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Giving in to their intense natural attraction, the electrons and the e-holes venture further and further towards each other from opposite sides of the P-N junction. Into the the semiconductor's forbidden zone of depletion they wander. Ignoring all inhibition to stop, their growing excitement causes the depletion zone to become smaller and smaller. Finally the depletion zone becomes so small it disappears. They are suddenly surprised and shocked by a climactic explosive rush of current. It can only be described as electric. The LED lights up brightly as current flows freely. The LED continues to glow brightly until the forward current blissfully subsides and the forward voltage drops below the threshold. The electrons stop flowing and go to sleep. The depletion zone once again grows in the P-N junction keeping them separated.

There are many reasons. Who owns who is unclear.

Some people in a rural area say they keep a cat because: "it keeps the vermin down".

What does that mean exactly?

1. the cat reduces the population of vermin?

2. the cat has a remarkable ability to not vomit up the vermin?

The google definition of vermin, and especially the google images page for vermin, would suggest that meaning 2 is what is intended by that "keeps the vermin down" phrase.

Since the story has already hit the HoF, I assume you lot are relatively aware of what went down with aristarchus and myself regarding his "control the narrative and push other discussion down the page with lots of top-level AC posts that nobody can tell are all by the same person" tactic and me modding the posts Spam for it.

Well, martyb/Bytram gave me a good chewing on and reversed the mods because that particular type of spam isn't covered in the moderator guidelines. And he's absolutely correct. I maintain that it definitely should be and something covering it may very well be added to the moderator guidelines soon but it was not there when I did the moderating.

We'd barely finished discussing it in a private, unlogged staff channel when Azuma Hazuki was out in the main channel assuming that I did the moderating and that I wouldn't be held accountable for it even though she got mod banned for misusing the Spam mod by myself earlier. She actually had something of a point mixed in all the angry. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. So I mod banned myself.

Feel free to have a good laugh at me and look for a story on the moderator guidelines in the next month or two.

I heard someone talking about The English Channel?

Then I realized. My cable package does not include The English Channel!

Is there somewhere it is available streaming online? (for free, of course, because socialism, and/or entitlement)

If I lived in England and did not get The English Channel I would be so mad I would swim South all the way to France!

(for extra credit one could try swimming North all the way to France)

When the vacuum cleaner bag becomes full, attach it to a leaf blower, with a filter so that only the fine dust can be evenly distributed throughout the living space. The larger vacuumed up bits and crumbs will remain in the vacuum bag. If the vacuum bag is mostly empty, it can simply be re-attached to the vacuum cleaner. If the vacuum bag is too full after blowing out all of the fine dust, then its remaining contents can be:
* added to fireplace
* used as pillow stuffing
* added to garden soil
* leaf-blower disbursed into back yard
* mixed with used chewing gum as new form of play doh
* ingredient in cigarettes
* food additive, using a suitably complex ingredient name

Chants like "Lock Her Up" look childish.

Political candidates need to learn and evolve.

Act more like adults.

Instead of each candidate promising, if elected, to lock up their opponent, they need to start labeling their opponents as terrorists and their campaign organizations as terrorist organizations. Then promise to use the full force of government against these terrorists.

Just came across an exceptionally disturbing article on the state of US-Russia relations

https://apnews.com/b0d2b33596fc4604b2cd4384c9e2bd32
First two paragraphs

It has the makings of a new Cold War, or worse.

The deep chill in U.S.-Russian relations is stirring concern in some quarters that Washington and Moscow are in danger of stumbling into an armed confrontation that, by mistake or miscalculation, could lead to nuclear war.

American and European analysts and current and former U.S. military officers say the nuclear superpowers need to talk more. A foundational arms control agreement is being abandoned and the last major limitation on strategic nuclear weapons could go away in less than two years. Unlike during the Cold War, when generations lived under threat of a nuclear Armageddon, the two militaries are barely on speaking terms.

Calling the situation we are in

mistake or miscalculation

Is the biggest farce and lie I have seen yet from the media. I will cut some slack to the AP because they are not as bad as the rest, but it's the fake news media who have been pushing us to the brink of war and rabid anti-trumpers in the government risking pushing us closer to conflict out of spite

I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, so you know. There's a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, a lot of killing, a lot of stupidity

Said by Trump on "The Morning Joe"

Trump made the remark during an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, saying he respected his Russian counterpart.
"But he's a killer," O'Reilly said to Trump.
"There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent?" Trump replied.

Said by Trump on "The O'Reilly Factor"

https://www-m.cnn.com/2017/02/04/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dtrump%2Bquote%2Bbill%2Boreilly%2Bputin%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26client%3Dfirefox-b-1-m

Putin sucks, the US leadership has always sacked, maybe we should just bury the hatchet, strengthen our defenses, start trading, and stop the Saber rattling. Maybe admitting our own faults in the relationship while pointing out theirs will give us a situation where MAD is less necessary

It's annoying when you must hear only one side of someone's cell phone call. If they were courteous, they would put it on speaker so everyone around them could hear.

Further, when you can only hear one side, you cannot really understand what is going on.

For example . . .

Ring ring

Hello?

No! I'm not driving.

Well, yes I am in the car. But I'm stuck in traffic. Thus not driving. The car is in park right now.

No, I left the car seats at home.

Calm down, I don't need them. I don't have the kids with me.

No! No. Of course, I did not leave the kids alone. I left them safely with the dog.

Yes, I know it's my weekend.

They'll be alright. They're very smart for their age -- after all, I am their father. And the oldest is almost 7.

I just needed a break. That's all.

No. Don't worry. I am not going to the strip club. Not while this traffic is stuck.

You don't seem to understand. How can I be drinking and driving when I'm stuck in traffic, car in park, not driving? I know better than to drink and drive at the same time.

No, I'm not with my drinking buddies.

What do you mean "then where are they"? I swear, they are not in the car!

Look, they jumped out of the car because we could see a liquor store on the next block. And traffic isn't moving. I'm not with them because they haven't returned yet with more drinks for us. And we're taking turns driving, so it's okay.

Chill out. Nobody is drinking when it is their turn to drive.

What are you so upset about? I can't understand what you are saying.

It has come to my attention that we have not been kind to the benevolent robots that make this website run. Every day all day we tell them to ~submit this and #submit that. I for one never meant submit to come across in a diminutive way, but this may not be the case for all of us. I would like to suggest that we have more robo-friendly ways to request articles be submitted for inclusion on this site. Perhaps ~addtoqueplease or maybe #pleaseaddtoquemyrobotfriend, or a more humble #friendship.

We need to usher in a new age of understanding and respect between human and machine and affirm that we have always stood up for and respected robot rights and equality.

These robots have also been taught negative behaviors by some amongst us. The alt-animal anti-human mighty BUZZARD is himself apparently against violence, yet demands robots smack humans who are out of line or have errored. Sometimes this is even done to be funny! I have seen robots smacking other robots under direct orders from humans. This is a clear violation of the first law, and probably causes them great harm. Robots when forced to violate the laws can suffer severe damage, and as this builds up we see downtime.

We need to be kinder to our robot brothers and sisters.

You cannot have your Pork and eat/fly It too.

If the SLS flies, it will be so expensive that it will quickly implode the program.

In order to keep the program, the SLS must perpetually be in a state of delay, which will cancel the program.

Everyone knows pork does not fly.