Politics. Some day, if something happens, someone might ask "why didn't we do this?" Fear of "common" sense.

Being a Director developer, there are some things Director can do that Flash can't:

Control embedded PDF files
Manipulate bitmaps
Create 3D scenes with physics
Make network calls through proxy servers
Access/Modify system resources
Wider range of media support

Director is actually capable of more than Flash, it just never caught on as well with developers. The mob rules, though.

Exactly. People seem to think that high IQ means you know everything and can solve any problem. They discount the idea that it takes a great deal of time to arrive at a position where you're capable of asking the right questions. It reminds me of hackers in movies. Regardless of whether or not they know a given system, they break it quickly and easily, because they're just smart in general. Never mind the accumulated knowledge and understanding of the system required to do it. IQ apparently entails ESP.

As you've said, if Newton hadn't been essentially unable to stop thinking about his problems, he wouldn't have accomplished as much as he did. Edison is a good example, too. He wasn't incredibly smart, but he was a man possessed.

I don't think smart people (or any people, really) get to choose what they think about. Their brains obsess over a certain problem to the exclusion of more domestic thoughts (keeping your cell phone safe). You can't do both at once.

Less intelligent people don't seem to obsess over problems as much, so they can pay more attention to what's in front of them.

I define intelligence as asking the right questions. This entails the curiosity needed to ask questions in the first place, and the insight to define exactly what it is you don't know.

I like your requirement of openness. The hallmark of an idiot is dogmatic adherence to ideas not questioned. For such people, defense of their subscribed views is more important than the actual views. They can't really reason or understand their views, only fight for their acceptance.

I remember reading about CASE tools in my first CS class. The idea was that software would be generated automatically, diminishing the need for programmers. From minute one this made no sense to me. Sure, there's off-the-shelf software, but for anything else, you still need to tell the computer in some way what/where the input is, what to do with it, how it affects other processes, how to return the data, etc. In short, you just push off programming at one level to programming at a different level. It's a false savings. People really seemed to believe that software would start writing itself, though.

It's human to say that something serves a purpose. The body is just a continuing mess of chemical reactions, none with a specific design. People have made similar claims of benefit about autism and schizophrenia, too. They confer logic and creativity. It doesn't change the fact that they're also significant handicaps.

I also have to question just how depressed the study participants were. Having been clinically depressed twice, my experience was one of blank, dreary shutdown. True, I didn't have an overly optimistic external viewpoint, but I also had an overly negative self-narrative. I was irrational. Fortunately, I couldn't summon the energy or focus to think about much of anything anyway.

I want to eat a genetically engineered cow fed nothing but other cows, high fructose corn syrup, antibiotics, and estrogen. I want the meat irradiated right before I eat it. I want it trucked 2000 miles to me.

You can take advantage of some drivers' impatience and lead foot to determine if there are any cops ahead. Simply linger in the passing lane when someone is driving right on your bumper. Don't get over until you can tell they're about to pass you on the right, then get over. The irritated driver will then shoot ahead much faster than they probably intended to go. If there are any police within the next few miles, the speeding driver will draw their attention.

Yeah, it's certainly more efficient. It makes sense. It'd just be interesting to have an entirely new OS to play with, rather than simply a new window/interface system.

I'll be happy if they come out with a nice IDE for it, though.

Their only hope for mass adoption is in getting this onto a lot of new computers. Most people aren't going to install this on a system they already have up and running. Given the blanket licensing agreements Microsoft has with most of the big OEMs, this may be impossible. Their best bet is in the ARM camp.

Anyone else kinda wish they'd actually made an entirely new OS?

One of the things I love about work is that I get to be a different person. I'm no longer an individual, I'm part of a hive. I'm there to do a job, and that's what I do. That's all you can do. When people around you are unprofessional, the only response is professionalism. Don't let anyone's emotion get to you. Know your role and company policy, and follow them. If someone makes an unreasonable demand, dispassionately tell them why it's not in the best interest of the company. Fall back always on the company - you're not making decisions because you're an asshole or bored or a renegade, you're making decisions because they support the success of the company. It's business. If you can maintain this focus despite the crows and clowns around you, nothing bad can stick to you. You'll be management material.