rituals for computer operation                     
                                                              
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨ the computer is  a  very common  tool in ¨¨§¨§§§¨§§
¨¨§§¨§§¨¨§ the futures,  and in some ways even now. ¨§§§¨¨§§¨§
¨§¨§§¨§¨§§ its job is  to do vast amounts of  small §¨¨§¨§¨§§§
§§§¨§§§§¨¨ calculations in  a short amount of time. §¨§§§§§¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨§                                          §§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§¨¨§§§§ most work on  the  principles  of posing ¨§¨¨¨§§§§¨
§§§§¨§¨¨¨§ the  problem on a  hilbert plane,  which §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ is  then folded  out  of  causality,  so ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ that  daemons   can  solve  the  problem §§§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§§¨§§§¨§§    without affecting real life. (these   ¨¨§§§§§¨§§
§¨§§¨¨§§¨¨ daemons  are  under  contract  with  the ¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§§¨§¨§¨§¨¨          computer manufacturer.)         §§¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨§§§§§§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§§§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§   it's commonplace for programmers and   §§¨§¨¨§§¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨§§§§ clerks  to pray  to the "gods" of  their ¨§§§¨§¨§§¨
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ computer,  or to the  daemons  doing the §¨¨§§§§¨§§
§¨¨¨§§¨¨¨§ work,   for   a  quick  and  fault  free §¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨                operation.                §§§¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§§§§¨§§§                                          ¨¨§¨§§§§§¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨¨§      some ubiquitous and generally       ¨§§§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨§¨§§    non-controversial rituals include:    §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§§§§¨§                                          §¨§§¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨      ~~# light a scented candle #~~      §§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨        ~~# for quiet and calm #~~        ¨§§§§§§§§§
§§§¨¨§§§§¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§§     ~~# recite a mantra or other #~~     §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§§¨¨§¨§    ~~# reassuring message to make #~~    §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨§§§¨     ~~# the computer comfortable #~~     §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§§§¨¨§¨            ~~# and at ease #~~           §¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§§                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§
§§§¨§§§¨¨§     ~~# some like to say a brief #~~     §¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§§     ~~# prayer for solace, to be #~~     §¨¨§¨§§§¨§
¨§¨§¨§§§¨¨   ~~# left alone during their work #~~   §¨§§§¨¨§§§
§§§§§¨¨§¨¨                                          §§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨§    ~~# offer a cup of steaming tea #~~   ¨§¨§§§§¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨§§¨    ~~# or a meal to the machines #~~     §§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨§¨¨§§¨§§    ~~# (sometimes, by fey rules, #~~     ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨§§¨§¨§§¨§      ~~# the daemons are allowed #~~     ¨§§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§§§§¨§§§        ~~# to respond to this) #~~       §¨§§¨§§¨§¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§§¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨§§¨§§¨¨¨¨
           ,,,~,      ,  ~~,   ,            ~,   ,~           
           ,     ,,     ,     ,     ¨      ,¨     ¨           
           ¨            ¨                  †      ¨           
                              ¨                               
                                                              
                                                              
           would    you    consider    code    golf           
           to    be    a    kind     of     prayer?           
           as   in,   you   make   a    convoluted,           
           intricate,   beautiful,    and   useless           
           artifact.   as  in,  you're  using  your           
           skills    to    ask    for    something,           
                                                              
           ...i'd  ask   for  a  handful  of  bugs?           
                                                              
           code   has    bugs,    lots    of    it.