It turns out that transistors in these flash-memory devices are prone to being gummed up with electrostatic charge that they cannot dissipate.

Touch screens make computing feasible in new places, especially public ones, by doing away with keyboards, which can get gummed up with grime or spilled drinks.

The Fed has gummed up the entire financial system with its low-interest credit scam; now it's on to commodities where the real pain is just beginning to be felt.