My personal favorite is the classic "Walls and Ladders" post about topmost windows:
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20110310-00/?p=11...Raymond's work often uses analogies to everyday, real life situations to make the technical stuff more relatable. Sometimes, these end up being bizarre and even nightmarish. It's like a glimpse into some alternate world where the denizens are adversarial, hyper pedantic, scheming, criminally insane, or just plain stupid.
"Sometimes I’m in a hurry, and I want to make sure I am the next person to get served at the deli counter. To do this, I find whoever has the lowest number, knock them unconscious, and steal their ticket. But sometimes somebody else comes in who’s also in a hurry. That person knocks me unconscious and steals my ticket. My plan is to set my watch alarm to wake me up periodically, and each time it wakes me up, I find the person with the lowest number, knock them unconscious, and steal their ticket. Is there a better way?"
"This is like asking for a cheeseburger and then trying to peel every last bit of cheese off the patty to turn it into a plain hamburger."
"This is like driving up to a bridge, seeing a 'Bridge out of order' sign, then getting out of your car, moving the sign, driving onto the bridge, falling into the river, and then complaining to the car manufacturer that their car doesn’t work."
"This is like calling the natural gas utility company’s emergency number to report a major gas leak in your house. The gas company sends a technician over, and they can’t find any leak. They ask how you came to suspect that there’s a gas leak, and you tell them, 'Oh, I didn’t smell anything. I called you because I’m hoping to learn more about how to recognize the smell of gas. Do you have any tips?'"
"This is like 'I have this cupboard full of rubbish, so I will solve that by nailing the doors shut'"
"It’s like asking, 'What happens to the phrase 1 cup sugar when I eat my cookies?' The phrase 1 cup sugar was part of the instructions for making the cookies"