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Quote by Neal Stephenson

“People tried and failed to combine the words Izzy and Ymir. The closest they came was Izmir, but that had been the name of a city in Turkey.”

Book:Seveneves

Work

Seveneves

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Author

Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson is a renowned science fiction author known for his complex narrative structures and profound thematic explorations. His works often blend historical, technological, and sociological elements, with 'Snow Crash' and 'The Diamond Age' being particularly notable. more

“There is nothing more needy of criticism and worthless than general disinterest. He who does not journey does not return. He who does not have foreign experiences does not know how to organize his time and energies at home. The stay-at-home is like an archer painted on the wall: shooting continuously but never hitting anything.”

Abramelin

Author:Abraham Von Worms

“The whole crazy business seemed to pull out of my guts the very worst in me—my worst fears—the worst aspects of my character—my worst insecurities and feelings of shame and guilt. I didn't know it at the time, but that was exactly what was supposed to be happening. That's what Solomonic magick is all about. The worst in me was my problem. The worst in me was the demon. When it finally dawned on me that I had successfully evoked the demon, and I had the worst of me trapped in that magick Triangle, I had no alternative but to harness and redirect its monstrous power and give it new marching orders. From then on, that particular demon would be working for me rather than against me.”

Demons Magick Goetia Ceremonial Magic Solomonic Magick

Book:Low Magick: It's All In Your Head ... You Just Have No Idea How Big Your Head Is

Source: Low Magick: It's All In Your Head ... You Just Have No Idea How Big Your Head Is

“We are about to study the idea of a computational process. Computational processes are abstract beings that inhabit computers. As they evolve, processes manipulate other abstract things called data. The evolution of a process is directed by a pattern of rules called a program. People create programs to direct processes. In effect, we conjure the spirits of the computer with our spells. A computational process is indeed much like a sorcerer's idea of a spirit. It cannot be seen or touched. It is not composed of matter at all. However, it is very real. It can perform intellectual work. It can answer questions. It can affect the world by disbursing money at a bank or by controlling a robot arm in a factory. The programs we use to conjure processes are like a sorcerer's spells. They are carefully composed from symbolic expressions in arcane and esoteric programming languages that prescribe the tasks we want our processes to perform. A computational process, in a correctly working computer, executes programs precisely and accurately. Thus, like the sorcerer's apprentice, novice programmers must learn to understand and to anticipate the consequences of their conjuring. Even small errors (usually called bugs or glitches) in programs can have complex and unanticipated consequences.”

Magic Spells Computer Programming Computers Sorcery 1996 Goetia

Book:Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Source: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

“When he remembered to turn and look for it, the Talisman was gone.”