Flying Toaster

Flying Toaster:

Flying toaster is a joking term to refer to the older misconception that systems have an inherent ESP or psychic ability.

The Flying Toaster and verb forms (toastering/to toaster) are usually used mockingly when it is, usually towards singlets who believe it.

History
Why "toasters"?

Probably a combination of the old Mac screen saver and anecdotes by the Troops' therapist about the group's seeming ability to (inadvertently) fritz out electrical equipment, although toasters are never mentioned specifically.

In fact, actual toast figures prominently in When Rabbit Howls, leading one to wonder how they managed to get their toaster to work, considering all the exploding lightbulbs, dead batteries, and staticky tape recorders they had to contend with.

This idea was namely popularized by D. Scott Rogo and Truddi Chase (& The Troops). The phenomenon of plurals being inherently psychic is criticized and generally considered untrue.

The term itself may have been popularized in part by the Zyfron System's Gemini webcomic.