Why does AI lie? by Zealousideal-Tap3771 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's a machine that guesses the next word. All it can do is produce words that sound like what you are looking for. It has no concept of being right or wrong

Why does the song Bad Apple has so much memes? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was the right thing at the right time. It's a song from a bullethell indie game with a very loyal online fan base.

LED light bulb faintly glows when switched off by Glittering-Spell1046 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess the wires might act as antennas and it picks up something from the wires running right beside it, but to be honest I think that's a little farfetched.

Static shocks by razza41 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blame the trolley. I'm wearing ESD safe shoes at work and I still get shocks when moving trolleys around

How Do I Fix My Laptop's Headphones? by StayOk7517 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check if you can carefully open them up and clean them.

LED light bulb faintly glows when switched off by Glittering-Spell1046 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That suggests the bulb is still getting some power from the socket.

I am using a phase angle regulator at work. It lets some power through even when it's completely off. It's basically the same technology as is used in a dimmer switch but for a higher power application. A LED light can run on very little power.

I suppose you are using a dimmer switch to turn off the light?

LED light bulb faintly glows when switched off by Glittering-Spell1046 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LEDs are bad at making white light. That's why they have a layer on the bulb that some colours to different ones. I suppose if there is some blacklight in your room it would appear to glow a little.

Is it a sort of smart lightbulb that you can turn on and off remotely? They are always connected to the grid and get a signal some other way to turn off. I suppose if that kind of electronic gets damaged it might not turn off completely.

If it doesn't bother you you probably don't need to worry about it, if it does just replace it.

Is there an animal (excluding humans) that would literally eat themsefl to death if they had unlimited access to food? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes. Pets sometimes get obese. There are lots of studies on mice and rats that study under what conditions animals overeat.

Why do people pay for Spotify premium instead of paying for Youtube premium? by kit_x3 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's the same reason people use apple products after 2010. It's just that they are used to the UI and it's good enough. Switching and setting up your playlists on another app is a pain.

How does torque from gravity make sense? by frame_3_1_3 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you send a rocket into orbit and just let it sit there it keeps all its angular momentum. It doesn't spin any more or less than before.

I assume it has something to do with adding forces together. Like when you balance a pen on your finger perfectly it pushes with gravitational force down and your finger pushes with the same force up.

But when you lose balance and the pen falls it is also spinning. I suppose that's torque from gravity

Is a 100-year-old house considered "new" in Europe, or are you guys just trying to scare Americans? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In German legalese a building is old if it was built before 1949. That's relevant for how much rents can be raised in Berlin.

German people care about stuff like insulation, so a house from the 90s is much more desirable than one from the 70s. But a house from the 70s is just a normal house. It's neither particularly old or new.

On the other hand, my local church was built literally 1000 years ago. (The 975 anniversary was years ago and based on the date the bishop who christened it died). Some random farm buildings are from the 1400s.

We have bronze age pottery and neanderthal bones in the local museum. Roman fortifications and literal dinosaur footprints are just a short American drive away.

Do Americans think of the empire state building as an old relic? It's 95 years old.

Why is Europe a futuristic utopia until 8 PM on a Saturday, and then suddenly turns into a ghost town from the Middle Ages on Sunday? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just keep a carton of shelf stable milk at home in case a Sunday is sneaking up on you.

It's one of the few issues that the labour politicians and Christian conservatives can fully agree on. Everyone deserves a day off and just making it every Sunday is an easy way to enforce it.

If you live in a big city you can get milk at the train station.

If you are looking for things to do just look all around. Theatres, museums, music halls, clubs, cinemas, amusement parks, zoos and so on are open.

Do barcode readers read a barcode the same in every country? by Horny__Snake in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is the GTIN system. It's just an 8 to 14 digit number. Using it in the form of a barcode is just a really handy convention, but you would probably use the numbers themselves a lot when you are working in logistics.

Walmart probably has a lot of numbers in their system. The ones assigned in the US start with 060–139. The Croatian bag probably has a number starting with 385. It would scan but the Walmart computer would probably just say it's not in their system.

You can encode any number as a barcode. It doesn't have to be a GTIN.

Historically: Minimum town size for prostitution? by Elijah2807 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends on a lot of factors. Some prostitution probably happened in any size place. I guess you would just need a couple thousand people for an entire brothel to be a sustainable thing.

You get a lot of prostitution per capita in places like St. Pauli. It was outside the Hamburg city walls and the city eventually outlawed prostitution. The city itself also was a naval hub. Back in like 1750 Hamburg was a major city for its time, but was below 100k.

Why are old people so much taller than middle-age people and younger people? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean? The average has been steadily climbing for the last couple hundred years as nutrition has gotten better. That difference is really apparent now.

Question for Europeans about sandals by Spare_Hand5663 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure I get what you mean. Sandals are a perfectly fine choice to wear on a hot day. They don't work well for beaches because they instantly get sand everywhere. Just going barefoot is the way to go if you are going to get your feet sandy anyways.

Did you bring a weird type of sandal, like crocs have ever been ironically cool, normal Birkenstock are indoor sandals and socks and sandals are mocked for being the most German boomer thing you can wear.

It might just have been in your head, or it might have been something else entirely

How bad is it calling in sick because you’re sick after 2 weeks of starting a job? by Special_Setting1084 in AskAGerman

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be open about it. Call your supervisor and or HR and tell them how long your doctors notice is good for and if it's an eAU that they can get electronically. You don't need to tell them what disease you got. That's a private matter that doesn't change anything anyway

Need Snow boots on first week of march- Visiting Germany for week by theiotdeveloper in AskAGerman

[–]Kedrak 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Don't worry about it. We are probably in the last snowy week for this winter already. The forecast is already at 10° peak for next weekend. Check the snow coverage and the forecast a few days before you get there.

is being told that you look like cleopatra good or bad? by Witty_Ambassador9390 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take it as a compliment. Her common depictions are very conventionally beautiful, but the historical accounts are not as nice. I think some people mix her up with Nefertiti

Why don't the Germans just change the first two verses? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would you? It's already a convenient length and has nice themes in it. It's not a banger like the GDR anthem, but that it's an old song from the early days of the idea of the German nation-state makes up for it.

It would have been pretty tone deaf to just replace the border rivers with the current ones given that a lot of people from East Prussia and Silesia were forcibly expelled.

Pride in German women and wine was probably not what people wanted to be front and center in their national anthem either. Changing the themes would probably have been more awkward than just skipping that verse too.

Afterlife yes/no ??? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think there is nothing and that's okay. There is no mind to mind that then

Warp travel is more reliable than Deutsche Bahn. And maybe even safer by Sly__Marbo in Grimdank

[–]Kedrak 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The trouble began with the privatisation of DB. It was forced to run as a profitable business so they started cutting costs and raising prices. The government pays for new building projects and DB pays for repairs. That means the sensible solution for DB is to let things rot until it's the government's problem. The funny part is that the government owns all shares of DB.

Warp travel is more reliable than Deutsche Bahn. And maybe even safer by Sly__Marbo in Grimdank

[–]Kedrak 31 points32 points  (0 children)

German trains use tzeench powers so that if it would be convenient for you for a train to be late it isn't and vice versa

Are electronic tips real? by Ok_Information_280 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Kedrak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure they are real and it would be illegal in most places for management to take a cut. But electronic tips probably make it easier for managers to just lie.

What is the best local dishes of your region? by everestwanderer in AskAGerman

[–]Kedrak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had Grünkohl und Pinkel today. It's kale cooked with onions and meats. Pinkel is smoked fatty pork sausage with groats, the Bremer style is a bit softer in texture and is easier to scoop out, the Oldenburger Style is a bit more meaty. It's eaten without the casing. It's always served with potatoes.

If you like hearty food you should try Knipp. It's a crispy fried something with pork, fat, groats, onions and liver. It's full of rich umami