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.