I want(ed) to write a function that would expand a bit field (unsigned integer) into a list of powers of two, so f(0) = (), f(4) = (4), f(13) = (1,4,8), f(31) = (1,2,4,8,16)... I thought storing options in a single field and then having a separate table for definitions was a good idea. I have since realized that I should use object-oriented relational databases the way they are designed to be used, but I still think it's an interesting exerc ise. Anyway, I came up with a 5-minute-one-liner solution and was going to post a SoPW, but after I realized I wasn't going to use it anyway and since it was a one-liner I decided to turn it into a golf meditation. I'm a pretty lousy golfer and I never came up with challenges before but I'm curious how short someone else can make this. I originally wrote it as an anonymous function, so a valid solution should start with sub{ and end with } and return a list.

My original 5-minute solution