A story about Magic (Jargon File)
10 hours ago
- A mysterious switch labeled 'magic' and 'more magic' was found glued to an MIT AI Lab PDP-10 cabinet with only one wire connected.
- Despite being electrically inoperative, flipping the switch from 'more magic' to 'magic' caused the computer to crash immediately.
- The story was recounted to other hackers who verified the switch's lone ground connection, yet flipping it again caused another crash.
- Richard Greenblatt cut out the switch with diagonal cutters, and the computer ran fine afterward; the cause remains unknown.
- The switch is kept in the narrator's basement, usually set to 'more magic'.