= F =
fat electrons n.
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.
--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.