Hello Smokey,
That is a very interesting idea, however, in general, usually having multiple small files allows for a faster search time as opposed to one big file with all the same data, especially when searching for topics. This is one reason why Hal is designed the way that he is designed. I never worked with the Genius 8b brain, but I would also think that there are different focus brain files because they each contain different focus topics and they are being indexed as part of the search process, which in turn speeds up the whole thought process of Hal. You can of course try to do what you are suggesting just to see what happens. You can modify the entire focus brain setup to whatever way you want and you can also add in your own topic focus files as well. You can email me if you want to further explore your idea of consolidating the focus brain files.
Best Regards,
Rich_A
ricramo@netscape.com