Every software project has one. It's easy to scroll past. Most of the time it's just a manual telling you system requirements, installation steps, and known bugs.But the README file owes a debt to Lewis Carroll, and a quiet trick built into its name that has been manipulating computers for decades.In this episode, we follow the README from its earliest appearances through the conventions that made it a standard, and to the programmers who decided it could be much more than documentation.In this episodeAlice's Adventures in Wonderland - the literary origin programmers point to as inspirationThe ASCII trick - the quiet reason README is written in all capitalsThe printer in the woods - a README that went somewhere unexpectedFurther readingREADME file entry in the Jargon FileEpisode MusicJames Opie / Nihilore, CC BY 4.0"Dasein" "Scarecrow" by James Opie / Nihilore, CC BY 4.0"Found Poetry" by James Opie / Nihilore, CC BY 4.0--Support the showLore in the Machine is a podcast about the hidden histories living inside the tools we use every day. Hosted by Daina Bouquin. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps others find the show. You can follow the show on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.