... Okay. I'm pretty sure the "Reality Distortion Field" was coined by people on the Macintosh team[1]... To describe exactly what i was talking about with regard to Steve Jobs.
Sooo, now I just feel awkward responding to the rest of your post...
You made a specific allegation and I provided three examples with a plethora of historical and technical facts that refute your allegation. I've long been aware of where the term originated, and the common use of it is not based on that origination's meaning (it was at least in part an honorific) and I was responding to the popular use. Further, you were not using it as an honorific either, but broadening it out to a very wide audience to apply to anyone who persuades a team to believe in a mission "without any facts at all to back it", so you obviously weren't using it in the same way that the Macintosh team was, and are simply now attempting to back peddle in the face of a fairly extensive refutation of your claim.
eek, No, the awkwardness comes from empathy reading your responses. I don't quite know how to respond (in honest bafflement, not back pedalling or because I feel some how convinced otherwise).
The RDF (as coined by the Mac team) was a very specific thing meant for steve jobs. I was more expanding on the fact that it isn't a unique skill/phenomenon and others use it.
Volpe-
I apologize, as it appears I completely misunderstood what you were saying when you talked about awkwardness. Further it appears that we're not too far apart in our perspective and that you were making a characterization in general that I interpreted as specific towards jobs. I missed that you were spring boarding from what I said to a broader comment, and though you were disagreeing with what I said and making a specific comment.
I think I agree with your broader comment, and agree that in the extreme it can be a dangerous talent.
Sooo, now I just feel awkward responding to the rest of your post...
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field