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[smeeprocket]

Kind of like a death note.

I want a Death Note. Not saying I have a list, but... yea I have a list.

Would be cool except for the inevitable "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

I think it would be worth it. There's not even a shinigami to hover over me and await my demise.

I could become overlady of the world, given enough time. Dictatorships seem a lot more appealing when you are the one in charge...

[WealthyRadish]

I wouldn't want this power. All the selfish things that can be done with it are tempting enough that I'd probably do it, and either regret it later or worse, turn into a person who doesn't regret it. After a while you'd figure out a way to kill people instantly, like with one of the chemistry examples mentioned, and with enough time (like an eternity) it's inevitable that you'd start to rationalize it for more and more trivial things. That's the most obvious example to me of why this would only end badly. Even if you set out to use the power for the right reasons, most people (probably including myself) would have a difficult time not giving themselves all the power they can think of at some point, out of fear or a desire to protect the power that grows out of just having it. A life of immortality, infinite wealth, and infinite power is not only a pointless and unpleasant life, it's also going to end up making the lives of others worse.

[Bohandas]

I'd decrease the lifespans of everybody involved with the MPAA and/or RIAA

And increase the lifespans of everybody who isn't either a stockholder in a major corporation, an objectivist, a religious fundamentalist, or a personal injury lawyer.

[penguinofhonor]

.

[Graknorke]

Well if it works with probabilities, could we not pull an 'Infinite Improbability Drive' stunt and make it more probable that somebody will discover/create a certain thing?

Well, the rules cover that one - if the chance for that is zero in the beginning, it stays zero after multiplication with 1.01.

But there's plenty of things that aren't impossible, but could do with being higher. So within a couple of months you could effectively double the progress being made in a certain scientific field, or more realistically if those increments were spread out as every 5th day in a year or whatever.

[smeeprocket]

I wouldn't want this power. All the selfish things that can be done with it are tempting enough that I'd probably do it, and either regret it later or worse, turn into a person who doesn't regret it. After a while you'd figure out a way to kill people instantly, like with one of the chemistry examples mentioned, and with enough time (like an eternity) it's inevitable that you'd start to rationalize it for more and more trivial things. That's the most obvious example to me of why this would only end badly. Even if you set out to use the power for the right reasons, most people (probably including myself) would have a difficult time not giving themselves all the power they can think of at some point, out of fear or a desire to protect the power that grows out of just having it. A life of immortality, infinite wealth, and infinite power is not only a pointless and unpleasant life, it's also going to end up making the lives of others worse.

By contrast, I'd love this power for all of those reasons. Mostly because the ability to alter reality at a whim (which, if you change the cooldown of once a day to once a millisecond, would be basically what this is) would basically have you transcend wealth, power, and mortality. You'd be a god at that point, really.

Yea being a God would have its perks.

Like, I'm all about not doing this if you are -not me-, but if it were me... I'm going to do it and be judge, jury, executioner, and the writer of morality for all humans.

[Karkov]

Could distance work with this power?  In a "Reduce the distance between this specific chair and Hong Kong by 1%," kind of way?  Because the mental image I'm getting of a chair violently making its way 1% of the way to Hong Kong is hilarious to me.

I'd use it for other things, of course, but I would love to just arbitrarily choose some object and move it 1% of the way across the globe.  Hell, if you designated it correctly you could make buildings sink 1% of the way through the Earth.

"The Pentagon disappeared from its former position today, and has resurfaced somewhere in the middle of North Carolina."

[Helgoland]

Oooh, new assassination method! "Decrease distance between X and Alpha Centauri by 1%."

[WillowLuman]

That's 1% of a couple lightyears, so they'd be thrown/teleported way out into space.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

Could distance work with this power?  In a "Reduce the distance between this specific chair and Hong Kong by 1%," kind of way?  Because the mental image I'm getting of a chair violently making its way 1% of the way to Hong Kong is hilarious to me.

Probably would be the chair going .5% of the way, with Hong Kong going the other .5%.

[Itnetlolor]

How would adjusting the chances of probability work (like the chances of good luck happening)? Would 1%'s difference matter?

EDIT:
Too meta?

How about increasing the size of ice by 1%, and owning an icebox? Now that's a practical use for it.

[Karkov]

Could distance work with this power?  In a "Reduce the distance between this specific chair and Hong Kong by 1%," kind of way?  Because the mental image I'm getting of a chair violently making its way 1% of the way to Hong Kong is hilarious to me.

Probably would be the chair going .5% of the way, with Hong Kong going the other .5%.

You think this would make me not use the power for things such as this.

You are wrong.

I'd probably just word it differently so I didn't send Hong Kong skidding along the ground at an increased velocity, or maybe just pick a piece of furniture visible off of a live stream from there, or something.  Making inanimate objects take off at dangerous speeds from rest for no rhyme or reason is hilarious to me, especially if it passes someone on the highway going 100+ mph.

"Oh man, I'm so glad I bought this Lamborghini, now I can zoo- is that an office chair?"

EDIT:  I blame G-mod and other glitchy video games for this terrible sense of humor.

[Arcvasti]

Oooh, new assasination method! "Decrease distance between X and Alpha Centauri by 1%."

Oh god I am just visualizing people suddenly being forcefully propelled towards Alpha Centauri, regardless of where it is. This includes directly downwards, at which point they are simply dragged along the ground at an increasing velocity.

^^This. Or I suppose I could just give everyone 1% more empathy. Or 1% more legs. Or 1% more cats. Or 1% more antimatter. The possibilities. Are exceeding a certain amount in quantity.

[SHAD0Wdump]

I'd be very tempted to try to increase my chances of discovering the origin of this superpower within the month by 1% a few times until I figure it out or get bored trying.

 I tend to be the sort to wonder how things even happen.

[MDFification]

I'd decrease the lifespans of everybody involved with the MPAA and/or RIAA

And increase the lifespans of everybody who isn't either a stockholder in a major corporation, an objectivist, a religious fundamentalist, or a personal injury lawyer.

... what's wrong with personal injury lawyers? They sue insurance companies that refuse to pay their clients because they put their profits above fulfilling their obligations or human suffering. They don't make money unless their client gets what they're owed + enough to pay them.

The thing with changing the probability of things is that you can't change things with a base probability of 0% (note: nothing has a base problem of 0% except the increase of entropy, so you can't use it to get rid of aging. Still, most things like "probability that my fingernails turn to gold" has such a low probability that the sun would explode before the probability became 1%). You also cannot increase/decrease a probability to 100% or 0%; the probabilty will increase in smaller increments each time, so you'll get infinitely closer to those points but never reach them.