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) #~~        ¨¨¨¨§§§¨§¨
¨¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§§§§
¨§§§§§§§¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨§
           :::~:      :   ~~:   :           ~:   :~           
           :     ::     :     :     ¨      :¨     ¨           
           ¨            ¨                  *      ¨           
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           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.