Excursus

Donald Knuth is renowned for offering a bounty for bugs found in TeX. Many of these checks remain forever uncashed, the recipients rightly regarding the signed check an honor greater than the money it represents. Sadly, this practice has come to an end. No Donald Kuth has not died, nor is he, like Ringo Starr, refusing to respond further to inquiries. Rather, the relative ease of financial fraud and the fact that he has been the victim of such fraud has forced him to give way to prudence and end the tradition. The bounty still exists, but signed checks will no longer be forthcoming.