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.