mouse@uw-beaver.arpa (03/14/85)
From: utcsri!mcgill-vision!mcgill-vision!mouse@uw-beaver.arpa (der Mouse)
As to what the Imp of the Perverse has to do with Murphy's Law....
Christopher Stasheff wrote a book called "The Warlock Unlocked", in the
Warlock/Gramarye series (the other books are "The Warlock in Spite of
Himself" and "King Kobold" (which was rewritten and called "King Kobold
Revived")). One of the major characters in this book is a priest of the
order of Saint Vidicon of Cathode, a new saint in the Catholic church.
Saint Vidicon was originally Father Vidicon; he died using his body as a
load resistor for some flaky equipment (all their backups blew) during a
broadcast of vital importance to the Church. People started praying to
him for technology-related matters and when these prayers started
getting answered, Father Vidicon eventually became Saint Vidicon. The
Imp of the Perverse was Father Vidicon's favorite anthropomorphism of
Murphy's Law. The usual prayer to Saint Vidicon is
Saint Vidicon, preserve us from Murphy!
(or ....from the Imp of the Perverse!).
der Mouse