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.