It comes from the infamous “Real Programmers Don’t Use Pascal” paper. The original source was a letter by one Ed Post to Datamation, volume 29 number 7,

A google search on “Real Programmers Don’t Use Pascal” turns up a lot of copies. The one at http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/joke/quiche.htm has the provenance. The relevant paragraphs are:

Some of the concepts in these Xerox editors have been incorporated into the editors running on more reasonably named operating systems–EMACS and VI being two. The problem with these editors is that Real Programmers consider “What you see is what you get” to be just as bad a concept in text editors as it is in women. No, the Real Programmer wants a “you asked for it, you got it” text editor–complicated, cryptic, powerful, unforgiving, dangerous. TECO, to be precise.

It has been observed that the TECO command sequence more closely resembles transmission line noise than readable text [4]. One of the more entertaining games to play with TECO is to type your name in as a command line and try to guess what it does. Just about any possible typing error while talking with TECO will probably destroy your program, or even worse–introduce subtle and mysterious bugs into a once working subroutine.

From: Ginger Larsen
Date: 12/15/2002
Subj: diaries

I’ve been looking for a 5 year diary for my mother. She’s been keeping one since I can remember and I’m 45!! I’ve been looking in bookstores and online but can’t seem to find a 5 year one. Lots of one year, but she wants 5 year. Any suggestions? Your help is much appreciated. I live in Yankton, SD. Thanks!!!!

I suspect that the larger stationary stores and office supply stores might have them. In any case here are some online places that have them.

http://www.melejewelrybox.com/leathersmith/specialinterest.htm
http://www.save2much.com/buy/search/Weather%20Wizard%20Five%20Year%20Diary
http://www.hutchingsandpatrick.com/catalogue2002%20and%202003/page22.htm
http://www.hutchingsandpatrick.com/catalogue2002%20and%202003/page20.htm
http://www.gotlucy.com/pages/catalog/accessories.htm
http://www.officepointfivestar.com/acatalog/OFFICE_SUPPLIES_Collins_129.html
http://www.britishring.org.uk/html/body_stock_23.html

From: ShininStar139
Date: 12/12/2002
Subj: question

what is the moral of the story cold equations?

That’s a good question. The conventional wisdom is that it is much as follows: Your actions determine the consequences you suffer; it matters not whether you are wise or foolish, innocent or guilty. Humans judge you by what you are; the universe judges you by what you do.

My take is that the moral is that nice people can find themselves doing really vile things if they don’t question the dictates of bureaucracy.