The Beatles (Popularity)

ELI5 - Why are the Beatles so popular?

The Beatles are still admired because they were pioneers. They were among the first pop bands to write their own music, which quickly grew in complexity. In a short time, they evolved from simple tunes to complex pieces like "A Day In The Life." They experimented with new studio techniques, like using guitar feedback, reversing tracks, and mixing different music styles. This innovation influenced how rock bands were perceived, paving the way for others like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, and they're respected not just for these breakthroughs but also for their memorable songs.

By Alex 2 years ago

Mellotron

ELI5 - What is a Mellotron, and why are they famous?

The Mellotron is a keyboard instrument created in England in 1963. An evolution of the earlier Chamberlin, the Mellotron is basically an early form of modern synthesizers. Instead of using digital playback, however, Mellotrons have an array of magnetic tapes played when their corresponding keys are pressed. Mellotrons come equipped with several sets of these tapes, each with a different voice such as "flute" or "strings."

The Mellotron's analog tape playback leads to subtle, random variations, giving them a unique and interesting sound. Many recording artists have experimented with this sound, perhaps most famously the Beatles, whose song "Strawberry Fields Forever" begins with a Mellotron flute intro.

By Alex 2 years ago

Mellotron

ELI5 - What is a Mellotron, and why are they famous?

The Mellotron is an early, synthesizer-like, analog keyboard instrument invented in the UK in 1963. In contrast to when a piano key is played, resulting in its corresponding hammer striking a tuned piano string, each of a mellotron's keys activates the playback of a sample of magnetic tape. Mellotrons come equipped with different voice settings for each key, such as piano, strings, flute, and even orchestral arrangements. The unique sound resulting from small variations in tape playback has long captured the imagination of experimental musicians, such as the Beatles.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago

Adobe Flash

ELI5 - What exactly was Adobe Flash and why was it disabled?

Adobe Flash, introduced in 1996, enabled video playback, interactive website components, and animations. It spurred a digital renaissance, popularizing flash-based games and cartoons, such as those on Newgrounds.com and Homestar Runner, during the internet's early years. However, Flash has become obsolete, plagued by security vulnerabilities. Despite Adobe's efforts to patch these issues, the industry has evolved, with newer technologies like HTML5 offering superior functionality for tasks previously dominated by Flash. Continuing to use Flash not only poses security risks for websites and their users but also represents a technological step backward. Adobe, recognizing the shift, has discontinued Flash, focusing instead on more contemporary solutions. The discontinuation reflects a broader industry consensus that Flash is no longer necessary, with its maintenance deemed more troublesome than beneficial.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago

Adobe Flash

ELI5 - What exactly was Adobe Flash and why was it disabled?

Flash was mainly used years ago to enable rich web content, such as video playback, to be placed into web pages when it couldn't be done using web standards at the time. It also was largely used to develop online web browser games, such as those found on Newgrounds. Many of its uses, such as video playback, were later superseded by modern web standards (such as HTML5 and its video element). As it has fallen out of common use and is prone to security flaws, Adobe has decided that it is no longer worth maintaining.

By Alex 1 year ago

Military Commission

ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?

An officer's commission is a formal document issued by a nation's head of state, granting legal authority to an individual to serve as a commissioned officer in the military. Commissioned Officers (COs) hold command authority directly from this commission, making strategic decisions and bearing ultimate legal responsibility for their units. Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) are enlisted personnel who assume leadership roles, executing orders and leading small units under the delegated authority of commissioned officers, but without the command authority of a CO. Warrant Officers (WOs) are specialized experts in their fields, positioned between NCOs and COs, with both technical proficiency and limited command responsibilities, often focused on specific technical or tactical areas. The key difference lies in the source and extent of their authority: COs derive theirs directly from the state, NCOs through delegation, and WOs through their expertise and technical roles.

By Alex 1 year ago

Military Commission

ELI5 - What is a "commission"? As in "Non-Commissioned Officer"? And what happens when an NCO receives this commission?

In the military, you can join as enlisted or commissioned. Enlisted soldiers start without formal education and can rise to become Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), who lead troops and ensure orders are executed. Commissioned officers, like the young lieutenant in war movies, start with education and command roles but rely on the seasoned wisdom of NCOs, like Sarge or Chief. Ideally, a leader would have both deep education and extensive experience, but that's impractical, so the military pairs educated officers with experienced NCOs to create an effective leadership team. Historically, classism influenced this divide, but now it's about combining strategic knowledge with practical expertise.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago

Raw Meat

ELI5 - Why can other carnivores eat raw meat but humans are so prone to infections?

Carnivores like lions and wolves can eat raw meat because they’ve evolved specific defenses: for example, lions have stomach acid around pH 1.5, strong enough to kill many bacteria. Their short digestive tracts—about 3-6 times body length—move food through quickly, limiting bacterial growth. Their immune systems are also more robust against pathogens commonly found in raw meat. Still, they do get sick from parasites and infections, which contribute to injury and shorter lifespans in the wild.

Humans, in contrast, have weaker stomach acid (around pH 2–3 in fasting state) and much longer intestines—over 10 times body length—giving harmful microbes more time to multiply. We began cooking meat at least 400,000 years ago, which reduced disease risk and made digestion easier. Over time, we lost many raw-meat defenses, so today eating raw meat safely requires strict handling, storage, and high-quality cuts.

By Alex 6 months ago

Iambic Pentameter

ELI5 - What is Iambic Pentameter and what makes it special?

An iamb is the term for an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (such as "a-BOVE"). Iambic pentameter is a group of five ("penta-") iambs, or "iambic feet" as they are known, per line, sort of like:

ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH ba DUH

This rhythm, or meter, is traditional in English poetry. For example, Shakespeare is well known to have used iambic pentameter is his plays and sonnets:

shall I comPARE thee TO a SUmmer's DAY

By Alex 1 year ago