diff --git a/2012/hamano/Makefile b/2012/hamano/Makefile
index 56919d9d1..bcfb44f53 100644
--- a/2012/hamano/Makefile
+++ b/2012/hamano/Makefile
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ include ../../var.mk
 #
 CSILENCE= -Wno-bitwise-op-parentheses -Wno-empty-body -Wno-format \
 	-Wno-format-security -Wno-gnu-zero-variadic-macro-arguments -Wno-main \
-	-Wno-parentheses
+	-Wno-parentheses -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -Wno-strict-prototypes
 
 # Common C compiler warning flags
 #
@@ -129,11 +129,48 @@ all: data ${TARGET}
 .PHONY: all alt data everything diff_orig_prog diff_prog_orig \
 	diff_alt_prog diff_prog_alt diff_orig_alt diff_alt_orig \
 	clean clobber install love haste waste maker easter_egg \
-	sandwich supernova deep_magic magic charon pluto
+	sandwich supernova deep_magic magic charon pluto hint hint.pdf \
+	hello hello.pdf
+
 
 ${PROG}: ${PROG}.c
 	${CC} ${CFLAGS} $< -o $@ ${LDFLAGS}
 
+# hint.pdf rules to simplify use of 2012/hamano
+#
+
+# This rule generates the hint.pdf file which is the README.md obfuscated as a
+# PDF that is NOT part of the repo:
+hint.pdf: ${PROG} README.md
+	./${PROG} < README.md > hint.pdf
+	@echo
+
+# This rule, hint, depends on the hint.pdf rule. That rule generates the
+# hint.pdf file (NOT part of the repo) which is an obfuscated (as a PDF) version
+# of the README.md. This rule, in turn, COMPILES THAT PDF FILE AS C CODE!
+hint: hint.pdf
+	${CC} ${CFLAGS} -xc $< -o $@
+
+
+# hello.pdf rules to simplify use of 2012/hamano
+#
+
+# This rule generates the hello.pdf file which is a simple 'Hello World!'
+# program obfuscated as a PDF:
+hello.pdf:
+	echo 'int main(){puts("Hello World!");}' | ./${PROG} > hello.pdf
+
+# This rule, hello, depends on the hello.pdf rule. That rule generates the
+# hello.pdf file (NOT part of the repo) which is an obfuscated (as a PDF) version
+# of a simple 'Hello World!' program. This rule, in turn, COMPILES THAT PDF FILE
+# AS C CODE to hello and then pipes it to cc to compile it to hello2 which when
+# run will print 'Hello World!'.
+hello: hello.pdf
+	@echo
+	${CC} ${CFLAGS} -xc hello.pdf -o $@
+	@echo
+	./hello | ${CC} ${CFLAGS} -xc - -o hello2 
+
 # alternative executable
 #
 alt: data ${ALT_TARGET}
@@ -204,7 +241,7 @@ clean:
 	fi
 
 clobber: clean
-	${RM} -f ${TARGET} ${ALT_TARGET}
+	${RM} -f ${TARGET} ${ALT_TARGET} hint.pdf hello.pdf hello hello2
 	${RM} -rf *.dSYM
 	@-if [ -e sandwich ]; then \
 	    ${RM} -f sandwich; \
diff --git a/2012/hamano/README.md b/2012/hamano/README.md
index 3d8c90728..17d0ebf6f 100644
--- a/2012/hamano/README.md
+++ b/2012/hamano/README.md
@@ -28,16 +28,29 @@ One of the PDF files generated is this README.md file as a PDF, obfuscated, and
 the PDF file will then be compiled as C (itself!) and executed so that it shows
 README.md!
 
-Another PDF file generated is obfuscated C code. Once this is done it will
-compile the PDF as if it was C and then run it like:
+That procedure looks like:
+
+```sh
+./hamano < README.md > hint.pdf
+cc -xc hint.pdf -o hint
+./hint
+```
+
+Another PDF generated is an obfuscated `Hello World!` program (obfuscated inside
+the PDF). Once this is done it will compile the PDF as if it was C (itself!). It
+will look like:
 
 ```sh
 echo 'int main(){puts("Hello World!");}' | ./hamano > hello.pdf
-cc -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc hello.pdf -o hello2
-./hello2 | gcc -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc - -o ./hello3
-./hello3
+cc -xc hello.pdf -o hello
+./hello | cc -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc - -o ./hello2
+
+./hello2
 ```
 
+although the `CFLAGS` will be what is in the Makefile as it uses the helper
+rules `hint.pdf`, `hint`, `hello.pdf` and `hello` to do this.
+
 
 ## Judges' remarks:
 
diff --git a/2012/hamano/try.sh b/2012/hamano/try.sh
index 2f949d0e4..a7b00c88a 100755
--- a/2012/hamano/try.sh
+++ b/2012/hamano/try.sh
@@ -15,37 +15,47 @@ make CC="$CC" all >/dev/null || exit 1
 # clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
 clear
 
-read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to obfuscate README.md, writing to hint.pdf: "
-echo 1>&2
-echo "$ ./hamano < README.md > hint.pdf" 1>&2
-./hamano < README.md > hint.pdf
-
-echo "Now try opening it in a pdf viewer before proceeding." 1>&2
-read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to continue: "
+# delete hint.pdf
+rm -f hint.pdf
 
+echo "Will obfuscate README.md like:" 1>&2
 echo 1>&2
-echo "$ ${CC} -xc hint.pdf -o hint" 1>&2
-${CC} -xc hint.pdf -o hint
+echo "    ./hamano < README.md > hint.pdf" 1>&2
 echo 1>&2
-read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: ./hint | less (space = next page, q = quit): "
-./hint | less
-
+echo "and then compile it as C like:" 1>&2
+echo 1>&2
+echo "    ${CC} -xc hint.pdf -o hint" 1>&2
+echo 1>&2
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: make hint: "
+echo 1>&2
+make hint
+echo 1>&2
+echo "Now try opening hint.pdf in a pdf viewer before proceeding." 1>&2
+echo 1>&2
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: ./hint (space = next page, q = quit): "
+echo 1>&2
+./hint | less -rEXFK
 echo 1>&2
 
 echo "Will obfuscate the following code: " 1>&2
 echo 1>&2
-echo "	    int main(){puts("Hello World!");}"
+echo "    int main(){puts("Hello World!");}"
 echo 1>&2
-echo "writing to hello.pdf" 1>&2
-echo 'int main(){puts("Hello World!");}' | ./hamano > hello.pdf
+echo "writing it to hello.pdf via:" 1>&2
 echo 1>&2
-echo "Now open hello.pdf in a pdf viewer before continuing." 1>&2
+echo "     echo 'int main(){puts("Hello World!");}' | ./hamano > hello.pdf"
 echo 1>&2
-read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to continue to deobfuscate and compile hello.pdf: "
+echo "and then execute the following commands:" 1>&2
 echo 1>&2
-echo "$ ${CC} -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc hello.pdf -o hello2" 1>&2
-${CC} -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc hello.pdf -o hello2
-echo "$ ./hello2 | ${CC} -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc - -o ./hello3" 1>&2
-./hello2 | ${CC} -Wno-implicit-function-declaration -xc - -o ./hello3
-echo "$ ./hello3" 1>&2
-./hello3
+echo "    ${CC} -xc hello.pdf -o hello" 1>&2
+echo "    ./hello | ${CC} -xc - -o hello2" 1>&2
+echo 1>&2
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: make hello: "
+echo 1>&2
+make hello
+echo 1>&2
+echo "Now open hello.pdf in a pdf viewer to see the obfuscated source." 1>&2
+echo 1>&2
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: ./hello2: "
+echo 1>&2
+./hello2
diff --git a/thanks-for-help.md b/thanks-for-help.md
index 62e84285f..53e793a70 100644
--- a/thanks-for-help.md
+++ b/thanks-for-help.md
@@ -3769,7 +3769,9 @@ which the recipe file now links to.
 
 ## <a name="2012_hamano"></a>[2012/hamano](/2012/hamano/hamano.c) ([README.md](/2012/hamano/README.md]))
 
-[Cody](#cody) added the [try.sh](/2012/hamano/try.sh) script.
+[Cody](#cody) added the [try.sh](/2012/hamano/try.sh) script and the helper
+Makefile rules `hint.pdf`, `hint`, `hello.pdf` and `hello` to simplify the
+procedure for both `hint.pdf` and `hello.pdf` as well as compiling them as C. 
 
 
 ## <a name="2012_hou"></a>[2012/hou](/2012/hou/hou.c) ([README.md](/2012/hou/README.md]))