(no subject)
I bet my answers to these will be boring in comparison to other people's interview answers.
1. You have the ability to merge your mind with that of another for a brief period of time, so you each can see the others thoughts and think the way they think. Who would you never use this ability on, for fear it would destroy one of you? Which of you would it destroy, and why?
Hmmm, the copout answer is probably someone purely evil, like Hitler or Sauron or Voldemort. Honestly, I can't think of a "normal" person that I'd never use it on. I'm not sure which one of use would be destroyed though. I'd give fifty-fifty odds.
2. You have the opportunity to be a great warrior in ancient Japan, fighting evil and saving the innocent. Except, unfortunate event follow you, Trigun style, so that only a few people know that you are really a hero, and everyone else hates you and wants you dead. Do you take this opportunity?
It sounds like I'm Miyamoto Musashi, or at least the Eiji Yoshikawa version of him. I would definitely take the opportunity. This question is probably the only trivial of the five; if you read my livejournal you'd know that I practice kendo and maintain significant interest in iaido and more generally, kenjutsu. Seeking higher understanding and trying to refine and polish my spirit by way of the sword is certainly appealing in some ways :) (Note that I assume you mean samurai when you say "great warrior," but that's probably what you meant, right? :)
EDIT: changed "most trivial" to "only trivial" to reflect more accurate opinion.
3. You have access to any piece of information on any machine connected to the MIT network. What do you do with this information?
First, I'd need to know what the information is and what I *can* do with it to answer this question. If it's a network security issue, I'd report it to netsec, but otherwise, I can't think of anything I would do with it. It would be more interesting if this question were more restricted.
4. What was your favorite childhood toy, and do you still know where it is?
I don't recall having a favorite toy, but then again I don't really have that many vivid memories of my childhood. Perhaps a sword that I bought in China when I returned for the first time in over eight years. It's currently sitting in my father's study next to a wonderful painting of bamboo and calligraphy.
5. Who was your first enemy? Where do you think they are today, and where do you wish they were today?
I don't remember his name anymore. I was five at the time, and he was probably about seven since he certainly outsized me by a great deal. We got into an argument about something trivial, and the next thing I knew, we were facing off. I threw this tiny pebble at him and hit in the side, annoying him enough to seize a huge rock and bring it down on my head. I regained consciousness to see the local doctor applying disinfectant to my head. I have no idea where he is today. He could be in college right now in China or some type of vocational school. I hope he's doing ok; he wasn't really a bad person. I seem to recall that he was *really* upset that he had hurt me so badly.
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