I've been upvoted at least once in the interim, so I suspect that it's the same bug after all: my net negative post is contributing the 2^32, and my upvoted comments are contributing the 47. I have nothing like the programming skill needed to confirm this.

I've been thinking about Talisman's post further, and I think my education is to blame. It's been so heavy on persuasive writing and rhetoric that I've gotten into the habit of overstating my own confidence and hiding the chain of reason justifying my opinions, as a writing style rather than a style of thought.

Whatever the case, this may be my last comment. With a karma score that high, I'm sure to transcend the cycle of reincarnation! Nirvana by divine software bug is unorthodox, but I'll take what I can get.