## slurp - read a file into a scalar or list
sub slurp {
    my $file = shift;
    local *F;
    open F, "< $file" or die "Error opening '$file' for read: $!";
    if(not wantarray){
        local $/ = undef;
        my $string = <F>;
        close F;
        return $string;
    }
    local $/ = "";
    my @a = <F>;
    close F;
    return @a;
}