[Info-vax] Significance of 2020 / 2021 date

Michael Moroney moroney at world.std.spaamtrap.com
Sun Jan 10 14:08:52 EST 2021


Rich Alderson <news at alderson.users.panix.com> writes:

>Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:

>> Playing around with pointers isn't the worst thing one could do.  Code 
>> like that without adequate comments deserves tar, feathers, and a rail.

>OK, I've used tar extensively, and I've heard of "rails" in the context of the
>Ruby language, but what the hell is "feathers"?

Umm, no. "Tar and feathers" was a colonial era mob violence punishment,
as was "being run out of town on a rail".  The first was to cover the
victim in tar and then cover him in feathers which stuck to the tar.
"Run out of town on a rail" was to tie the victim's arms and legs to a
pole (rail) and then carry the pole/victim to the edge of town/some
remote place and leave him there, after being told never to return.
Sometimes both were used.



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