IRIX Easter Eggs

This article describes various easter eggs that are present in IRIX, the operating system for Silicon Graphics computers. Easter eggs are unexpected features or jokes that are hidden in software by its programmers.

audiopanel ↵^

The manual page for audiopanel contains a funny section on "nutrition facts" and a note about using audiopanel on airplanes.

audiopanel(1)

 NAME

     audiopanel - control panel for Audio Hardware: input and output levels,
     rates, sources and syncs

[...]

 NUTRITION FACTS

     for All-New, Low-Sodium, Diet audiopanel

     Not a significant source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron.

     Ingredients: Months, sweat, Motif, ViewKit, TLC (a preservative), Audio
     Library 2.0, caffeine, Xt, fried DEF (a preservative), Xlib, cooked funky
     niblets (a preservative), math, red dye #5 (an artificial coloring),
     grace (a preservative), partially hydrogenated chupacabra oil.

[...]

 NOTES

[...]

     Tampering with audiopanel in airplane lavatories is prohibited by US
     Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. Perpetrators are subject to
     really really big fines and ejection from the plane.

[...]

Apart from this, audiopanel can be run as audiopanel -spinaltap, which will make all volume scales go to eleven.

dmedia ↵^

The release notes for the dmedia_eoe package contain recipes for Kung Pao Chicken and Tiramisu. You can view them by running relnotes dmedia_eoe 29.

       29.  Recipes

       This chapter lists some tasty recipes for you to enjoy.

       29.1  Kung_Pao_Chicken

       This classic Chinese dish is a zesty blend of chicken,
       peanuts and vegetables in a spicy sauce.

       29.1.1  Ingredients
       1 Chicken, about 2 1bs (1 kg) or 1 lb (450 g) Chicken Breasts
       8 pieces Dry Hot Red Pepper, 1 piece about 3" (7.5 cm) long
       1/2 cup (120 ml) Unsalted Peanuts (optional)
       1 tsp Ginger, chopped
       1 Green Pepper, chopped into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares
       1/2 White Onion, chopped into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares

       Marinade:
       1 1/2 tablespoons Cornstarch
       1 1/2 tablespoons Cold Water
       1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

       For Cooking:
       5 cups (1200 ml) Peanut Oil

       Seasoning Sauce:
       2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
       1 tablespoon Chinese Rice Wine
       1 tablespoon Sugar
       1 teaspoon Cornstarch
       1/2 tablespoon Chinese Black Bean Sauce
       1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

       29.1.2  Procedure  1. Remove all bones from chicken, cut
       into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes, add water, cornstarch and soy
       sauce.  Stir evenly in one direction and soak for one half
       hour.

       2. Chop green pepper and onion, set aside.  Chop ginger, set
       aside.  Wipe clean, remove tips and seeds of dry red pepper,
       cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) long pieces, set aside.  Mix
       ingredients for seasoning sauce, set aside.

       3. Heat oil in wok.  Fry peanuts until golden.  Remove and
       let cool.

       4. Fry chicken in boiling oil for a half minute.  Remove
       chicken and drain off oil from wok.

       5. Return 2 tablespoons oil to wok.  Heat until very hot,
       then add ginger and red pepper.  Fry until red pepper turns
       black (watch out for pepper fumes), then add onions and
       green pepper.  Stir fry for one minute.

       6. Return chicken to wok, stir quickly, then add seasoning
       sauce.  Stir until thickened and heated thoroughly, then
       turn off heat.  (Be careful not to heat sauce too
       thoroughly, as it can caramelize).  Add the peanuts (deep
       fried or roasted).  Mix well and serve immediately with
       steamed rice.

       29.2  Tiramisu

       This famous Italian dessert delicately layers cookies,
       chocolate and coffee with a rich blend of cream and Italian
       Mascarpone cheese.  It is sure to wow the guests at your
       next dinner party.

       This recipe was contributed by Sean Yamamoto
       (seany@sgi.com).

       29.2.1  Ingredients
       100 g Mascarpone cheese
       1 Egg, separated
       1 tablespoon Sugar
       0.25 liter Heavy Cream
       Espresso (1 espresso cup per 5 people), cold
       Lady's fingers cookies
       Bittersweet chocolate and cocoa, grated (powder)
       Vanilla extract

       Optional:
       Liqueur (brandy, cognac or rum)
       Layers of chocolate or cocoa (with the two other layers).

       29.2.2  Procedure  1. In mixing bowl combine the mascarpone,
       the sugar and the egg yolks.  Mix well.

       2. In another bowl whip the heavy cream with the vanilla.

       3. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks (separately).

       4. Fold together the mascarpone mixture, whipped cream, and
       egg whites.

       5. Pour the coffee (no sugar) in a bowl and steep the lady's
       fingers.

       6. In the serving dish make a layer of cookies, then a layer
       of the cream.

       7. Repeat until there are 3 or 4 layers (until the cream is
       finished).

       8. At the end, sprinkle some chocolate or cocoa.

       9. Put in the refrigerator (minimum 4 hours).