The value sticks around because I don't create in the function, but in the scope surrounding the function. If you've got Perl 5.6, here's a cooler way to do it:

{ 
  my $offset;
  CHECK { $offset = tell DATA }
  sub data { seek DATA, $offset, 0; [<DATA>] }
}
[download]

The CHECK block happens just after compile-time ends.

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Jeff[japhy]Pinyan: Perl, regex, and perl hacker, who'd like a job (NYC-area)
s++=END;++y(;-P)}y js++=;shajsj<++y(p-q)}?print:??;