Plastic Is a Nertle, a Term of Art From Plastic Manufacturing

The process of making plastic comes in several stages. The resin is turned into a bunch of teeny little hard blobs that look sort of like lump grains of rice, or maybe like those candies called nerds. And they can be melted down into pretty much any shape - which is why people love plastic. It's so moldable and versatile, and it comes from such a delightful source, the nyrtle. But william gibson says: 'Yes, it is very evil too'