Seven is supposed to be the perfect number. It can be found throughout history in almost every religion and culture: the seven-day week of the Christian calendar, the seven heavens of Islam, the seven worlds and seas of Hinduism, the seven branches in a Menorah, the seven lucky Gods of Japanese mythology, and even the seven-fingered, seven-toed Irish hero, Cú Chulainn. For over 4000 years of recorded human history, seven's dominance has remained largely uncontested. That is until the dawning of the second half of the 20th century, when a new number gradually began gaining support from the most unlikely members of society. We call ourselves Computer Scientists; and our number is eight.
