current market value.

Human: [Marvel] Why does Spiderman make that unique shape with his hand when he shoots a web? Especially considering he's just tapping a button on his palm? Assistant: Spider-Man makes that gesture because that is where the button he has to press for his webshooters to work is located. It requires him to press down on it with both fingers to prevent mis fires when he grabs something or makes a fist.

Human: [Marvel] Why does Spiderman make that unique shape with his hand when he shoots a web? Especially considering he's just tapping a button on his palm? Assistant: I thought I saw an iteration one time that he actually has wires/censors going up each finger and he uses such a unique hand gesture so he doesn’t accidentally hit the button and shoot a web when grabbing something or making a fist.

Human: IMPORTANT QUESTION: Where can I find resources to better educate myself about everything that's going on with the BLM movement? I know on a lot of the social media platforms people have posted helpful resources for better educating one's self about everything that relates to whats currently going on in America today. I'd consider myself pretty political informed as a 17 year old male, although I feel like my knowledge is very "scattered" and can be better distinguished between fact vs fiction. Because let's be honest, punditocracy in America ultimately misconstrues what really goes on behind closed doors, so just "reading the news" every day might serve as both a blessing and a curse. I'm not intending to discredit news platforms or anything, I'm just saying that there is more to just reading the New York Times or CNN or wherever the hell you get your information from. Please don't hesitate offer resources or ideas because I will read them regardless. Any resources include: Podcasts, books, blogs, videos, slideshows, articles, YOU NAME IT Assistant: For a discussion of policing in America The End of Policing by Alex Vitale, a sociologist at Brooklyn College, is free as an ebook right now. Really interesting read that gets into the history of professionalized policing and it's role in modern society.

Human: IMPORTANT QUESTION: Where can I find resources to better educate myself about everything that's going on with the BLM movement? I know on a lot of the social media platforms people have posted helpful resources for better educating one's self about everything that relates to whats currently going on in America today. I'd consider myself pretty political informed as a 17 year old male, although I feel like my knowledge is very "scattered" and can be better distinguished between fact vs fiction. Because let's be honest, punditocracy in America ultimately misconstrues what really goes on behind closed doors, so just "reading the news" every day might serve as both a blessing and a curse. I'm not intending to discredit news platforms or anything, I'm just saying that there is more to just reading the New York Times or CNN or wherever the hell you get your information from. Please don't hesitate offer resources or ideas because I will read them regardless. Any resources include: Podcasts, books, blogs, videos, slideshows, articles, YOU NAME IT Assistant: Check out Algorithms of Oppression. And I've also started a community centered around evidence based claims to parse out the many threads all going at the same time. The focus right now is the protests and riots and you can find it here: https://god-of-honeybees-podcast.mn.co/share/qSZ76JhTT7BYZOQl?utm_source=manual

Human: Neighbor cut down a tree in our yard: Tree Law and shitty MS Paint maps AL] Now that I have your attention, yeah, that's the gist of it. The neighbor went and cut down a tree in our yard. Now, at first look, it seems like it'd be in his yard. Except we've had the property surveyed, and it is (was) on our property. Hell, even part of his driveway is on our property. [My magnum opus. So, obviously we're going to need a lawyer, and they're going to have a field day with it. Is there anything in particular we'd need to document to make a strong case? I've already got pictures of the stump of the tree before he could grind it out, but what else might be necessary? I'm in Mobile, AL. Assistant: u/xHeero Nailed it... Best of luck in court! But did the neighbor say why he cut down your tree? Was it just a spite thing because it's shedding leaves onto his property?

Human: Neighbor cut down a tree in our yard: Tree Law and shitty MS Paint maps AL] Now that I have your attention, yeah, that's the gist of it. The neighbor went and cut down a tree in our yard. Now, at first look, it seems like it'd be in his yard. Except we've had the property surveyed, and it is (was) on our property. Hell, even part of his driveway is on our property. [My magnum opus. So, obviously we're going to need a lawyer, and they're going to have a field day with it. Is there anything in particular we'd need to document to make a strong case? I've already got pictures of the stump of the tree before he could grind it out, but what else might be necessary? I'm in Mobile, AL. Assistant: Do you by chance live in a historic district as they may have broken some by-laws as well.

Human: Help me make better fusion dumplings I've made dumplings following this recipe from Serious Eats several times. They turn out pretty well flavor wise, but I am unsatisfied with how the filling seems to turn into a bit of a puck inside the wrapper during cooking. When eating the dumpling in two bites, there's a decent chance the other half of the filling might fall out of the dumpling between bites. ​ I made them last year for a large family gathering (a very long afternoon of wrapping beforehand). They liked them a lot, and have requested I make them again. Obviously I could make the same thing and it would be a people pleaser, but I'm unsatisfied with making EXACTLY the same thing because it didn't meet my expectations. I have done a few test batches with different types of filling to see if I can get a better texture and different flavors, and I hope that you all can help me refine these to make something I really enjoy. ​ My real goal is to make tasty smoked pork dumplings with an Asian flavor, thus the 'fusion' in my title. On try number one, I smoked a pork butt with a traditional BBQ rub containing sugar. The pork was good, very smoky with a sweet and savory bark. I mixed it with typical Asian flavors (garlic, ginger, scallion) plus a little Memphis BBQ sauce and gochujang as something to bind the meat and veggies. It was ok, but very strong on the BBQ sauce. The gochujang provided a nice spicy kick behind the sweet BBQ sauce but in general I felt that it was too sweet. Texture was more like what I wanted - because the meat was already cooked it did not clump as it cooked. ​ My second attempt was yesterday, and I tried to build on what I learned above. Here's what I used in the filling: * Smoked pork that had been rubbed in salt and gochujang pre-smoke, chopped to 1/4" peices * Shredded napa cabbage, about 1/2 the weight of the pork. * Garlic * Scallions * Ginger * The accumulated juices from the pork from cooking/resting. Thanks Chef John! I wanted to make sure some of the fat that had rendered off got back in since I removed most of the solid pork fat pre-shred. Served with a dipping sauce of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. ​ I really liked it - it no longer had the loud sweet note from the BBQ sauce and the filling texture was loose, but not *too* loose. The vinegar dip really completes it for me, cutting through the heavier pork flavor. I would have appreciated a little more "Asian" flavor here, which is surprising because I was almost sure I overdid the garlic/ginger/scallions. The smoke was also really prominent. I actually liked that but my wife did not - she said it tasted like a smoked pork dumpling. To me, that's her agreeing that it needs more zing. Here's a couple ideas I had on what to try next, I'd love any comments on those or suggestions on how to to get better. * Less smoke during the pork's cooking time - I smoked with apple chunks over charcoal and kept the smoke going for the first three hours of the 8 hour cook. I could just go with one hour to cut the smokiness in the final product and let the other flavors shine through. * Use more cabbage - in the serious eats recipe, Kenji uses equal weights cabbage and meat. More cabbage filler means less meat per dumpling means less prominent smokiness and more other flavor, right? * Cook the garlic/ginger before adding - maybe a really fast saute in sesame oil to bring out a little more flavor? The infused oil may also help. * Add some liquid to the filling, like straight gochujang, rice wine vinegar, or Korean BBQ sauce? Thanks everyone! Also if you have a solution to the initial filling-puck issue that would be greatly appreciated as well. Assistant: Rather than the juices put the solid fat back in. Or some fatback or fat from pork belly. No hot component? Seems important especially to balance the fatty, smokey components. I'd add some pepper - more gochujang but personally I find that muted. I'd put in some chopped Thai peppers or red jalapeños or even red pepper flakes. And yea more cabbage. I use 2x the volume of cabbage vs meat in my dumplings. They're more tender (you don't get a solid sausage of filling) and have a fresher taste.

Human: Help me make better fusion dumplings I've made dumplings following this recipe from Serious Eats several times. They turn out pretty well flavor wise, but I am unsatisfied with how the filling seems to turn into a bit of a puck inside the wrapper during cooking. When eating the dumpling in two bites, there's a decent chance the other half of the filling might fall out of the dumpling between bites. ​ I made them last year for a large family gathering (a very long afternoon of wrapping beforehand). They liked them a lot, and have requested I make them again. Obviously I could make the same thing and it would be a people pleaser, but I'm unsatisfied with making EXACTLY the same thing because it didn't meet my expectations. I have done a few test batches with different types of filling to see if I can get a better texture and different flavors, and I hope that you all can help me refine these to make something I really enjoy. ​ My real goal is to make tasty smoked pork dumplings with an Asian flavor, thus the 'fusion' in my title. On try number one, I smoked a pork butt with a traditional BBQ rub containing sugar. The pork was good, very smoky with a sweet and savory bark. I mixed it with typical Asian flavors (garlic, ginger, scallion) plus a little Memphis BBQ sauce and gochujang as something to bind the meat and veggies. It was ok, but very strong on the BBQ sauce. The gochujang provided a nice spicy kick behind the sweet BBQ sauce but in general I felt that it was too sweet. Texture was more like what I wanted - because the meat was already cooked it did not clump as it cooked. ​ My second attempt was yesterday, and I tried to build on what I learned above. Here's what I used in the filling: * Smoked pork that had been rubbed in salt and gochujang pre-smoke, chopped to 1/4" peices * Shredded napa cabbage, about 1/2 the weight of the pork. * Garlic * Scallions * Ginger * The accumulated juices from the pork from cooking/resting. Thanks Chef John! I wanted to make sure some of the fat that had rendered off got back in since I removed most of the solid pork fat pre-shred. Served with a dipping sauce of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. ​ I really liked it - it no longer had the loud sweet note from the BBQ sauce and the filling texture was loose, but not *too* loose. The vinegar dip really completes it for me, cutting through the heavier pork flavor. I would have appreciated a little more "Asian" flavor here, which is surprising because I was almost sure I overdid the garlic/ginger/scallions. The smoke was also really prominent. I actually liked that but my wife did not - she said it tasted like a smoked pork dumpling. To me, that's her agreeing that it needs more zing. Here's a couple ideas I had on what to try next, I'd love any comments on those or suggestions on how to to get better. * Less smoke during the pork's cooking time - I smoked with apple chunks over charcoal and kept the smoke going for the first three hours of the 8 hour cook. I could just go with one hour to cut the smokiness in the final product and let the other flavors shine through. * Use more cabbage - in the serious eats recipe, Kenji uses equal weights cabbage and meat. More cabbage filler means less meat per dumpling means less prominent smokiness and more other flavor, right? * Cook the garlic/ginger before adding - maybe a really fast saute in sesame oil to bring out a little more flavor? The infused oil may also help. * Add some liquid to the filling, like straight gochujang, rice wine vinegar, or Korean BBQ sauce? Thanks everyone! Also if you have a solution to the initial filling-puck issue that would be greatly appreciated as well. Assistant: In my experience, a too firm dumpling filling is often caused by overcooking. The juices get squeezed out leaving a puck-like hunk in the middle. Try cutting a couple minutes off your steam time.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why don't birds get electrocuted on power lines? Humans do, right? Assistant: >Humans do, right? Not if you do it the way birds do, which is to only touch one wire. If you only touch one wire, the electricity has nowhere to go, so it doesn't go through you. If you touch one wire and the ground, or one wire and something conductive connected to ground, or two wires, then the electricity will flow through you from one to the other and you will be in bad shape.

Human: Explain like I'm five years old: Why don't birds get electrocuted on power lines? Humans do, right? Assistant: Are you answering okcupid questions?

Human: What kinds of hobbies do you have? I am a young mechanical engineer, and I am wondering what other engineers do in their free time to stay sharp. I work at a smaller company as an engineer and I would say that I spend about 90% of my time doing drafting type work. With the volume of sales we've had since I've began there hasn't been much time for me to work on improvements or new designs, but I plan to talk to my boss soon about trying to shift more of my time towards that. I hope that accommodations can be made to better utilize my education. I'd rather use it than loose it. What hobbies or activities do you that helps out with your career? I would love to buy an extra vehicle to tinker with, but unfortunately apartment living doesn't make that very easy to get into. Assistant: Volunteer as a coach/mentor with FIRST Robotics. Www.firstinspires.org Opportunity to sharpen skills in "hard engineering" tasks like CAD, FEA, systems engineering, pneumatics, controls, machining, etc. Also soft skills in leadership, media, communications. Plus it's fun and is a community good.

Human: What kinds of hobbies do you have? I am a young mechanical engineer, and I am wondering what other engineers do in their free time to stay sharp. I work at a smaller company as an engineer and I would say that I spend about 90% of my time doing drafting type work. With the volume of sales we've had since I've began there hasn't been much time for me to work on improvements or new designs, but I plan to talk to my boss soon about trying to shift more of my time towards that. I hope that accommodations can be made to better utilize my education. I'd rather use it than loose it. What hobbies or activities do you that helps out with your career? I would love to buy an extra vehicle to tinker with, but unfortunately apartment living doesn't make that very easy to get into. Assistant: But a dirt bike and forget about math for a little!

Human: Steel vs. Aluminum vs. Fiberglass vs. Carbon Fiber vs. ? Questions regarding strength, weight, and cost for cars Howdy - I was thinking about future fuel regulations today and thinking about how the industry will meet them. To me it seems there are two ways to make today's style cars meet those regulations - through more efficient engines and hybrid drivetrains and by channeling Colin Chapman who said "simplify and add lightness." The IC engine has become dramatically more efficient in the past 20 years through better computers, direct injection, variable valve timing, new materials, better FI, etc., so it seems that gains there are going to be incremental. Hybrid drive trains are certainly a big possibility, especially if a consumer friendly KERS system is developed or battery tech takes off. Other advances such as electric power steering and low RR tires that actually hold the road can also help with efficiency. **I'd like to focus this question on "adding lightness."** I am a Lotus fan and that company, more than anyone, has traditionally focused on lightweight vehicles, most recently though the use of luminum "tubs" and chassis. A nice video is here: Lotus aluminum bonding In fact, Lotus Engineering has pioneered and licensed a lot of the tech involved (link). In terms of "tubs" and chassis components, aluminum is much lighter than steel, but also costs significantly more and is not very "repairable," making seemingly minor wrecks a total loss. Carbon fiber is certainly lighter, but costs much more and cannot be manufactured quickly. Can anyone offer anymore on this topic? In terms of body panels, it used to be that fiberglass was lighter than steel - is that still true? How much weight is saved by the use of carbon fiber? Is aluminum still lighter than steel? Where does plastic fit into all of this? Are there any other options for lightweight body panels? Please feel free to discuss any other weight saving or efficiency increasing options on the horizon. Thanks in advance. Assistant: Everyone is forgetting about the elephant in the room.... Even when a new material is used to supposedly make a vehicle lighter, for decades now, that's been offset by making the car itself bigger with every goddamn redesign. That has only slightly subsided over the past ~2 years or so where there have been a few redesigns that are actually smaller than the previous generation car, but I don't quite see it as a trend just yet.

Human: Steel vs. Aluminum vs. Fiberglass vs. Carbon Fiber vs. ? Questions regarding strength, weight, and cost for cars Howdy - I was thinking about future fuel regulations today and thinking about how the industry will meet them. To me it seems there are two ways to make today's style cars meet those regulations - through more efficient engines and hybrid drivetrains and by channeling Colin Chapman who said "simplify and add lightness." The IC engine has become dramatically more efficient in the past 20 years through better computers, direct injection, variable valve timing, new materials, better FI, etc., so it seems that gains there are going to be incremental. Hybrid drive trains are certainly a big possibility, especially if a consumer friendly KERS system is developed or battery tech takes off. Other advances such as electric power steering and low RR tires that actually hold the road can also help with efficiency. **I'd like to focus this question on "adding lightness."** I am a Lotus fan and that company, more than anyone, has traditionally focused on lightweight vehicles, most recently though the use of luminum "tubs" and chassis. A nice video is here: Lotus aluminum bonding In fact, Lotus Engineering has pioneered and licensed a lot of the tech involved (link). In terms of "tubs" and chassis components, aluminum is much lighter than steel, but also costs significantly more and is not very "repairable," making seemingly minor wrecks a total loss. Carbon fiber is certainly lighter, but costs much more and cannot be manufactured quickly. Can anyone offer anymore on this topic? In terms of body panels, it used to be that fiberglass was lighter than steel - is that still true? How much weight is saved by the use of carbon fiber? Is aluminum still lighter than steel? Where does plastic fit into all of this? Are there any other options for lightweight body panels? Please feel free to discuss any other weight saving or efficiency increasing options on the horizon. Thanks in advance. Assistant: At first I thought this was /r/Archery, and you were asking about arrow constructions. My favorite subreddits are merging.

Human: Would you take a pay cut to move from a technician role into an engineering one? Hello everyone! I graduated with a BS in Mechatronics engineering back in Feb 2020. I found a job in the semiconductor industry working in the manufacturing floor as a test engineer/tech. Within 8 months, I got a promoted into team lead managing 10 other techs. I utilized my lead role to make connections with an engineering director. One day he invited me out for lunch and he talked about a specific engineering position he’s going to open up and he said I would be perfect for the position. I told him that I am interested and I would gladly apply once the position is posted on the internal job board. I applied and got the offer yesterday, it’s an entry level engineering position with lots of flexibility and lots of freedom and creativity. I am very much interested in the position but I am going to be taking around a 20k$ pay cut annually. As a tech, we get paid hourly and we work 9 hours a day plus 8 on Saturdays and holidays. I got spoiled with all the overtime and double time money I was making. But on the other hand, in the engineering role i’ll be handling the maximum escalation level so there’s the opportunity to learn and grow and build my reputation in the company and the area I am based in on the expense of a salary cut. I accepted the offer but the doubts have been plaguing my mind lately, I am not sure how many hours i’ll work per day in the new position and if an escalation pops up over the weekend, I am not really sure if I have to be next to a laptop or a phone but I guess the new boss is understanding regarding these situations. Anyways what really drew me in the most is that the director told me the new position would open a lot of doors and career opportunities to me, all the FAANG companies actively look for similar roles and the salaries for the highly skilled are extremely high. Would you take the 20k pay cut? Assistant: A number of years back I took a small step backwards in terms of pay from skilled trade to technical engineering. It was a great move. The loss of a few bucks hurt on the front end, but I was desperate to get into the role. Considering I was doing moderate to well in skilled trade and I only took a small step back to entry into engineering it was a great opportunity. Now I work fewer hours, hurt less, get less dirty, get more respect, and hot damn does my paycheck look better.

Human: Would you take a pay cut to move from a technician role into an engineering one? Hello everyone! I graduated with a BS in Mechatronics engineering back in Feb 2020. I found a job in the semiconductor industry working in the manufacturing floor as a test engineer/tech. Within 8 months, I got a promoted into team lead managing 10 other techs. I utilized my lead role to make connections with an engineering director. One day he invited me out for lunch and he talked about a specific engineering position he’s going to open up and he said I would be perfect for the position. I told him that I am interested and I would gladly apply once the position is posted on the internal job board. I applied and got the offer yesterday, it’s an entry level engineering position with lots of flexibility and lots of freedom and creativity. I am very much interested in the position but I am going to be taking around a 20k$ pay cut annually. As a tech, we get paid hourly and we work 9 hours a day plus 8 on Saturdays and holidays. I got spoiled with all the overtime and double time money I was making. But on the other hand, in the engineering role i’ll be handling the maximum escalation level so there’s the opportunity to learn and grow and build my reputation in the company and the area I am based in on the expense of a salary cut. I accepted the offer but the doubts have been plaguing my mind lately, I am not sure how many hours i’ll work per day in the new position and if an escalation pops up over the weekend, I am not really sure if I have to be next to a laptop or a phone but I guess the new boss is understanding regarding these situations. Anyways what really drew me in the most is that the director told me the new position would open a lot of doors and career opportunities to me, all the FAANG companies actively look for similar roles and the salaries for the highly skilled are extremely high. Would you take the 20k pay cut? Assistant: Take the job. Your ceiling is far higher as an engineer than as a tech.

Human: Why publish a 'new method' paper if you're not going to share the method? A bit of a rant, plus a genuine question. I work in a life sciences subfield where I deal quite a bit with image processing for data collection (high-throughput phenotyping). It's a quickly-growing area of interest, and papers are regularly published about new ways to count/assess/quantify characteristics from images. Obviously, these methods involve some sort of code - MATLAB, Python, etc. - but so few authors cite any sort of Github repo or any other method of sharing. Frustratingly, none of the authors I've ever reached out to have responded to my requests for code. This has happened a few times now, and more often than not I'm forced to re-write some program based on the sparse description in the paper (not a small feat for someone with a non-CS background). It just seems counterintuitive to me that a 'new method' paper wouldn't actually share the new method. Isn't that the point, accelerating the field of study and whatnot? There's some new journals that are moving in the right direction - not allowing submissions without proof of data and code in a repository, for example - and those who are committed to open-source programs, which is great. But, seriously: why the allowance of people to keep their 'new method' secret? Assistant: I too am in the life sciences and this shit is real. Methods papers are pretty meaningless. No one ever shares their code. It is no wonder so many life science papers get such little citation.

Human: Why publish a 'new method' paper if you're not going to share the method? A bit of a rant, plus a genuine question. I work in a life sciences subfield where I deal quite a bit with image processing for data collection (high-throughput phenotyping). It's a quickly-growing area of interest, and papers are regularly published about new ways to count/assess/quantify characteristics from images. Obviously, these methods involve some sort of code - MATLAB, Python, etc. - but so few authors cite any sort of Github repo or any other method of sharing. Frustratingly, none of the authors I've ever reached out to have responded to my requests for code. This has happened a few times now, and more often than not I'm forced to re-write some program based on the sparse description in the paper (not a small feat for someone with a non-CS background). It just seems counterintuitive to me that a 'new method' paper wouldn't actually share the new method. Isn't that the point, accelerating the field of study and whatnot? There's some new journals that are moving in the right direction - not allowing submissions without proof of data and code in a repository, for example - and those who are committed to open-source programs, which is great. But, seriously: why the allowance of people to keep their 'new method' secret? Assistant: I'd bet the code is not in a usable for for anyone else. It's not my field, but I know my code is a total mess.

Human: What would happen if two objects going more than half the speed of light in opposite directions collided? Forgive me if this is a stupid question as I am a high school student, but my intuition tells me that if one object was going at say .95c in one direction and another at .95c in the opposite direction, neither would violate any fundamental limit to the velocity at which massive objects can travel, but one would be going faster than the speed of light relative to the other. If this is the case and isnt just a flawed line of reasoning, what would happen if said objects collided? Assistant: > .95c in one direction and another at .95c in the opposite direction, neither would violate any fundamental limit to the velocity at which massive objects can travel, but one would be going faster than the speed of light relative to the other. no, you need to do the "lorentz transformation" to gain the perspective of one of the objects basically the transformation takes the information what you see and then can tell you what one of the two objects sees

Human: What would happen if two objects going more than half the speed of light in opposite directions collided? Forgive me if this is a stupid question as I am a high school student, but my intuition tells me that if one object was going at say .95c in one direction and another at .95c in the opposite direction, neither would violate any fundamental limit to the velocity at which massive objects can travel, but one would be going faster than the speed of light relative to the other. If this is the case and isnt just a flawed line of reasoning, what would happen if said objects collided? Assistant: Well, I guess they’d just collide, they wouldn’t phase through each other or anything unusual, just crash violently.

Human: CMV: companies should be regulated such that a salary gap of no more than 500% exists from anywhere in the company to anywhere else in the company (say, between top management and entry level workers). Thinking about late stage capitalism and the unfathomable wealth gap between the richest and the poorest in society today, it makes sense to me to regulate wage gaps in corporations. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not advocating for a wealth cap on individuals. This would be pure and overreaching authoritarianism, which is bad. I am simply advocating for regulation of the wage gaps in companies and corporations such that in a company like amazon you don’t have someone earning millions and millions a year while entry level workers can barely put food on the table. I suggest 500% as a starting number but feel free to suggest other numbers. Just something reasonable. This would make executives actually consider the lives of those who make their companies as great as they are by putting in the leg work. It would also put them better in touch with their structure of the company as a whole, allowing them to think more carefully about where money is going and actually run their company better and maybe even make more money. This would also stimulate the economy- as most all employees would receive substantial raises and actually have money to spend on things instead of not even being able to save anything. Assistant: Most of wealth of CEOs don't actually come from salary. Bill Gates famously worked for almost a decade with zero dollar salary. Their wealth comes from stock options and dividend.

Human: CMV: companies should be regulated such that a salary gap of no more than 500% exists from anywhere in the company to anywhere else in the company (say, between top management and entry level workers). Thinking about late stage capitalism and the unfathomable wealth gap between the richest and the poorest in society today, it makes sense to me to regulate wage gaps in corporations. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not advocating for a wealth cap on individuals. This would be pure and overreaching authoritarianism, which is bad. I am simply advocating for regulation of the wage gaps in companies and corporations such that in a company like amazon you don’t have someone earning millions and millions a year while entry level workers can barely put food on the table. I suggest 500% as a starting number but feel free to suggest other numbers. Just something reasonable. This would make executives actually consider the lives of those who make their companies as great as they are by putting in the leg work. It would also put them better in touch with their structure of the company as a whole, allowing them to think more carefully about where money is going and actually run their company better and maybe even make more money. This would also stimulate the economy- as most all employees would receive substantial raises and actually have money to spend on things instead of not even being able to save anything. Assistant: This would be totally ineffective unless you want to go down an authoritarian route. To achieve what you want it would be far easier to increase the minimum wage threshold. Though that would start triggering the inflation so you'd need to look at interest rates as well.

Human: For storing excess energy generated by a home solar panel array, How efficient is pumping water uphill for use with a hydroelectric dam vs storing electricity in batteries? Assistant: At a small scale, pumping water would be horribly inefficient and batteries would be a far better choice. Couldn't tell you numbers but batteries are the way to go if you have excess solar energy. The reason being is the pump and generator will both be relatively inefficient and so you will lose a good chunk of energy in that conversion process.

Human: For storing excess energy generated by a home solar panel array, How efficient is pumping water uphill for use with a hydroelectric dam vs storing electricity in batteries? Assistant: Stored energy is Mass * Gravity * height. Play around with this equation and you find out you need access to a lot of water and/or a lot of height. Most of the time this is not remotely practical. Water use regulations make this nearly impossible for mere mortals.

Human: From your expertise, what are some of the most informative yet entertaining documentaries you watch? I find some of the documentaries out there that spark my interest (eg megastructures, how do they do it, ect) are way too broad and barely go 'in depth' with the true mechanics of the works, if you get what I'm saying.. Assistant: The magic school bus

Human: From your expertise, what are some of the most informative yet entertaining documentaries you watch? I find some of the documentaries out there that spark my interest (eg megastructures, how do they do it, ect) are way too broad and barely go 'in depth' with the true mechanics of the works, if you get what I'm saying.. Assistant: The BBC Horizon series really does a decent job of addressing specific issues/ideas in the sciences. They cover everything from genetic engineering to space travel to computer science to nuclear power. They're usually about an hour and try to go in depth enough that the average viewer won't walk away with too many unanswered questions.

Human: It’s criminal what they pay adjuncts I was asked to adjunct teach a course for a university I am staff at. This course would force me to rearrange my entire schedule. They offered me $1600, plus the department head was very condescending. My other adjunct work pays $3500 at another university. Is this normal!? Thankfully I have a clinical license that allows me to have other employment opportunities and the adjunct teaching I’ve done supplements my income and gives me experience on my CV for when I complete my PhD. But it is absolutely criminal what they pay! It comes to roughly 16$/hour that you’re in class, not including the grading and office hours. Assistant: Yes, it's ridiculous and in many cases it's abused. It should be used as a kind of, "well Dr. S got real sick so we need someone to cover his Calc 3 course this semester," or "our tenure track candidate fell through and we need someone to help lower our teaching load" but is instead used as "Let's see how little we can pay". I don't think all schools abuse it like this though.

Human: It’s criminal what they pay adjuncts I was asked to adjunct teach a course for a university I am staff at. This course would force me to rearrange my entire schedule. They offered me $1600, plus the department head was very condescending. My other adjunct work pays $3500 at another university. Is this normal!? Thankfully I have a clinical license that allows me to have other employment opportunities and the adjunct teaching I’ve done supplements my income and gives me experience on my CV for when I complete my PhD. But it is absolutely criminal what they pay! It comes to roughly 16$/hour that you’re in class, not including the grading and office hours. Assistant: That's criminally low! I make approx $8k per course, because adjuncts and grad students at my university are unionized.