[phantom_rehan]

Horcruxes are similar to what emmanueloga_ has mentioned. Horcruxes were special things in which Harry Potter's lead antagonist, Voldemort stored parts of his 'soul', so that even if he died, someone cpuld revive him using the horcruxes. I haven't kept up with Harry Potter for a year now, so I might be wrong with respect to the exact definition.

[cduzz]

A horcrux is a plot device where the protagonists need 2fa to send a HUP or TERM to the misbehaving process.

[webmaven]

> A horcrux is a plot device where the protagonists need 2fa to send a HUP or TERM to the misbehaving process.

Okay, I didn't literally LOL, but you did earn a really big grin and even a chortle. Well done.

BTW, I would totally read "Harry Potter and the Protocols of Security". Some of the "Methods of Rationality" fan fiction by Eliezer Yudkowsky nods in that direction (eg. the Death Eaters' opsec).

[molszanski]

I've heard good things about "Methods of Rationality". Worth reading?

[webmaven]

I think so, particularly if you've read Rowling's books and were annoyed by many of the protagonists and supporting characters for a variety of reasons.

If nothing else, "Methods" succeeds in giving agency to more characters, including the villains (not necessarily to their, or Harry's, benefit), and explores/tests the "system" of magic in more depth.

[inetsee]

>> and explores/tests the "system" of magic in more depth.

I particularly liked the section where Harry is trying to find out how magic "works". He starts with the gross physicalities: the materials the wands are made of, the sounds of the recited spells. He ends up with the mathematics underlying physics, learning how to create new spells. He uses his new found knowledge to create a very powerful weapon spell he uses to kill a mountain troll. If you want to know how the spell works, you'll have to read the book. I highly recommend it. (I've read it more than once.)

[webmaven]

I liked the exposure of the DWIMian (rather than strictly Newtonian) physics of flying broomsticks, although it should be noted that the DWIMian behavior is based on the physics of low-speed high-friction ground transportation rather than a sourceless 'intuition' the author blames.

[ComodoHacker]

Definitely, even without the original.