What if you had a genie

[hamsterman]

Indeed the wishes line up in a row of "if you ask for 1 why not just ask for 2?" ending up with omni-things. I guess the genie would have some sort of bound on his ability. Though how would you even measure that... (and what would you do with the third wish, if you already have omni-things?)

[fun2code]

In the Disney thriller Aladdin, The 3 limitations were:
1) No wishing people dead.
2) No wishing for more wishes
3) I can't make anyone fall in love with you.

Some interesting analysis of these rules and possible means of circumvention here:
http://www.samdowning.com/2011/03/26/the-limits-of-genies-power-in-aladdin-or-why-jafar-is-an-idiot/

[Disch]

I've never heard of a Disney movie referred to as a "Thriller" before.

[Catfish3]

Ha ha! Disney thriller.

[ResidentBiscuit]

1) I wish I was more powerful than the most powerful genie.
2, 3) Doesn't even matter anymore.

[Zhuge]

Can I circumvent rule 3 by wishing to be the main character of a harem anime, romantic comedy, etc.?

[fun2code]

I suppose, but rule 3 only matters if you just have to have a particular person.
Example: I wish Jennifer Aniston would fall in love with me.
Recall that Bruce Almighty couldn't do this even having the full power of a God.

Obviously, a wish for a ton of cash would result in many women falling in love with you quite on their own.

ResidentBiscuit wrote:

1) I wish I was more powerful than the most powerful genie.

Some analysis (at the site linked to) suggests this may not be wise. Consider Jafars experience with this wish:

“Ah ha!” you might point out. “It’s actually stupid of Jafar to wish to become a genie, because genies can only wield the full extent of their powers when a commander wishes for them to do so!”

This isn't necessarily the main problem though, in fact there is evidence suggesting this isn't always true.

But we know this isn’t so: when Aladdin is trapped with Genie in the Cave of Wonders, he tricks Genie into freeing him without wasting a wish. This proves that, in the Aladdinverse, genies can use their powers under their own steam.

Semi-permanent imprisonment appears to be the main drawback.

Note that when Jafar wishes to become a genie, he’s immediately trapped in a lamp, suggesting imprisonment is the “natural” state of geniedom. Thus, the freed Genie at the end of the film represents a perverted abomination of nature.

[ResidentBiscuit]

But I never stated I wanted to be a genie, just more powerful than one.

[fun2code]

True, true.
I guess I just wanted to post about that anyways.

[ascii]

1) Make everyone in the world read Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto.
2) Implement communism in every country following the stages laid out in the aforementioned works.
3) Remove the comment feature on Youtube: too many stupid things have come out of it.

it's impossible to go back in time at all

What makes you say this?

[darkestfright]

Communism, hell no. Socialism, now that's something I could get behind.

[Lachlan Easton]

In the Disney thriller Aladdin, The 3 limitations were:
1) No wishing people dead.
2) No wishing for more wishes
3) I can't make anyone fall in love with you.

Actually, the three limitations were
1) No wishing people dead.
2) No bringing people back from the dead
3) Can't make any one fall in love

genie also says "And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes"

[chrisname]

@ascii
I see we have a comedian!

As for going back in time, wouldn't it violate causality?

[ascii]

Yeah, the communism wishes aren't the result of me wanting to live in a communist world, but more because there's still a lot of debate over whether or not communism works (as well as a lot of silly people who claim "Communism is a great idea on paper but doesn't work in reality"). In reality, however, no one has ever tried communism in the manners that Marx described, and I'm curious to see a final answer.

On the matter of time travel, it might change causality, but I don't see how it would break it. The large amount of uncertainty surrounding it (e.g. the grandfather paradox) certainly makes me anti-time-travel, but I don't see it as impossible (especially because something such as anti-matter could be interpreted as "matter moving backwards through time). I'm also of the mind that just by remembering something and recovering a memory, you are time-travelling.