You could also look at robots. While I'm not quite sure if they can 'learn', I do know that a robot does have an adaption pool.

And certain forms of IC do have the ability to adjust themselves if an attack hits but fails to do damage. I want to say 'cascading', but I also think that's wrong.

So, sure. It might be possible for a character to create a program with a limited amount of autonomy. Or for a rigger to make an anthroform drone that can beat Jet Li at martial arts. (I've always wanted to do this, too.)

So if people think that AI is not the right term for the program that i was thinking of,then what would be the a good term?

I was thinking of calling one them S.E.R.A.H.P Social exsparement(Brain is bad!) reconstruction/ analyst of Human persona. Part of a story I am still kicking around in my head.

adaptive program.

On the issue of Otaku being magical, I'm leaning on teh side of 'No', myself. Their Aura doesn't ping as magic. It pings as *weird*, true, but so does a stoner or someone with half their body chromed.

So, I suppose the test is this: Can they deck from a Null Zone? Those lil' areas in, say, Aztlan where magic doesn't exist? Can they deck from space?

If those answers are yes, then they aren't shaping Astral energy, and, thus, aren't magicians.

-- Johnny Reb

Your lack of reading comprehension on the issue of Otaku and magical ability baffles me. It couldn't be more clear if it was tattooed it inside of your eyelids. But I'm the insane one, because I keep assuming that citing page and verse will actually change your minds.

so far the otaku issue can be read both ways. they may use terms and do stuff that is compareable to magic in the matrix. but as long as its not stated flat out that they are magic then i think of them as not being so. the human mind is strange enough as it is, how are we to expect that its cant directly interface with a computer without the use of magic?

one can allso argue that what is at one time belived to be magic will later on show itself to just be technology that isnt understood by the general population. just think how a person from around the age of stream would react to the idea of a cellphone. the so called wizards where most likely just people hideing some explosive chemicals in their pockets, the idea of the handgrenade is as old as gunpowder atleast...