12 Comments

1. 1. dbtinc 09:03 AM 12/29/12

   I guess there is a bright side to just about anything. Mussolini made the trains run on time, Stalin starved millions and Hitler built the autobahns. I never thought that a psychopath had a bright side but maybe I'm just overreacting.

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2. 2. curmudgeon 11:39 AM 12/29/12

   Single minded, success driven obsessives with little or no empathy have a grip on the wealth and power of this world. How can that not be a bright side (within their own limited definition, at least)? I'm poor and miserable and life is something that happens to me BUT at least I'm not psychopathic is hardly something to be shouting on the streets in this day and age (if indeed it ever has been). In many ways the entire history of USA can be seen as the triumph of psychopathy (the Pilgrim Fathers, looked at without the rose-tinted specs, were psychopathic to a man!)

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3. 3. alan6302 03:18 PM 12/29/12

   A psychotic doctor will help lower the world's population. A psychotic personality is a job requirement for modern pill pushing doctors.

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4. 4. jabailo 10:02 AM 1/3/13

   There's been quite a lot of psychopath apologias running in the blogs these days. Since they've been in power long enough (about 30 years) I guess they can buy some good press same as anyone else. Might take the edge off once the revolution happens...

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5. 5. recogt in reply to curmudgeon 12:27 PM 1/3/13

   Is this not an accurate description of Tony Blair?

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6. 6. recogt in reply to alan6302 12:36 PM 1/3/13

   You confuse 'psychotic' a delusional mental illness with 'psychopathic' a personality state which lacks certain common traits like empathy etc. 'Psychosis' is symptomatic of a disease process, 'Psychopathic' relates to a personality aberration which can be seen as abnormal but non diseased.

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7. 7. recogt in reply to alan6302 12:37 PM 1/3/13

   You confuse 'psychotic' a delusional mental illness with 'psychopathic' a personality state which lacks certain common traits like empathy etc. 'Psychosis' is symptomatic of a disease process, 'Psychopathic' relates to a personality aberration which can be seen as abnormal but non diseased.

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8. 8. MarkHarrigan 01:51 AM 1/4/13

   The Sciam Podcast hasn't been working on Itunes (at least from Australia) for over a month now. Anyone else experience this or have any ideas? Other podcasts I subscribe to (like nature) are working fine

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9. 9. Laroquod in reply to MarkHarrigan 12:13 PM 1/4/13

   You're right -- they seem to have stopped downloading for me, too, over iTunes, and I'm in Canada. Given that I have a lot of other podcasts competing for my attention, I didn't even notice that SciAm had dropped itself off the list until you mentioned it. What I wonder is, how could SciAm's iTunes feed be down for a month without anybody who actually *works there* apparently noticing? Perhaps it's the same reason SciAm's online presence in general is so shabby and half-assed these days? Something is rotten in SciAmville.

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10. 10. gtd123 11:13 AM 1/6/13

    I cannot download any SciAm podcasts via iTunes either, since early December. iTunes reports error 8006. I have not found any way to report this problem to SciAm other than these comment boxes, nor any answer on the web about how one might fix this problem.

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11. 11. recogt 12:40 PM 1/7/13

    What is the purpose of contributing to this and similar web sites?
    Does anyone take notice of the comments made?
    Or is this just a way for us plebs to blow off steam and not cause trouble? I wonder.
    HELLLOOOOO, is anybody there?

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12. 12. recogt 12:41 PM 1/7/13

    What is the purpose of contributing to this and similar web sites?
    Does anyone take notice of the comments made?
    Or is this just a way for us plebs to blow off steam and not cause trouble? I wonder.
    HELLLOOOOO, is anybody there?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this