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.