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Comment by hirundo | Hacker News Reader

> Q) This isn't really in line with how horcruxes work in the harry potter universe!

> A) It's pretty close! You can't allow any one horcrux to be used to resurrect the original file (and why would you that would be useless) but you can allow two horcruxes to do it (so only off by one). Checkmate HP fans.

Not buying it, and the fact that this is the first FAQ is evidence that the author doesn't really either. A better fit to Tom Riddle's horcrux would simply be a lossy compression copy of the file. Which would admittedly be pretty useless, maybe unless the copy contains a lossy copy of your soul.

But then Virgin Galactic is also a pretty good name even though they haven't yet left the solar system. That should be his defense: it's just a cool name.

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Also I don’t think this program requires the murder of an innocent to create each horcrux.

Depending on your definition of “innocent”, neither does a Horcrux, really.

> A better fit to Tom Riddle's horcrux would simply be a lossy compression copy of the file.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my memory is that a horcrux is literally a piece of your original, whole soul. So, if you create one horcrux (as seems to have been the standard practice prior to Tom Riddle), you continue living from then on with only half a soul. Voldemort's capacity for evil came partly from having only 1/7 of a soul in his body.

So I actually think the name kind of fits. Where it loses me a bit is that you can recreate the original file without all of the Horcruxes. Simply splitting the bytes into separate files would be closer IMO.

> Voldemort's capacity for evil came partly from having only 1/7 of a soul in his body.

He was plenty evil before he made horcruxes.

Splitting the bytes would be closer only for file types that work (maybe not to the fullest) as 1/n pieces. OP misunderstood and thought that Tom Riddles soul was in full when he reconstructed his body, but it was actually only 1/7, and terribly maimed.

> a lossy copy of your soul

Name of my next poetry anthology, right there.

This would be an absolutely perfect album name for an ambient music band called Digital Horcrux.

What don't you buy here? I'd say "It's pretty close!" is pretty accurate!

It'd be more accurate if the horcrux files were embedded into other files that had to be deleted using an arcane command from the horcrux program to resurrect the original file...while the original file remains in a half existing unreadable state until resurrected.

ETA: For even more accuracy, increase the 'readability' of the file(for text only I guess) with each horcrux deleted. Allow them to be added one by one so the original file slowly 'increases it's power'.

> even though they haven't yet left the solar system

Virgin Galactic hasn't even got to the Karman line - they've topped out at 90km.

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