IT support, on the other hand, is more akin to exorcism. In a shaking voice the terrified user describes all the classic signs of a possessed computer, yet when you enter their cubicle and ask them to show you the polterbug, it has already fled in terror and the computer is working flawlessly again. You perform the ritual of reboot anyway, just to be sure.

I had a thought about this recently. For all we know, wishing for things works, it's just that nobody's ever made a wish specific enough to compile.

The common loop variable i looks quite a lot like a candle, wouldn't you say?

I shit you not, I usually light a scented candle when working remotely (because opening the window for non-smelly air would also cause light emission and increase the risk of interaction with people, you know).

Hacker folklore that pays homage to ‘wizards’ and speaks of incantations and demons has too much psychological truthfulness about it to be entirely a joke.

—The Jargon File (version 4.4.7)