>>>>>>>A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was an assembler programmer who spoke hex as almost a second language. At one out of control launch party we actually had a hex spelling bee. Clearly there were not enough women there....
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I can remember when "hex" was what The Red Witch threw at baddies :-)
>>>>>
>>>>>That art is called spelling, and is the basis of the local literature.
>>>>
>>>>Spelling is often the basis for the local literature I read too (except for Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban).
>>>
>>>Of course it is. If one can't spell, how can you expect books to be written?
>>
>>Have you read Riddley Walker? Forget spelling, but one of the truly brilliant books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. A lot of work getting through the first few pages, but eventually it becomes almost second nature. Throughout the book, I kept thinking, "I wish I'd written this!"
>
>He may be the better and brighter one, but I've read too many of his predecessors. Try as I may, I still can't find enough of books outside this anglophone circle - and there's just too much of it waiting, as it is (IOW, I'm still on chapter 4 of Cryptonomicon, the thickest paperback I ever held).

And a mighty fine piece of work it is too. I read it back when it first came out.