hornybrain: “let’s fantasize about Roy Kleinberg and Alan Bradley getting telepathically overwhelmed by Ram and Tron’s shenanigans through the ~spiritual connection~ between User and Program, while they’re both in an Encom meeting and they start groping each other under the table”

pattern-recognizer brain: “okay but we must also work Symbolic Themes into this story as a counterpoint to the smut”

hornybrain: “wat”

pattern-recognizer brain:

Popping mechanism Each kernel of popcorn contains moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorr kernel is strong and impervious to moisture, and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard type. 16) As the oil and water in the kernel are heated, they turn into steam. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernel gelatinizes and softens. The steam pressure increases until the breaking point of the hull is reached; a pressure of approximately 930 kPa (135 psi)(1](16] and a temperature of 180 °C (356 °F). The hull ruptures, causing a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch and proteins of the endosperm into airy foam. As the foam rapidly cools, the starch and protein polymers set into the familiar crispy puff. ALT