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explainlikeimfive/d0y93qr
|
4a8mxo
|
How do computers/computer systems deal with daylight savings time?
|
Most computer systems don't work with timezones at all and prefer to store data in UTC only. Later they just convert time locally using current system settings for display purposes. When user needs to enter date (like schedule an appointment) computer converts it to UTC and stores in the database (or other storage). And if you need something more complicated (like overlapped shifts on night of DST change) - then it's just a lot of pain for developers. Good software don't use "current time" for timing purposes, using system timers instead.
| 10 |
AskReddit/eembwve
|
aiavj5
|
What is the most redneck thing you have ever seen?
|
Well I'm definitely fit in the redneck category but the most redneck thing I've ever seen was at a north Georgia mud hole. It was a mud bogging competition. Honestly some of the most fun I've ever had but extremely redneck.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dtpyisw
|
7v70il
|
If you die today, what would be the biggest regret you would have about your life?
|
I wouldn't regret anything. I have lived a happy and relatively fortunate life, surrounded by people I love who love me back. Sure, there would always be something I would want to do, but the same would be true at any age. Gotta kick the bucket some time.
| 3 |
AskReddit/ey22ib5
|
cv5z52
|
If all of a sudden all humans simultaneously lost the ability to sneeze, how long do you think it would take mankind as a collective to realize?
|
hmm not that long i think a week at best, people dont only sneeze when they catch a cold, maybe someone cooking got a whiff of pepper in their nose or being around dust or not sneezing to their allergies. so probably not that long people will realize they cant sneeze anymore.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/c9pvxcm
|
1dfs4m
|
How do the time travel rules work in Doctor Who?
|
Basically, some events are set in place and cannot be changed (like destruction of Pompei), but some events can be changed (like rescuing a family from that city). It's pretty arbitrary on what can and cannot be changed. In one episode, saving a person creates a time paradox and monsters come out to cauterize it, but saving some other person (we are talking about historically significant figure) is ok. In one episode, the whole human population was killed by humans from the future. In order for that to work TARDIS became a 'paradox engine' that held it all together. In one of the recent ones, Cold War could've happened, even though some characters that took place in that event would never have been born. TL;DR It's what writers require it to be and it's better to just enjoy the adventure rather than over think it.
| 7 |
AskReddit/dcipsun
|
5oeftb
|
Why do you back into your parking spot instead of just pulling straight in?
|
I drive a van (read: blindspot) for work and have a big truck for my personal vehicle, and it's a lot easier pulling out when I'm leaving, rather than gingerly backing and waiting for a honk and someone to yell at me. Worse than that, I'd never forgive myself for backing over a person even if they totally ignored the backing beep of the van or the exhaust on my truck (not that it's excessively loud, it's just obviously not stock).
| 4 |
AskHistorians/c6et3ix
|
10mpk1
|
What are the current historiographical debates?
|
There is a whole lot of history to debate and a whole lot of sub-fields all with their own relevant debates and discussions. Do you have any fields you are particularly interested in? You might check out Debating the Middle Ages by Rosenwein and Little for a 'best of' for Medieval History, though note that it is now over 10 years old so things have certainly progressed.
| 7 |
AskHistorians/dheg8uh
|
6aed6f
|
Why does this book in my library have an old page in the spine?
|
The simple answer is that it was done to recycle old papers or manuscript pages no one needed, rather than having to pay for new paper that no one would ever see anyway. I believe this is called text block lining, and it reinforces the text block that has been sown together (in other words, all the pages are sown together, and then paper is glued on to the end of that to reinforce it). Modern case bound books (hardcover, rather than paperback) still use more or less the same method, although I'm not in the bookbinding business and I don't know how often fresh paper is used instead of recycled nowadays. It's very common to see old papers reused in this capacity, and it has a history going back a long ways. In fact, this is actually a fascinating topic, and I'm going to have to ask a follow up question, because I'm familiar with a very interesting study related to this, but now I'm having trouble finding it: I remember there being a study that looked at pages from medieval liturgy being reused in this capacity in later books. Is anyone familiar with that study?
| 6 |
AskReddit/eygvkux
|
cwzfjv
|
What is the weirdest food/eating habit you have/ have seen somebody have?
|
My husband peels the skin off grapes and orange slices (Japanese). It's normal in his culture, so he thinks it's weird that I eat the peels (American) lol
| 2 |
AskReddit/djisobw
|
6k2efz
|
What do you do that makes you feel smarter?
|
That depends. If you were smart, how would you be different than how you are now? What would be be better at, what new abilities would you have? I think it is much more useful to focus on individual skills rather than some vague idea of 'intelligence.' You can be good at anything if you approach it in the right manner. For example, someone skilled at an instrument is smart, right? Most people assume that playing music is a matter of innate talent. But in reality, there is a simple difference between a professional and a mediocre musician. The average person relies on flow. They pick a song they like, bungle through it from beginning to end over and over until they get bored and discouraged, then quit. The professional focuses on his weak points, refining minutiae in a disciplined and systematic matter. Meditation will help you develop this type of focus. As someone who does well on standardized tests and has 'intelligent' as a big part of my ego, I feel that intelligence or lack thereof is mostly an illusion. I know I'm stretching a bit here, but consider this: Statistically, women do worse at chess than men, on average, regardless of experience. Why is this? Well, there have been studies on this. When women play against an opponent they can't see over a computer, they will do worse if they are told they are playing a man, regardless of the actual gender of their opponent, or if their opponent is actually a computer. Women aren't actually worse than men at chess, but they think they are because of stereotype, which is detrimental to their performance. Meditation is a good way of countering these types of negative thoughts and focusing on what is actually happening. I know this is a huge ramble but my point is: the problem here seems like negative self image. You see yourself as not smart. With a little bit of focus (which meditation can help with), you may find you are just as capable, and face the same struggles, as anybody else.
| 2 |
askscience/c2eeb0q
|
jqurm
|
How far or close to the Sun can Earth REALLY be without completely 'messing' everything as we know it up?
|
Even if the 1%-7% figures are correct since the distance from the Earth the the Sun is about 92 million miles a few percent is still millions of miles of leeway as it were. I have often heard this fallacious argument state the distance needed in mere miles or even inches.
| 2 |
AskHistorians/ef2l294
|
ak478m
|
Did the Carthaginians speak Hebrew?
|
Although both regions would have spoken at least somewhat similar (though perhaps not very mutually intelligible) languages at the time of Carthage's founding in 814 BCE, the languages of these two groups diverged wildly in the time between then and the destruction of Carthage. One important aspect of this was the gradual diminishment of Hebrew as an everyday language in the Levant. Following the fall of the United Kingdom of Israel and the rise of the neo-Assyrian Empire as the predominant power in the region, Aramaic, another northwestern Semitic language, become the Lingua Franca of much the Mesopotamia and the Levant and supplanted Hebrew. Likewise, the Punic language spoken by the Carthaginians, though descended from the Phoenician language, changed to include many loanwords from the Berber languages spoken in the areas surrounding Carthage. Mutual intelligibility between contemporaries at the moment of Carthage's founding could certainly have been possible at least to a small extent, but by the time of Jesus's birth, the average Carthaginian would have an impossible time speaking to the average Jew unless they both knew a common language.
| 8 |
AskReddit/diehic5
|
6f0dyd
|
What is your pet peeve?
|
I don't know if this counts as a pet peeve but I absolutely HATE walking bare foot on wet tile. It feels like walking on a contaminated Petri dish.
| 2 |
AskReddit/eelsodx
|
ai80px
|
Who did you go to high school with that ruined their lives?
|
This girl I used to be friends with freshmen year. I ended up switching schools right after that year and I forgot how but I ran into her years later. In high school she was a good, of anything a little misguided, Christian girl. The next time I saw her she had a child and didn’t know who the father was and was goth.
| 5 |
AskReddit/ewnjxpv
|
cp6ndi
|
What would you like people to know about you, but you have to keep it for yourself?
|
1) I've traveled ALOT over the last 10 years. My co-workers dont understand that when I talk about visiting an exotic locale, I'm not trying to make them feel bad. 2) Because of family connections, I've met many, many famous people in the last 30 years or so. My boss was talking about liking a certain band that was popular in the 90's and early 2000's the other day. I almost blurted out "oh yeah, I hung out with those guys a few times, cool dudes". Instead, I just nodded and smiled. Like I always do.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cm9qvn8
|
2n2h92
|
When traveling, how do you spend your day?
|
If it's under three weeks of travel, I'm in the hotel only to sleep. More than three weeks, from time to time to relax. Most of my time is spent outside, either eating, walking around, or enjoying something truly unique.
| 2 |
AskReddit/d6ogggz
|
4ykqs6
|
Who is the most unique person you've ever met?
|
I have a lot of unique friends, but I think my all time favorite has to be my Nonna in Italy. She isn't actually my grandmother, but the first day I met her she told me everyone calls her Nonna. She ran a charity on the outskirts of town. The local school bus dropped anywhere from a dozen to a couple dozen kids off at her house each afternoon. Together, we made them dinner and set up crafts and homework sessions. It was just in her house; this ranch in the middle of nowhere. Throughout the evening, parents would come to pick up the kids. She had it set up because a lot of the working parents in the area didn't have a place for their kids to go after school and couldn't always afford to feed them. She also knew people EVERYWHERE in Italy. I spent weekends traveling and working with a core. I would show up in Venice or Milan or Firenze with nothing but a note from my Nonna with an address or a name. I would find the person or place and they would feed me or give me a train ticket or whatever else they had to offer in the form of payment for the work I was doing. Nonna ran a little street fair on Sunday afternoons where we basically held a yard sale to support the previously mentioned after school program. The city I lived in was rampant with crime and vandalism, but no one messed with Nonna. She spoke four or five languages and anyone who looked like they had sticky fingers was reprimanded in all of them. Aside from the Mafia, in Italy there are smaller gangs sometimes. In our city, young Chinese men who had immigrated for work would wander the streets and were generally considered troublemakers and hoodlums. I would watch Nonna snap her towel at them, bark an order in Chinese to them. The young men would stop what they were doing, grab their tools and do whatever manual labor it was she needed done. Then she would sit them down and feed them and complain to me about how their mothers never loved them and how all they needed was a woman to tell them what to do. She is an incredible woman. I still exchange emails with her on the occasion that she isn't too busy to respond. Sometimes I think the only reason Italy hasn't completely fallen apart is because my Nonna is secretly running the place.
| 4 |
AskReddit/eo9mm27
|
br2xnp
|
Who else thinks it's bullshit catholic priests can't get married?
|
Not technically true. They can be married, they just have to do so before they become priests. Anyways, the reason behind it is supposedly a power dynamic. Imagine you were dating your priest, who is supposed to be your spiritual shepherd and who knows lots of your sins through confession. It would be awkward, and kind of wrong. At least that was the reason I was given by my ex priest, who is admittedly orthodox but they follow the same rules about celibacy I think. P.S. I'm an atheist, so please don't claim I'm defending religious practice because I want to feel good about my faith.
| 4 |
AskReddit/es4swhk
|
c5y40s
|
Was there a time when some one tried to comfort you but instead made you feel way worse?
|
My ex during the whole entire relationship. He was depressed. We were both kids in high school. He was an idiot for just accepting his faith of depression, I snitched on him to his mom. Soon after, we started dating. He got on therapy. Great few months. Things started falling apart. Fault was in mine as well. The more I made him happy, the more depressed I was growing. Every time I confronted him about the failings of our relationship, he automatically blamed himself and started getting hard on himself. Automatically, I forgot the issue and had to console him. It sucked because I need consoling too, he didn’t understand that. Great guy. Doing good for himself. Getting more social and involved. I’m doing good as well. Have a great new boyfriend. Lovely chap.
| 4 |
AskHistorians/c8pj7va
|
19jtla
|
What was Charlemagne called by the Moors during the Middle Ages?
|
>Would they call him Charles the Roman perhaps? i don't know about what Muslims would have called Charlemagne, but they most likely would not have called him "The Roman" because to the Muslim world, the Byzantines carried the torch of the Romans and were Roman in their eyes, not the Franks. One of the sultanates that conquered enough Byzantine land eventually called themselves the Sultanate of Rum (Rome) even though they were in modern day turkey. Also I have also heard that Western Europe (minus Spain) was the backwater of the world until the late middle ages, so the Islamic world might not have taken much notice of "the father of Europe." Example, I have heard that Islamic sources mention Charlemagne's grandfather's victory at Toures over the Muslims (often billed as saving Europe from Muslims) they consider the battle an unsuccessful raid, not a real invasion attempt, and not even a major battle.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/culnzeb
|
3j2dsn
|
Why do singers not perform songs in full during a concert tour?
|
You're not talking about, what I would call, singers. You're talking about entertainers. They got your money, put on a show, play the role of whatever celebrity persona they've sold us, and hit the road. They're not in it for the art or yhe love of music. They found a way to market themselves and live it up. edit: "yhe" is ancient Sumarian for "the". fyi
| 4 |
AskReddit/ecyrt1d
|
abaiyu
|
What's the most disturbing book you've ever had the pleasure of reading?
|
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino. The book shows a highly misanthropic view of life and the mankind. It’s so disturbing, but it’s the kind of book that you can’t easily put down because of sheer curiosity.
| 2 |
AskReddit/d8jq0wl
|
56jaoj
|
What's the best surprise you've ever had?
|
My partner of 7 years gave me a surprise filled evening last night. We started out seeing Louis Theroux's My Scientology Movie at an independent cinema which I completely forgot was being released in cinemas. Then after that he took me to this speakeasy style bar that you could only find by looking for a golden feather on a wall and ringing the door bell. It was an amazing, mellow cocktail bar that made the most incredible drinks. Then after that we went back to our 13th floor hotel room, he got me to look out of the window at the skyline then said "I have one more surprise for you" and he proposed to me! It's the best surprise/series of surprises I've ever had.
| 3 |
AskReddit/coka5wa
|
2vrlyf
|
Who would win in a three way fight; James Bond, Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer?
|
Bourne has the edge in purely hand to hand I think. If gadgets are allowed them Bond wins. If they're allowed support from someone else shown in split-screen then it's Bauer.
| 2 |
AskReddit/duf24yy
|
7yb6v5
|
What phobias do you have?
|
Bacteria/viruses, vomiting, canned food, raw meat (especially chicken), gasoline, birds, and insects. I have severe OCD so these phobias come from that. I've suffered with this since I was a kid.
| 3 |
AskReddit/dyb5614
|
8gesxg
|
What did you do with duct tape the last time you used it?
|
Fixed up the pair of shoes my great grandpa gave me 8 years ago. Surprisingly they still fit, but all tore up. Glad they could be fixed up with sone duct tape.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/c68ijjr
|
zxbpc
|
What are linked lists in C programming?
|
The simplest way to store a list is just to have all the elements right next to each other. This makes things fast and all, but there's an important disadvantage; if you later decide you need to add on to the list, you have to make a new one completely from scratch, because there may not be any room left next to the list. So there's an alternative called a linked list. Each element of a linked list contains a value (the thing in the list), and a pointer. The pointer tells you where to go to find the next element of the list; by following the pointers all the way through, you can go through the list.
| 6 |
AskReddit/c20zjai
|
i56rk
|
Have your parents ever made you pick between them and the person you loved?
|
Nope, my parents always have always put what I want first and usually respect my decisions with exceptions to those that may be dangerous to me. Sometimes I feel that I'm the only person on here who has a loving and mutually respectful relationship with their parents.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c7x8h9d
|
16lzth
|
If humans were to fall for 100 000 years and live and eat and live all our lives in the air, would we evolve wings?
|
That's not really how evolution works. You don't grow into your environment instead those mutations that prove beneficial help those with them reproduce and keep passing the traits on. In total freefall it's unlikely the chain of adaptations would ever reach wings. At most, over a much longer time frame, you might see skin flaps similar to flying squirrels and the like as arms and legs atrophy from decreased use and don't separate as cleanly from the torso which also allows some controlled gliding.
| 5 |
AskReddit/epxteq7
|
bwifiz
|
What are some surprisingly low-paying jobs?
|
A lot of people here are saying 'teacher', but not backing it up. As long as they are teaching at a public school, the pay is published. Look up your county, state, and teacher pay, and you can see what they are being paid. While I also agree that teachers are underpaid for what they do, I think that fast food workers are underpaid for what they do too. So are landscapers, roofers, etc. Being a teacher sucks because there is a lot of competition and the barrier for entry is low. The things that separate a great teacher from a mediocre teacher aren't always known until it is too late. Long story short. Don't become a teacher for the pay. Also, don't become a fast food worker.
| 2 |
AskReddit/csaph28
|
3a7vcv
|
What is your "oldest trick in the book"?
|
Not a real trick, but a joke that runs in my family as being the "oldest trick" in their book. My parents grew up poor in England during the war, so there are plenty of and anecdotes about tricks, short-cuts and other ways of "gaming" the system just to survive. The sort-of "dad joke" our dad used to tell us as children was a way to get out of paying for a meal at a restaurant: "remember," he'd say "Just walk out of the restaurant backwards and they'll think you're just coming in." So for the 45 years I've been alive and probably a decade longer, this has been the sage advise for saving money at a restaurant.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/csmnf89
|
3bjed7
|
If we are given the freedom of religion, why are children pressured and often forced into believing what the parents believe?
|
Freedom of Religion regards the state's ability to establish a state religion, and the state's ability to create laws that favor one religion over another. It does not have anything to do with what your parents' want you to believe, any more than freedom of speech means your parents can't tell you not to swear.
| 7 |
AskReddit/e6t6kjz
|
9jozpm
|
What do you put on your pancakes/waffles besides maple syrup?
|
When I was little, I used to put Hersehy's syrup on them. Yum! Now, we just put mini chocolate chips in our pancakes. I know a girl who used to eat Eggo waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream every morning.
| 2 |
AskReddit/e1m6pyj
|
8vb8eh
|
What are/were you known for at your school?
|
I took a Communications/Broadcasting class my junior and senior year of high school. The class was 2 periods one year and 3 periods the next. So I got to know everyone in the class pretty well. I started snacking on David Sunflower Seeds during class one day and it caught on. Soon everyone was eating them all the time. We actually filled up the little trash can next to the teacher’s desk with sunflower seed shells one time. That’s when the janitor complained and we had to start taking our shells with us when we left. My name is Steve, so people started calling the sunflower seeds “Steeds”. They would ask me all the time “Hey you got any Steeds?” Towards the end of Senior year I started playing with a Yo-yo during the slow parts of class. That didn’t catch on as much as the sunflower seeds but a few people got Yo-yos. At the end of the year our teacher bought everyone gifts. My gift was a shirt that said “Yo-Yo!” On it (with a picture of a giant yo-yo). Good times.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/d82keus
|
54kfd7
|
Why do children have better imaginations than adults?
|
Imagination is often bound by reality and our knowledge of the world. If I know that a hammer is for hammering in nails, it´s hard to think of a completely different use for it. Children lack those restraints, they fill what they do not know about the world with imagination and wonder. Another factor is that children have more time, space and social encouragement for imagination whereas adults are often discouraged from these kinds of behaviors or lack the time to indulge in them.
| 15 |
AskReddit/dse5ugv
|
7p3ax9
|
When is the moment to stop trying/chasing your crush?
|
Most "chasing your crush" problems are easily solved by simply being very direct as soon as you realize you may like this person. Ask them out, make your intentions clear, and if they're interested, continue; if not, move on. A lot of headaches are resolved when you refuse to "play the game", so to speak.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cs1qe1d
|
39amac
|
What psychological problems may arise with Virtual Reality?
|
yeah but we're also developing smart cars to drive themselves so you don't have to worry about VR getting ahead of those. As for psych problems. Dudes are dying from neglecting food and drink to play mmorpgs. Dudes are marrying body pillows. Combine those two with the idea of a virtual life/wife.
| 2 |
AskReddit/e968n8e
|
9uqscv
|
What’s a creative way you keep in touch with long-distance friends?
|
I like hand written letters and note cards. Throw some pictures in for fun. Even if you just type it up, print it out, and mail it, I think mailing letters is a really fun way to keep in touch with long distance friends. Feels like you have a pen-pal or something, and hand written letters are more personal. You can add drawings and doodles too!
| 2 |
AskReddit/dd58ch5
|
5r8gdh
|
What lies did your parents/guardians/older siblings tell you as a child?
|
They used lies to trick 5 year old me (who wouldn't eat animals she found cute or befriended) into eating goulash with hare meat, which my uncle accidentally killed the previous day. It's been 15 years, and I'm not planning to forget it anytime soon, mom!
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ds6vsxg
|
7o56wg
|
Why is it that no two snowflakes are the same?
|
Depends on what you mean by "Same". If by same you mean in precise measurements with every dimension identical between two of them, then its very possible for all flakes to be unique (this includes size and contamination in the water) If you mean two that are visually indistinguishable without precise measuring equipment, then no, snowflakes are not all unique because there are 35 different shapes with a few variances to each shape available, making repetitive (visual) shape combinations a certainty.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c1j1usc
|
fvvsn
|
What fun group activities do you do with your friends which actively engage all participants?
|
Kickball, laser tag, bike rides, board games, bowling, croquet, skateboard, airsoft wars, disc golf, hiking. We've also looked on Craigslist under "Community" then "Activities" for some random fun. We'll pick whatever seems like the most awkward thing to do and assemble the group to go. From Craigslist we've done everything from square dancing to fence painting to charitable dog walking. Then when you're passively hanging out drinking you can say, "Dude, remember that time we went square dancing?"
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/etky1g5
|
cc6e8b
|
How do places like Churches or MacDonald's avoid losing internet over illegal download copyright strikes from ISP's due to random folks who use their net?
|
It depends on a lot of factors including the specific terms of the contract between the business and the ISP and the laws that apply in the business's location. But there are several methods that are commonly employed: Traffic filtering. This usually includes blocking protocols such as Bittorrent, which is one of the easiest ways to get in trouble due to how easy it is for copyright holders to detect. Not letting people torrent greatly reduces the chances of a copyright strike. (If a customer were to use a VPN to bypass filtering, then it is no longer the business's problem because the illicit traffic would appear to be originating from the VPN.) Separating the guest network from the main business network. This could mean putting the guest network on a different IP address or a separate connection entirely. This way it would be easy for the business to prove to the ISP that the illicit traffic came from the guest network. Terms of use agreements upon connecting. Though the enforceability of these agreements is questionable, they serve as a CYA measure to shift responsibility away from the business.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dpfezal
|
7b5a4g
|
If you woke up in the body of your 8 yr old self with your current mind and memories, what would you do to convince people you’re from the future and not sound crazy?
|
I would place major bets, buy stocks, and start talking about future mass shootings. They will think I am crazy until I demonstrate some knowledge that I learned in the seven years that I now have back.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c5acqpj
|
w5ax2
|
If your current self went back in time to your 15 year old self and informed him/her of your current job, how would your 15 year old self have reacted?
|
A complete lack of surprise as my 15 year old self looks up from the computer and says, so for the next 15 years I've been doing pretty much the same thing. The only thing they might be surprised at is how much hair loss I've incurred in that time period.
| 2 |
askscience/c8kkczn
|
19404l
|
How does cooling happen?
|
You haven't misunderstood entropy (as far as I can see) but you have misunderstood the mechanics of cooling. Cooling an object always generates heat, following the second law. What we do to cool something is to remove the heat from it, and put it somewhere else. For example a refrigerator compresses gas to heat it, cools the now hot gasses and then decompresses them, making them cold, it then runes the cold gas through the back of the insulated box you know as your fridge, cooling the box and warming the gas back up. However, this process will generate more heat than it removes (as per the second law); if you run a fridge with the door open in a sealed room the overall temperature (and amount of heat) in the room will increase. Does that answer the question?
| 7 |
explainlikeimfive/cs0rjt1
|
396lta
|
Why don't motorcycle bikes have a 'seat-belt' like the way normal cars protect their drivers from being thrown out when in collision?
|
There isn't really such a thing as being thrown "out" of a motorbike. You want to stay inside a car because it has airbags and crumple zones and will protect you from whatever is outside. On a motorbike, you're going to be sliding along the tarmac whatever happens, and it's generally in your best interests to be thrown clear of the bike so that it can't crush you or otherwise do you harm.
| 6 |
AskReddit/df4bc9w
|
608dww
|
What thing makes you feel the most nostalgic?
|
Good weather. It reminds me of the moments that I spent outside with my family and/or friends, either playing the best game in the world or just enjoying the great outdoors. It also reminds me of the times I could do that without any pain resulting when I'm done. It makes me nostalgic in a happy way almost as much as makes me feel bitter. I still camp and hike and whatnot. It's just not the same anymore.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cn5yf28
|
2qgrc3
|
What was the worst experience you've ever had at a Taco Bell?
|
In college, I order five beef tacos. I only ate four. I took the other back to my dorm and, ultimately, gave it to a friend to eat. That night, I vomited what looked like bitumen for a few hours. I found out the next day that the friend that ate the other taco got a really bad stomach ache. There was a Subway in the same building as the Taco Bell, so when I ever ate Taco Bell again (like four times in 5 or so years), I only eat chicken.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dofod32
|
76oyct
|
What is the stupidest question that has ever been asked to you?
|
A friend is very politically active in the sense that she donates money to candidates, goes to protests, drives people to the polls on Election Day and of course posts stuff on Facebook and Twitter. She can get hot headed and is a stereotypical ivory tower liberal. She once asked me: “What does the governor do?”
| 7 |
AskReddit/ep9xi1v
|
bubzl7
|
What’s the best skill you’ve learnt exclusively online?
|
If I'm honest, it has to be typing. I'm self-taught and through the years I've been chatting to people either through social media or interacting with them on a game like Warcraft, I've learned to type quickly without looking at the keyboard. It's really handy being able to transfer that skill to my work now as I work with a lot of IT related stuff and being able to type fast is helpful.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c8f27g2
|
18ie4c
|
When an atomic bomb explodes, why doesn't the resulting chain reaction continue to split all of the atoms in its path and therefore destroy everything on the planet?
|
I'm no nuclear scientist either, but I'm pretty sure that the large energy release does indeed excite the nearby molecules and atoms. And reactions do take place. However, once the energy dissipates, the excited radicals drop to their lowest energy state again. Chemical reactions would definitely occur, but the complex/unstable products would just disassociate back to their reactants. Instantaneously, there would be many changes, despite it appearing like no change has taken place. Ignoring the killer radiation, of course. Edit: Just read your topic again. There are definitely cases where atoms would be excited enough to change into a radical or completely fuse or defuse. But as there are so many atoms and the activation energies are so large, the energy quickly is absorbed. If they would fuse or break up, they would tend to move towards forming iron. Iron, among all elements, iron is the one that is at the lowest energy state. My terminology might not be correct, so experts, please correct me.
| 3 |
AskReddit/ch7xnk7
|
24k99s
|
What are your experiences the day after your wedding?
|
We'd been living together for a year or so and were very committed to each other, so it didn't feel like anything changed in our relationship. However, we stayed in a nice bed and breakfast the day after our wedding and then we drove around the country for 5 weeks, so that was different.
| 2 |
AskReddit/ebxq1fn
|
a6sz8j
|
What would you do with a 15 year old you have custody of who refuses to listen and bring drugs into your home after tell him not to?
|
Take him for a long walk, just the two of you, and get him to talk about why he is using it. If it's not something like "because it is cool" or whatever, it is an attempt to solve an issue he's been struggling with. Things won't go away if he uses drugs to take the edge off, he needs to deal with it, and talking is the first step towards finding a solution. ​ Maybe he doesn't think you care about him or his problems, or something like that. Offer him some sort of a mental sanctuary. Whenever there's a problem that he has, he can just ask you for a walk, and you can talk about it calmly and openly. Do not use things he says against him, do not interrupt him if he starts confessing things, just listen and try to understand him. ​ That was what I needed when I was a kid, but I never got it because people are busy and they unintentionally don't pay attention to others. They just get irritated if things aren't as they want them to be. Using drugs for fun is something you do every once in a while. Using them all the time might be an attempt to block something out. ​ Might not be a solution, but it can't hurt to try. ​ TL;DR: Try to find out if there's another issue that he's trying to deal with through drugs, and help him through it.
| 4 |
AskReddit/cjx67nw
|
2e8u26
|
What needs to happen for World War Three to start?
|
The Russians have goals in this, which is to maintain control over gas pipelines into western Europe, where much of their gas is consumed. I don't believe they have a goal of military domination of Europe, but simply greater economic influence. At the same time, they would not like to have an EU member, and certainly not more NATO members, on their border. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are thorns in their side because of their NATO status. Putin wants to project a strong image in Russia itself, and you can't do that by being overly friendly with former Soviet states. This is more of an economic war than a territory war; I don't see it leading to World War III unless something major happens. If NATO and Russia fell into open conflict in Ukraine, it would be a great time for China to make more direct claims on the Senkaku Islands, since the US is less able to respond. Similarly, China and India have territorial disputes, Pakistan and India have disputes, North and South Korea might start going at it, etc. If the US gets preoccupied in a regional war, all sorts of other countries might decide it's time to settle some scores.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cd2526b
|
1pgucd
|
What flavour is water ?
|
Water's flavour can be determined by the mineral content of the area in which it is gotten. If a region has a high salt content in the ground, the water may take on a salty flavor. If it is iron rich ground, it may taste like iron. Typically the advanced water treatment facilities have methods that can take 99% of the minerals out of the water, thus eliminating the "taste" it has. True H20 (water) molecules would have absolutely NO taste, because there's nothing in it that can trigger taste buds. Impurities in the ground, and/or in the piping from the ground to the glass/bottle can cause the only thing close to a "taste" in water.
| 7 |
askscience/c4sjvnf
|
u5s6k
|
What would happen if you put your hand in the beam of the LHC?
|
Your pacemaker would fail, that's for sure (if you have one) and for the same reason, any metal on you that is even slightly magnetic would have you feeling stuck to the ceiling or floor. You'd also feel a considerable current - an electrical shock that would be no fun. I honestly do not know if protons are large enough to mess with your body in a collision sense. Helium nuclei can definitely do this, but protons are much "smaller." I put smaller in quotations because nuclear size is not a sharp boundary. However fun to think about, I'm of the mind that even a moment of scattering caused by an unexpected object in the path of the beam would kill the resonance on which the beam relies, and would spoil the beam right away. Any particle accelerator relies on finely tuned electric and magnetic fields to keep the particles in the tight beam and accelerating in a circle. Your hand plopping into the beam would disturb the fields to say the least, and throw everything out of balance, leaving no beam to speak of.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c4lyptm
|
tel7m
|
What was the most memorable compliment you have ever received?
|
After a six month round of Accutane, which I just finished 2 days ago, a random person told me I have lovely skin. As a person who has been battling acne for 7 years, that was the greatest compliment that I have ever received.
| 46 |
AskReddit/dtje62q
|
7ubs3f
|
What has someone tried to convince you that "It's the same thing," when it absolutely was NOT the same thing?
|
My mother has gifted me so many "basically the same thing's" over the years that I now just tell her don't bother I don't need nor want anything for Christmas/birthdays. The amount of useless cheap knock off electronics I've got sitting in a junk drawer is staggering. * Mechanical keyboard -> Staples brand membrane keyboard (that she actually was proud of because the salesman said it was better cuz it would be quieter) * Loads of cheap cables that failed almost immediately * A good SD card for my raspberry pi project -> 8gb no name brand sold at the counter for 8.99 which failed within months * A Tesla t shirt -> a women's Tesla t shirt (basically the same thing) * Black work shoes -> Black and Orange Walmart sneakers which couldn't be less professional. Those are just the first couple. I can absolutely guarantee that if my mother buys me anything as a gift, it will be the cheapest version of basically the same thing. I'd honestly rather she didn't buy it at all if she does that, as the money is essentially just being flushed away. I'd much rather she just gave me the 9.99 she would spend on the gift so that I can use it for bills, or save it to get the part I actually need, instead she buys the cheapest thing that will almost immediately break if it isn't already incompatible. If she just gave me the cash, I could get something that would actually last and fills my needs, but she's just got to save those pennies by buying garbage that hasn't broken yet.
| 2,154 |
AskReddit/et2uo4h
|
c9u348
|
What was you best summer like?
|
Worked for an organization which trained college students to be great camp counselors for military kids around the world. During summer months in college, I would be sent to an awesome foreign country to live on a base, entertain/educate kids during the week and travel on the weekends.
| 2 |
AskReddit/epavwnd
|
budi6q
|
What event caused you to have nightmares as a child which you didn’t figure out until you got older?
|
I used to constantly have nightmares of my mom crying listening to a song (I can't remember the name). She told me a few months ago about how she got, at least mild, PTSD from the September 11th attacks (she worked at Pittsburgh international airport at the time). She said that whenever she was in the car she could only ever listen to that one song and she would cry to it every time. When she played it for me all of the memories came back. Edit: I was born in December of 2001 for context
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/cp85ymx
|
2yc9q8
|
How can Soccer players slide on the pitch after they score and not feel pain on their knees?
|
It's a combination of adrenaline and the sheer amount of times they have done it. If you look at the feet of a person who lives in a rural village where they may not wear socks or shoes, the bottom of their feet may look normal but will feel extremely leather-like. It's a sort of conditioning, and I imagine the same thing happens to soccer player's skin, maybe in a less extreme form. In addition, they have a lot of muscle down there so I imagine a lot of shock is diverted from the joint.
| 5 |
AskReddit/cqo7oio
|
33tfh4
|
Which fictional book actually changed your life and how?
|
Flowers for Algernon, a fictional journal about a man with very low intelligence that gets surgery to be a genius. His journey of discovering how people were making fun of him all along, his new-found sexual frustration, and his new view on life all seemed to make you realize just how precious the mind really is. I recommend this book for everyone, it is utterly fantastic.
| 6 |
askscience/d2qteyt
|
4hkcc9
|
Does being upside down have any negative effects on the brain due to the blood rushing to your head?
|
None observed that I am aware of. I've been coaching for a few decades now. You do have to get used to going upside down/rotating, and depending on how you invert, there are different effects. A headstand, or handstand, can result in headaches/dizziness to the inexperienced athlete. Rotating arial skills usually result in more dizziness and disorientation than anything. Spatial awareness can be trained though, and as the athlete gains experience, they can hold inverted stationary positions longer, and do more arial rotations and twists. As a (retired) athlete, I know it works the other way too. I used to be able to do many more flips in a row when I was training, now I try some of my old routines and get dizzy. TL;DR: No. The body adapts to rotation with practice and experience.
| 6 |
AskReddit/cex96ds
|
1vzh9k
|
What is the most miscasted movie role and who do you think should have played that character?
|
Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview With The Vampire. Armand was a teenaged blond Italian boy, not a 30-something year old Spanish man. Someone MUCH younger and probably relatively unknown should have played the part so he at least remotely looked like the character had been described in, what, 4 or 5 books at that point? That casting was so wrong, it would be comparable to, say, recasting Game of Thrones and having Vin Diesel play Joffrey.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cu0cl9d
|
3gpbwp
|
What did you think you would grow out of but never did?
|
When I was little and visiting Girl Scout camp for the first time, my dad told me that all of the piping I saw on the ground leading to the sinks was something called "Pipus Root," which is a type of plant that only grows around human civilization. The nozzle you twist to open the pipe was a flower. I don't remember if I ever actually believed him, but it's turned into a family.thing. It's not a joke or a secret, it's just a really silly story that I still like to tell. When my parents visited Scandinavia, my dad brought back a piece of Pipus Root from Denmark, just a length of rubber tubing. He probably found it on the ground but it's one of my most treasured gifts. Most of the silly stuff my parents told me when I was little I've dismissed as childish. But Pipus Root has stuck around.
| 8 |
AskReddit/ctb9auk
|
3e3wt0
|
What has been the most tragic thing that you have ever witnessed?
|
My tenth birthday party was at a place called burgers lake. It was a a very small water park. Big trees surrounded the park and there was one huge tree that was dead and had been stripped of all its branches and all that remained was a 20ish foot tall trunk. We had a picnic table close to this tree and as my family sang happy birthday to me this tree collapsed. It did not fall our way but it did crush a five year old little girl that was playing in the sand closer to the water. Saddest/scariest/sickest thing me or anyone in my family has ever witness. I still hear the cries of that little girls father in my mind twenty three years later. Horrible
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ccvta0l
|
1ouo2o
|
Why is Ayrton Senna considered one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers when statistically there are other drivers with more wins and championships?
|
I think a lot of people attribute Schumacher's (and Vettel's) successes to their teams just as much as the drivers themselves. Schumacher's major runs occurred when the Ferrari team was on another level compared to others and many are making the same case now with Redbull-Renault and Sebastian Vettel. Further, Senna raced in fields with many 'legends' that are alive today--Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, etc. Finally, there's the death at an early age thing--Senna passing in his prime where he may have won much more. It's a similar effect to how musicians who pass away early (Hendrix, for example) are remembered among the greatest of all time.
| 3 |
AskReddit/dyv3jsq
|
8ivm9v
|
What's your favorite post credits movie scene?
|
Strange Brew - it’s kind of mid to end of the credits but the first time I saw it was in 1983 when the movie came out and my dad took me to a drive-in theater. We sat on the tail gate of his pickup and enjoyed the movie. At the end everyone else packed up and left right away and it was just my dad and I left. He told me it was important to watch the credits to see all the people that worked on the film, and also see if they have any cool info about a possible next film. I think he got this from watching James Bond movies and they would give the name of the next Bond film at the very end. Anyway while we were sitting there watching the credits for Strange Brew to our amazement Bob and Doug McKenzie came back on and talked about the credits and different roles while joking around. My dad and I looked and each other and smiled, it was like the guys were doing it just for us. To this day I still sit though all the credits of a movie hoping for that magical moment again. Every once in a while a movie has some post credit spinets and and it feels fun being one of only a handful of people that are there to see it.
| 2 |
AskReddit/esgszi1
|
c7pgjo
|
What’s the worst emotion to experience?
|
Guilt would be my answer, it’s eats away at me and keeps me up at night like no other emotion. FFS I feel guilty about everything, spending money on myself, getting angry at my younger brother, chastising my dog, being rude to my mother. So much of the stuff is unintentional too, but guilt is still a byproduct of so many of my actions.
| 5 |
AskReddit/e5d7w6p
|
9ctw2v
|
What item are you surprised supermarkets don't sell?
|
I guess I'm not surprised by this, but weed is legal in my state now for recreational use. Imagine how much money grocery stores could be making if they sold weed and snacks all in the same place.
| 2 |
AskHistorians/esg9pcg
|
c7jrfe
|
What became of American Draft Evaders in Canada?
|
According to "Forging Our Legacy: Canadian Citizenship and Immigration, 1900–1977" by Valerie Knowles, written for the Public Works and Government Services of Canada, the number of American draft-eligible immigrants to Canada during the Vietnam war years was between 30,000 to 40,000. Other estimates have it as low as 20,000 and as high as 100,000. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter gave blanket amnesty to all Vietnam draft dodgers. According to Northern Passage: American Vietnam War Resisters in Canada by John Hagan, about half of all American draft dodgers living in Canada returned to the U.S. after that. All told, that means that 10,000 at the low end and 50,000 at the high end, but most likely in the ballpark of around 20,000 draft dodgers stayed. They lived throughout the country. While I don't have yearly statistics, as of the 2011 Canadian census, there were about 730,000 Americans living in Canada, so the number of draft dodgers who came during the Johnson and Nixon administrations wasn't a whole lot more than a blip beyond the normal number of Americans who were immigrating to Canada at the time. While there are significant expatriate American communities in some major cities, notably Vancouver and Toronto, there's not an "American town" portion in any of them. Partly because there's little language barrier outside of Quebec, but also because many of these Americans also have connections with other communities (Chinese-Americans, for example) where they have cultural connections beyond the United States.
| 12 |
AskReddit/dh0s9n5
|
68rqxq
|
Is it so unnatural to not be so emotional over someone's death when it's a fact of life?
|
No! I'm so glad you asked this question. It is totally not unnatural (so, natural) to have a more subdued and stoic sensibility about death. For you to understand and embrace its inevitability and fairly high probability helps develop that form of dealing with death.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c5eqrcu
|
wn5cg
|
What combination of 3 to 5 languages would allow someone the most linguistic freedom while traveling?
|
I would say English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Arabic. With the first three, it simply has to do colonization and that those languages are very well known throughout the world. Mandarin because China is such a powerhouse on the world stage and they're starting to spread out a little more. And Arabic since many middle eastern countries speak Arabic, plus it kinda looks awesome. I also hear that it a very well structured language.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cdz0djo
|
1sm825
|
What was the best nickname of someone you went to high school with and what's the story behind it?
|
Jerky. In some class in middle school we all had to say our names then a word that starts with the same letter (no idea why) so when it got to my friend Johnathan he almost instantly blurts out "J FOR JERKY". Were in out twenties and he still goes by that nickname.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c1xyuof
|
hsak7
|
Can someone put a price on the wines I found in my cabinet?
|
How were they stored? If the bottles were upright, then the corks have likely dried out enough to let air in and ruin the wine. If they were stored on their sides, and not exposed to high temperatures, they may still be drinkable. Most low and mid-cost wines are not intended to be aged for more than 2-3 years in the bottle, and will start to degrade after that. If I recall correctly, Zinfandels generally hold up better than most red wines. If you have any white wines, they've most likely turned to vinegar long ago.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cjzts9d
|
2eiiv0
|
Is there any part of the human brain, that if enhanced, would give us something akin to a superpower?
|
There are lots of things that can be adapted to give us sharper senses quicker reflexes an eidetic (photographic) memory. A look at nature will even show us some things we once had and have lost due to no evolutionary need. I'd say one adaption that could create a lot of these things would be changing the structures of the neurones themselves. People believe the brain is this amazingly organised and perfect machine, but in truth the brain is a disorganised mess with one bit being piled on top of the other as evolution occurs. If we changed the structures of neurones from the leaky mess they were to something like copper wire like we find in an electrical system there would be some amazing consequences to that with lightening quick reflexes to far improved senses. Tl;dr the brains a mess organise it and change the wiring to copper
| 2 |
AskReddit/coifmzc
|
2vkfu3
|
What would be the WORST thing say or do during a job interview?
|
One of the worst things you can do that people still do pretty often is bad-mouth your former employer. It doesn't matter if your old boss was shitty- if you come into an interview will a bad attitude about your old work, you're not getting hired.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/ewds2en
|
cntnuz
|
Why do clouds move slowly in one direction, and not sporadically in different directions like, let’s say, a plastic bag would fly around in the wind?
|
The air near the ground is much more turbulent than air at higher altitudes. Near the ground the wind is mixed up by all of the stuff, like trees and mountains and humidity and whatever. There isn't anything higher up so what turbulence does arise is quickly averaged and smoothed so that the wind moves as a very steady bulk. (If you've seen fountains with laminar flow, it's the same kind of difference.) Layers form with winds moving in different directions. Some turbulence does form at the interfaces, but in general the cloud and the air it's in are moving at the same speed and in the same direction, so the cloud doesn't "feel" any wind. Same as you don't feel any wind inside your car (assuming windows are up lol).
| 4 |
AskReddit/c7tgpbr
|
16772v
|
If you could make any movie, what would be the genre and plot?
|
My friend and I were working on a project for a while, I have some experience as an animator, and he as a writer. For a basic idea of what was happening, imagine the hunger games, but with Deus Ex style modification. The plot was essentially as follows: Movie opens with a flash forward to a sniper on a roof. Sniper shoots a vaguely humanoid machine that is being recognized as the champion for some tournament (viewers don't know what). Flash back ensues, history of the world is given etc. We meet our main character, he runs an 'antique' auto shop, has roughly modern day cars as the film is set in the future. One of his cars is stolen. Car chase follows, he captures the other guy. The two get into a fist fight. Both come out horribly wounded. After the fight, our main character (lets call him Mason) is approached by a business man. 'Have I got a deal for you' speech is given. Mason accepts the man's offer. He is to give his life to a company, they will pay for everything, no more auto shop, no more poverty. no more freedom. It is soon revealed that the company will use him as a fighter in a contest. They 'upgrade' him by replacing limbs, he becomes incredibly strong and terrifyingly stealthy while still keeping his same human size. Soon, the contest starts. He is met with huge behemoths of metal. They are all thrown into one ring and must fight until all but one are no longer willing to fight, usually this means death. Winner earns his corporation a military contract where the government pays to have it soldiers equipped like the fighter. Mason kills all but one. This last man turns out to be the other fighter from the start. Mason absolutely humiliates him during an event that is shown to the whole world. A short while later, Mason is marked as the victor. His company receives him greatly. He is sent in for upgrades for the next year. A year passes. Opening ceremonies for the next games. Previous champion is introduced. Camera swings back to a sniper on the roof. Credits. Note: He looks very different during the first flash forward than he does until the very end. The last upgrades change him drastically. I loved the idea, but sadly the writing fell apart after a few months. It was tentatively titled The Olympics of War another possibility was Machina. TL;DR: Deus Ex + Hunger Games = My idea
| 2 |
askscience/cfgv2s9
|
1y2p3k
|
Do we know what composed dinosaur bones?
|
Yes: hydroxylapatite (a "non-organic" calceous mineral) and collagen - the same things that compose the bones of all vertebrate species since the evolution of bony fishes. All species (and even individuals) have variations in bone density, and heavier species do tend to have denser bones, but dinosaurs were not distinct from modern species in that way.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c0nqe39
|
bo82d
|
Do you greet with a kiss?
|
Always greet and leave with two kisses. Although my friends (guys) and I have strange greeting habits. Sometimes its the obama fist bump, sometimes its hugs, recently it has been simultaneous group high-fives. Sometimes I feel embarrassed when I am part of a group of 5 or more 24-25 year old guys participating in a simultaneous group high-five. Girls aren't allowed to participate in this one.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/cio21f3
|
29sdzi
|
What does the conductor of an orchestra actually do?
|
Before the conductor comes to rehearse, they study the work to be performed, in its context of other pieces written around the same time, or by the same composer. They form a mental image of how they imagine this piece should sound. They then inspire, work with, and lead the orchestra into performing the music to get as close as possible to this. The conductor makes many decisions during preparation and rehearsals, for example, the speed (tempo) that a piece is played at, and whether that should fluctuate or change at various points during the piece. They will listen to the orchestra to make sure that the balance (respective volume) of the different instruments matches what he or she wants. Occasionally there may be notes that are misprints in the music, or players just play the wrong notes for whatever reason, but the conductor needs to be able to hear these mistakes and fix them. Conductors also indicate to players when to play. This is called cueing, and players don't necessarily need it, as they have the music in front of them, but by and large orchestral players appreciate cues from the conductor as it confirms that they are playing in the right place, or in the right manner. The conductor also tries to describe at rehearsal (either by words or by gestures) the mood or feeling or phrasing of each part of the piece, so that the musicians understand what he or she is trying to achieve. For example if any notes are being played too loudly or too softly, or too aggressively, or too fast or slow, and so on. Depending on the orchestra in question, the conductor may have to make judgement calls on what to rehearse and what to leave. Many orchestras, even large professional ones, have limited rehearsal time, so the conductor has to make the best use of what time he or she has. The undefinable factor is the way each conductor inspires and leads the musicians of an orchestra (the "beast with 80 or 100 heads" as one conductor put it) and to get them to play the piece of music in the way which the conductor feels best communicates the emotion and beauty of the music to the audience. It is as much psychology and dealing with people (all the members of the orchestra have their own ideas of how a piece should be played) as it is about musical skill or talent. As throwawaythefourth said, an orchestra which had rehearsed with a conductor but played in performance without one, would sound a lot different than one which never had a conductor to begin with. As an aspiring conductor, I find I learn a lot by watching conductors rehearse. There are things which you can't pick up just from watching performances. This is just off the top of my head, feel free to ask more detailed questions if you want. tl,dr: its complicated. (edited for clarity)
| 3 |
AskReddit/d9d6589
|
5a24zp
|
What is the scariest book you've ever read?
|
Read Stephen King's "It" in High School. The TV miniseries does not do it justice (I know, book snob comment). It has a lot of detail into the monster and how he killed not only children, but for hundreds of years was influencing the minds of other citizens of the town to commit murder and other horrific acts. I enjoyed it a lot and read it multiple times.
| 2 |
AskReddit/due2klf
|
7y70f6
|
What are some common signs that a person is toxic?
|
Saying or doing something that makes you upset and calling you sensitive or any other insult for being upset is a good, simple first sign. If you're really curious or worried that someone may be toxic, get on YouTube and watch videos about gaslighting and narcissistic abuse. It will open your eyes to a bunch of toxic behaviors. My favorite YouTuber regarding this issue is Narcissism Survivor.
| 228 |
AskReddit/e3c8xbk
|
93cjzk
|
What is the worst feeling you’ve ever experienced?
|
This overwhelming sense of regret and helplessness I experienced my first night in Basic Training. Just sitting there telling myself what a mistake I had made, and how I couldn’t change it. How I’d permanently uprooted everything my life once was, and how it will never be the same. Turns out, it wasn’t so bad after all and I’ll never regret that choice, but those emotions that very first night were nearly unbearable.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cxggdb4
|
3uo8k5
|
What white lie did your parents tell you that lasted into teens/adulthood?
|
Not quite into my teens, but when I was 3 my paternal grandmother died. My parents told me she went back to Ukraine to live with her parents, and I had no reason not to believe them, being so young and not understanding the concept of death. I didn't find out until I was about 8, when I mentioned to my (maternal) grandfather that I missed grandma and wished she would come back to live in the states again. He looked at me with pity and explained that he had gone to her funeral, and she wouldn't be coming back. It definitely gave me some trust issues.
| 2 |
AskHistorians/c6gerwk
|
10t29h
|
How much in modern currency did a slave cost in the mid-nineteenth century?
|
Though it's not the same time period slaves have always been expensive, in early Medieval Europe the Viking slave trade basically allowed a slave trader to be extremely wealthy after selling only about 4 slaves, if they were sold in Constantinople. Later on in America, slaves were needed in fairly large numbers, and the cost of bringing that many slaves across the Atlantic would have been fairly huge, even kept in dire conditions, this would offset the costs of the actual slave trader but still in terms of profit the slave traders would benefit massively, as slaves sold for usually a minimum of about $700-800 and up to $1200 for specialist slaves
| 15 |
explainlikeimfive/cu26rgy
|
3gwtec
|
What really IS OCD?
|
To understand OCD you need to break down its elements. The O stands for obsessive; the C stands for compulsive. The obsessive element means that you become obsessed with things. This doesn’t mean obsessed as in “Oh I’m so obsessed with Pokemon”. This a real obsession, one that literally does not allow you to think about anything else except the particular thing you’re obsessing over. You can’t concentrate on things like eating, working, driving, maintaining your relationships with loved ones. You are helplessly driven to always be thinking the obsessive thoughts. The compulsive element means that you are compelled to act upon the obsessive thoughts. It’s not a matter of choice. Your brain “orders” you to act without your conscious mind being able to “override the order”. You must do it or otherwise be consumed by endless anxiety which you can’t control either. Combine both elements and the result is absolutely shattering on a person’s ability to function in daily life. A common example is locking the door at night. You obsess over the possibility of the door not being correctly locked and you feel compelled to get out of bed and go check the door. You then get back to bed, but since this is an actual illness and not something you can control, you begin obsessing again over the door and you are again compelled to go check it. It doesn't matter that you just did. There is no room for reasoning. You must go check it again just in case. This can go on all night.
| 6 |
AskReddit/ec6012d
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a7u7d6
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What does English sound like to non-English speakers?
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It would be somewhat dependent on the regional accent, but there are several links on other posts that give a good representation of how it sounds. The reason it sounds like blended gibberish is mainly because someone who doesn't understand our language would not know specific words. We reflexively know when one word ends and the next begins despite our continued pace throughout speaking a sentence. One syllable will roll straight into the next and our minds register word breaks of frequently grouped syllables. It's why when one doesn't understand a foreign language you would tend to hear a sentence as a long continuous sound instead of several individual words strung together. If I spoke a 7 word sentence, you could tell me how many words. A foreign language you would have no clue how many words because its just a long string of sounds. Which is why speaking too slowly doesn't help people understand if you keep the same pause between each syllable instead of each word. Additionally we have specific intonations and use specific phonetics. Specific languages utilize specific sets phonetics and sounds from parts of the mouth. Which is why, for example, certain East Asian native speakers struggle with the letter "L" and sound it more like "R". Its just not a sound they have in their dialect. I cam only imagine how horrible a native English speaking accent sounds in some other languages to native speakers.
| 2 |
AskReddit/djhn4an
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6jwzmu
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What did the weird kid do at your school to be considered the weird kid?
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I went to a really small grade school, like 15 kids in my class. We started eating bugs in around second grade. Not sure why, but me and my posse started doing it, then a group of girls started doing it. So the minority of the kids in my class were the weird kids who did not eat bugs.
| 190 |
AskReddit/cn9ofuj
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2quopi
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Is there a general/acceptable time frame for journalists’ use of the expression “did not immediately respond" versus "did not return requests for comment”?
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I don't know, and I've studied journalism and work in the field. Depending on the type of media (some are more time-sensitive), I bet it is up to the journalist or the editor. This just pokes at how big a difference one word can make, and seems to validate the idea that we can prime audience perception with word choice.
| 2 |
AskReddit/e7rrams
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9o6ght
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What's the most you've ever eaten in one sitting?
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I used to work a labor intensive job and I was going to college full time also so I missed a lot of meals. One day on my lunch break from work I realized I hadn't eaten in close to 24 hours. I ordered a loaded 12 inch sub from a local sandwich shop. Plowed through it and wanted more. I ordered another. I was slowing down by the end of that one. I still had a little room for sweets so I grabbed a 3 pack of peanut butter cups. I regret nothing.
| 8 |
AskReddit/c2x9ato
|
m19qv
|
How important to you are compliments from your SO?
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I think they're important. They show that your actions are being noticed and appreciated and you're not being taken for granted. Sometimes all it takes on a down day is for someone to just give an indicator that you are not worthless. And the compliment doesn't have to be verbal. It could just be a random hug or lingering touch. Anything to make you feel closer to them.
| 6 |
AskHistorians/e5awjbn
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9cc3qt
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How were severe reactions to allergies seen prior to the knowledge of allergies?
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I'm not an historian. However, I am a scientist who spent a long time researching allergy and immunology, and I've always been a believer in studying past work to better understand current and future work. I must admit I am not terribly familiar with the historian method of referencing, so if the format here is incorrect or incomplete, please let me know and I will try to be more precise. I do have a list of the primary sources (contemporary writings), but it's mostly in a physical textbook.if you need it to keep the post up, I'll transcribe them. OK. In ancient times, allergies had the same root attributed cause as any other medical condition.you either crossed a god or got cursed by an enemy. Two interesting exceptions are ancient America and China. They each had treatments for what sounds like allergic rhinitis based on the herbs that are related to ephedra (which is REALLY similar to drugs currently found in OTC allergy medications). The Chinese even described a seasonal component. Rome and Greece had some writings on allergy, Hippocrates even described something that sounded very much like asthma, it and there are notable historical figures (Claudius is one that stands out) who were likely allergic to some things. There's a guy buried with a Pharoh of the 5th dynasty in Egypt because he "fixed the noses of kings".again, probably rhinitis or asthma. There are a lot more writings talking about allergic rhinitis and asthma, but you said "severe allergy", so I don't think that's what you are looking for.there are mentions of food allergy, but not much. That kind of makes sense; severe allergy kills in minutes. There just isn't anything that could be done. It is very likely that any instance of anaphylaxis was simply attributed to "being struck dead by god" or poisoning. Reference for the above: A History of Allergy, Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers, May 27, 2014 As far as discovery of allergy. The idea of immune system didn't exist, even conceptually, until around the late 19th century (Pasteur, Metchnikoff, etc). At the time, the immune system was considered more or less perfect in that it was only subject to being overwhelmed. It was assumed that it never got things wrong. Then a couple of things kind of came into confluence.(1) people and animals were receiving vaccines (2) the industrial revolution was pushing people into cleaner environments and (3) people realized that the immune system had no problem with collateral damage. A French scientist (Arthus) was experimenting with vaccines. He tried giving repeated does of a vaccine to the same site. Everyone knew the first injection of a vaccine often caused inflammation; it was assumed that it was the action of the pathogen. But Arthus noted that the reaction got worse with each injection. He reasoned that the increased response was correlated with the increased ability of the body to fight off that particular infection (he was more or less right) Around the same time, a man named von Pirquet wrote a paper outlining the signs & symptoms of infection. He had a kind of radical idea : that many (or even most) of the lesions we typically associated with infection are in fact the result of the body's defenses, and not simply a direct effect of the infecting organisms. He was also more or less right. Long story short, he and his colleagues wound up demonstrating what allergy truly was. This was not an overnight process (science rarely is), but to put a date on it.about 1910-1915. A good reference for this (and a LOT more) would be: Igea JM. The history of the idea of allergy. Allergy 2013; 68: 966–973
| 330 |
AskReddit/c3ftr9b
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oayxs
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What do you think will be TILs in 20 years that are common knowledge today?
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TIL Steve Jobs didn't invent computers. TIL people used to be allowed to fly on airplanes without being put into a temporary coma. TIL "corn vitamins" used to be called "corn syrup" TIL President GE wouldn't have even been considered a person 20 years ago!
| 263 |
AskReddit/c0e24u8
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9r3tj
|
Why do asian people, particularly women, tend to drag or shuffle their feet?
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Hm, I'm Asian and surprisingly not offended by this question. It's been pointed out to me that I tend to do this, not as much now since people have mentioned it and well, quite honestly, I trip a lot. Shuffling doesn't help. At least for me, and I think this might fit a few stereotypes, but I think culturally we don't like to draw much attention to ourselves. Of course there's a time and a place to draw in attention but in general, out in public, I know that's at least why I tend to do it. It's an overall trying to use up less space and be as discreet as possible.
| 5 |
AskReddit/cxozzi1
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3vn6kn
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What was your worst experience with a doctor?
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I didn't realise I had a bad kidney infection, and didn't go see a doctor until I was really bad (very high fever, sweats, vomiting etc). They immediately sent me to hospital in an ambulance. The doctor there that did my exam asked how long I had symptoms for; after I said how long she started to scream at me for not coming in sooner. The nurse was so shocked she went and got another doctor to take over. Horrid experience and she never even apologised. TLDR; doctor screamed at me for not coming in to the hospital sooner when I was very sick
| 2 |
AskReddit/dged6ac
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65zedi
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What does the American Dream mean to you ?
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I do not live in the US so, for a long time, the idea of american dream to me was people wanting the biggest ammount of money in the shortest period of time making the less effort possible.
| 3 |
askscience/d4n8flp
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4pqsxx
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Why does expanding gasses become cold?
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>I know that in an adiabatic free expansion gasses expelled into a vacuum lose heat, It doesn't lose heat, because it's adiabatic. It gets colder. Temperature is not heat! >the question is why does it do this? It's easy if you look at the internal energy for a van der Waals gas: U(T,V) = 3/2 NkT - a' N^(2)/V a' is a constant. U stays the same because there is neither work (because it's free expansion) nor heat transfer (adiabatic). V increases, so the N^(2)/V term decreases. Rearranging 3/2 NkT = U + a' N^(2)/V You get that T decreases.
| 9 |
AskReddit/esnncz7
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c8l90d
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What's the most difficult question you've been asked on a job interview and how did you manage to answer?
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I was asked a very complex technical question, one that was way above the skill set of the job I was applying for. My interviewer told me he needs to know if I knew the answer before he would be able to hire me. I was honest and said I don’t know what the answer to that is, and I was hired right there. He said he wanted people who aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know things. He had let people go from previous interviews when they tried to mash together a half assed answer to a question the obviously didn’t know. So my advice is be honest and be yourself. If they like you for you and what you are capable of, they will hire you.
| 4 |
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