The 8 pills.

[ShadowTiger]

A fun little topic. I saw this image on the internet, and thought I would ask you all which your preference would be. Naturally, the rule is that you can only take one, and it's yours for life.


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b117/BH4/Random%20Images/WhichPillWouldYouChoose1.jpg



Do please feel free to provide a thoughtful rationale for your choice, as well as any in-depth reasoning for such a choice. I look forward to hearing from you all.




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Myself, I am actually quite pained by this. The Green Pill (Flight) and the Pink Pill (Shapeshifting) are completely tormenting me, forcing me to choose between them. Since before I was a child, I've wanted to do both. I know the obvious answer is to choose the Pink Pill and become a bird or something, but it would be anything but the same.

[Ventus]

I would take the Pink Pill, for the sake of being able to Shape shift. it would be a neat skill to have. I don't what I would do with it but.
I've always wanted turn into a animal or something and run free... Only for 2 hours though :P

If I had a chance I would take black pill to, Seeing into the future might be cool... Well until you see something you don't want to happen and you try to change it and something goes wrong.

[CJC]

Most of them weren't appealing. Future vision would imply that the future was predictable with any degree of accuracy, mind reading would involve touching somebody else's thoughts (considering how dirty people tend to think, I wouldn't want to be sullied in that way), the internet is easy enough to reach without magic powers, Love is not something to be won by magic, and narcotics do fine enough on their own to change a state of mind (not that I'd be interested in that either).

The only two with any prospect of interest would be flight and metamorphosis, and considering a shapeshifter could simply become a bird there's really no contest.


Plus, shapeshifting is cool.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Pink covers everything.

(Shapeshift into ANYTHING? Doesn't say animal. Plane. Rocket. And maybe there IS a being that can read minds?)

[bigjoe]

I'd pick flight. Being able to fly without changing form is something I've always desired to do. The shape-shifting pill would allow flight in other forms but I don't think it'd be the same. Plus, if you were to change into a rocket, how would it FEEL to be a rocket? It could be incredibly weird.

[Chris Miller]

Shapeshifting, definitely. I could turn into Link for a couple of hours, and go into peoples' houses and break all their jars.

[Beldaran]

Red Pill. Not even close.

[Xyvol]

If I could have the ability to choose what to see, or attempt to see, then I would take the black one. If it's unknown or random, then I'd probably chose the pink one.

[mrz84]

Flight, followed closely by shapeshifting.

[Brasel]

Mind reading would be nice. This is definitely a contender.
Flight in my current form is something I dream about on a weekly basis. I don't know how this isn't the winner for me.
I'd almost choose to become a master hockey player if a) it didn't shorten my life and b) the NHL wasn't locked out.
I don't get high; I get drunk. And getting to that drunken state is half the fun.
My phone is my Internet access and I almost always have it on me.
I have no desire to be anything else but me.
I'm happily married. I'm also loved by many people. I don't need this one.
I really don't want to see my future for fear of seeing my inevitable failures.

Green wins. I take flight.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Mind reading would be nice. This is definitely a contender.
Flight in my current form is something I dream about on a weekly basis. I don't know how this isn't the winner for me.
I'd almost choose to become a master hockey player if a) it didn't shorten my life and b) the NHL wasn't locked out.
I don't get high; I get drunk. And getting to that drunken state is half the fun.
My phone is my Internet access and I almost always have it on me.
I have no desire to be anything else but me.
I'm happily married. I'm also loved by many people. I don't need this one.
I really don't want to see my future for fear of seeing my inevitable failures.

Green wins. I take flight.

You don't know how it isn't the winner but it's the winner? Get in chat, nub.

[Mercy]

Easy-peasy, I choose pink.
Yellow pill: seems like it could be more annoying than useful. I really do not want to know specifics of what guys are thinking about every seven seconds.
Green pill: the human body is not that aerodynamic. If I am the only one with access to the pill, it would make me a target. If others have access... well people cannot manage to watch where they are going on a (geometric) plane and I do not think I trust a bunch of people to do any better in three dimensions.
Blue pill: professional athletes are over-paid only slightly less than their corporate masters. And I already kick ass at badminton and volleyball, the only sports I enjoy playing.
Orange pill: the stuff I am smoking now lasts at least 45 minutes
Red pill: that is what wifi is for.
Grey pill: what is the point if the love is forced? Besides, I am fickle and do not need ten stalkers.
Black pill: I already have this ability although I tend to think of it as "pattern recognition". And it is a hassle... no one wants to hear "I told you so."

-m.

[Glenn the Great]

Before I can even begin to decide, I'd have to start by identifying and prioritizing what are the most important desires for my life. For myself, lets say health/safety, wealth, happiness. In that order. Happiness is ranked lower because it is generally a side-effect from satifying the previous two.

With those goals in mind, here's how I analyze each pill.

Yellow Pill: I'm assuming that this only lets you read a person's surface thoughts, not their memory. This makes the pill of questionable usefulness. Most people go about the day thinking of pretty inconsequential things that pertain to their own interests. Gleaning anything useful from a person's surface thoughts requires being around the right person (someone who knows something worth knowing) at the right moment (when they happen to be thinking of that thing that is worth knowing). The chances of success go up when you confront that person to trigger them to think of that useful thing, but confronting that person could easily turn into a liability, especially after they catch wind that you know something you shouldn't.

Green Pill: Directly inferior to the pink pill. With the pink pill you could turn into a flying creature. There are many examples why being a flying creature is more useful than being a flying human. Turning into a gnat or other small insect would allow you to fit undetected into areas that would normally be off-limits. Turning into a hawk would allow the additional benefit of superior vision. You would be a fool to choose this pill.

Blue Pill: Unless all you care about in life is to go down in history as some sports star, this pill is terrible. Way too much of a Faustian deal for my tastes. Would never pick.

Orange Pill: This is just ridiculous. If your goal is to get high, the combination of wealth, connections, and privacy which could be attained by properly utilizing the other pills makes this pill directly inferior.

Red Pill: This could be very powerful for the wealth factor if the pill allows you to peer into the private areas of the Internet (such as the email accounts of government officials and financial industry insiders). The information could allow you to time the stock market to great effect, however 6 hours may not be enough time to find the information you need. Not a bad choice, could do better.

Pink Pill: I'm going to rate this pill very highly. In addition to the benefits laid out in my critique of the green pill, this pill allows you to have experiences that would otherwise be impossible in life with the potential to greatly enhance your happiness. Don't tell me you haven't fantasized about turning into a hot chick for a limited period of time, even just in the privacy of your own home. Shape-shifting into another person can also play into the wealth factor if used creatively. If your exploits ever get you in trouble with the law, it would be easy to turn into someone or something else long enough to make a getaway.

Grey Pill: I'm going to lay it right out: love is overrated. You will never find lasting happiness in another human who is just as flawed, if not moreso, than yourself. Ten honeymoon periods is just not worth it in the long run, especially considering that when you are rich you will have all the women coming your way that you could ever hope for. And yes, they will love you as best a woman knows how.

Black Pill: The most interesting for last. So far the Pink pill is the reigning champion. Whether the black pill beats the pink pill really depends on a few specifics. Is the future that this pill lets you see anything you can change? If you see the future exactly as it will happen, no matter what action you take, this pill could be severely limiting. If the future is determined, would it even be possible to utilize this power by making choices different than the ones you otherwise would have made? The "hassle to your daily life" when used publically makes this sound like it could be more trouble than it's worth. What does "using your power publically" even mean? That you allow people know know that you can see the future? Would using this power to play the stock market (wealth factor) count, since you would clearly be indirectly affecting others with the choices you make with this pill? I think this pill is just a little too dodgy for me.

High Tier: Pink/Black
Mid Tier: Yellow/Red/Grey
Shit Tier: Green/Blue/Orange

I cast my vote for the Pink Pill.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I really do not want to know specifics of what guys are thinking about every seven seconds.
-m.

Your avatar.

[Mercy]

I cast my vote for the Pink Pill.
Go figure.


Your avatar.
Touché

-m.

[DarkDragon]

I voted for black pill, although its usefulness varies tremendously depending on what kind of universe we live in / the fine print of how the pill functions:

If the future is non-deterministic, i.e. the pill shows you the "most likely" future and it constantly shifts depending on your actions, then this pill is absurdly powerful. Obviously your covert manipulation of markets and politics ensures you all of the money and power you could ever want. Need to manipulate someone? Plan out one approach at pulling their strings, and instantly know how well it will work out. Adjust until you succeed. Need advanced technology? Start a company of scientists to carry out your R&D, and have them start improving on the technology of 5 years from now. Now you have access to technology 10 years into the future. Repeat as needed. The "downside" of your life becoming chaotic isn't really one as you'll obviously never tell anyone you have the gift of foresight -- and even if you did, you can see your enemies coming from 5 years away, chances are you can stay plenty of steps ahead of them.

If the universe is deterministic -- you can see your future, and can't do anything to change it -- but your future life takes advantage of the black pill gift (plenty of interesting paradoxes here), I would probably still take the black pill. The downside now is that you're really living 5 years into the future -- and if anything happens to you in that future, you have a long, boring wait ahead of you as you await your fate. But anyone with the black pill's foresight and even a little wisdom should be able to secure for themselves nearly infinite resources -- for that I would gladly trade an eventual five years of powerlessness.

If the universe is deterministic -- you can see your future, can't do anything to change it, and your future self acts as if you never ate the black pill -- then the pill is a horrible curse. Turns you into Cassandra, basically.

So in either of the first two scenarios I would take the black pill, as its power is far and away greater than any of the other options, and my ambition would not allow me to pass it up. The pink pill is probably the most fun, though.

[Moosh]

As I said in the thread about this on PureZC, I choose the black pill. It's pretty OP being able to direct one's own future by knowing the impact of every decision one makes.