Once upon a time, back in the steamy mists of the early days of computing in the U.S. - the mid seventies - people might find that, as they were typing into their word processor, often a huge shared University type system, half a dozen words would disappear, and in their place would be a message "Please can I have a cookie?". Users would erase this message, replace the lost words, and continue, blaming the electricity supply or the Republican Party.
In a few more minutes, they would notice that an entire paragraph had gone, and another message would appear saying "I really want a cookie, please". The user would wipe out this message, the missing paragraph would be replaced, and the user would soldier on.
After another few minutes, three paragraphs would vanish. The user would see "I need a cookie. I really do. Give me a cookie". This would be wiped out, and paragraphs typed in again, and on goes our valiant worker.
In a few minutes, the user looks at the screen, and the entire work he or she has been doing has completely gone. No trace of it or any backup file at all. The user stares in disbelief as a message appears saying: "All I ever wanted was a cookie."
There is a way out of this train of destruction. If, at any point, the user types in the word "cookie" or a sentance containing the word "cookie", then a message appears saying "Thanks for that cookie. It was great", and the user is allowed to continue unmolested.
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