fat electrons

   Old-time  hacker  David Cargill's theory on the causation of computer
   glitches. Your typical electric utility draws its line current out of
   the  big  generators with a pair of coil taps located near the top of
   the dynamo. When the normal tap brushes get dirty, they take them off
   line  to  clean them up, and use special auxiliary taps on the bottom
   of  the  coil. Now, this is a problem, because when they do that they
   get  not ordinary or `thin' electrons, but the fat'n'sloppy electrons
   that  are heavier and so settle to the bottom of the generator. These
   flow  down  ordinary  wires  just  fine, but when they have to turn a
   sharp  corner  (as  in an integrated-circuit via), they're apt to get
   stuck.   This   is   what  causes  computer  glitches.  [Fascinating.
   Obviously,  fat electrons must gain mass by {bogon} absorption --ESR]
   Compare {bogon}, {magic smoke}.

[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {bogon}]