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+# POST mortem
+
+This is a little utility to put together an [Exquisite Corpse][1] poem for the
+[Taskmaster][2]-inspired _Amandatory 2023_.
+
+[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse
+[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taskmaster_(TV_series)
+
+## The task
+
+> _Post Mortem_
+>
+> Create an Exquisite Corpse poem.
+> Begin a poem then mail your unfinished work to another person.
+> Have that person add to the poem & mail to another person etc... Each recipient
+> must add to the poem. YOUR POEM MUST BE 25 WORDS.
+>
+> You will present your poem at AMANDATORY 2023.
+>
+> Points are awarded for greatest distance traveled via post. A bonus point will be
+> awarded for best poem.
+>
+> You have until AMANDATORY 2023 (_date redacted_) to complete this task.
+>
+> Your time starts now.
+
+## The plan
+
+While "via post" is more often used in British English, it's still likely to be
+understood to mean "by mail" in American English. However, that's not the
+_only_ thing it could mean. To software engineers, "via post" can also mean
+"using the HTTP `POST` verb".
+
+Interpreting "post" as `POST`, and the verb "mail" to refer to electronic mail,
+it's reasonable to interpret emailing links to a web application as adhering to
+the letter of the task.
+
+Thus this little app allows a group of people to collaboratively add to a poem,
+copying it and a URL to add to it for emailing to the next person.
+
+## The distance
+
+Thanks to the magic of public cloud providers and SSH tunnels, I've set up a
+server for the app in Seattle, and SSH jump hosts in Sydney and Tokyo. A
+reverse proxy runs on the same machine as the proxy, but points at the app via
+an SSH tunnel routed through the two jump hosts. (See OpenSSH's `ProxyJump`
+configuration, or the `-J` command-line option.) If every user adding to the
+poem is connecting from the San Francisco Bay Area, the total distance the
+`POST` travels from browser to app is 29,132 km.
+
+I squeeze further distance out of this setup by making the front-end need to
+send a `POST` for every word and every newline added to the poem.