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Comment Re:I don't believe it... (Score 1) 419

The anime "Death Note" covers the psychology aspect. What starts out as experimentation with newly found powers quickly escalates into an egomaniacal bid to subjugate the world. There's even a period within the series where the main character temporarily surrenders the power, along with associated memories of using said power, to evade apprehension. While in this state, the character acts normally--even morally--demonstrating that without the superpower, corruption is unlikely to happen.

However, the show doesn't go so far as to suggest that anyone is corruptible. Supporting characters are given the same power with similar results, but it's revealed that they suffered through past traumas that would make their new actions predictable. The main character is unique--and more interesting--in that he's pretty much the "normal guy having a bad day" previously described, namely expressing mild disenchantment with his peers and immediate surroundings.

Comment Re:5 page paper? (Score 0, Troll) 539

It's hard to fault the drivers using center lanes for merging when the city planners are the real culprits. There are areas where it is virtually impossible to make left turns without using the centers lane to merge, which was probably part of the intention, whether the planners admit it or not. There are also areas where it is wildly impractical to get where you need to by making a series of right turns.

Comment Re:How soon we forget (Score 1) 493

I need to correct myself. I incorrectly remembered the various 8-bit DOSes as licensed by Microsoft, but they were actually built in-house. Still, this doesn't diminish the fact that Microsoft was one of the few successful software operations of the late 70s/early 80s, even before DOS. In the unlikely event that Amiga or Macintosh started taking off, it's equally unlikely Microsoft would have stood by and watched their marketshare erode simply because they chose IBM before either existed.

Comment Re:How soon we forget (Score 2, Informative) 493

If IBM had opted for a different OS than DOS you would have never heard of Microsoft.

I doubt that. Contrary to popular myth, which seems to think Paul Allen and Bill Gates were running business out of a garage and DOS was their first product, Microsoft was already a successful company with its BASIC and XENIX products. In addition to providing DOS to IBM, Microsoft hedged their bets and produced flavors for nearly everything. So, whichever hardware vendor won out, Microsoft fully intended to be the software provider for that platform. One could argue this wouldn't be the case, but Microsoft was one of the few strong software companies of the era. I'd even argue they were the only strong software company of the era, which is what enabled them to grow as large as they did as fast as they did.

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It's a naive, domestic operating system without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption.

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