A regular column about programming. Because if/when the machines take over, we should at least speak their language. Haskell. It sounded like a good name for a weapon—a well-sharpened blade, like scimitar or katana. The strong German-sounding plosive in its name, as in Nietzsche or Kafka, added a menacing edge. All I really knew about the language was that it was challenging and intended for math