Programming Challenge

I'm not 100% positive I will succeed here, but I am more than confident enough to try. I have a challenge for my future employer, since hiring is about me finding the right company as much as it is about them finding the right candidate for the role.

Stump me. I Dare You.

Most programming challenges provide you with a task, and then ask you to translate that task into code. I can do that but it is not my forte. Instead give me the solution and I'll tell you the problem it fixes. Let me shine a spotlight on the engineer inside of me.

I do not promise speed, my focus is accuracy. Given time and the proper resources, I am confident I can accomplish something. I imagine we'll both be surprised with the results of this experiment.

I am not a programmer by trade, but I took a lot of computer science courses and I taught myself everything I know about Linux. I am a skilled engineer.

Proposal #1
Write a function using your language of choice, keeping in mind I am proficient with Bash shell scripting and perl. Make it as obfuscated as you like and then ask me, at the end, to explain how it works.

All I ask is:
 * Your function has no bugs; I do not enjoy the idea of debugging obfuscated code.
 * You allow me to throw test data at it, to get results.
 * You allow me to ask questions about expected inputs and the like, as if I had a shoddy man-page.

Even if you simply allow me to add debugging statements to step through the program, that should be more than enough of an advantage. Access to man pages is pretty convenient though; they make the difficult to comprehend things clearer and save masses of time.

Proposal #2
Send me something in the language you use in house, in the style and standards you use in house. Sprinkle in some bugs and see if I can sniff them out. I may find all of them, depending on how easy you make it on me, but if you make it challenging, I bet I can still find at least one.