I have started this preface many times, each attempt abandoned after a few sentences. Be thankful that I spared you what I wrote about how the second issue of diode is the Jan Brady of issues—it doesn’t arrive with the fanfare of issue 1, nor does it have the pleasing closure of issue 3.  It’s in the middle, ranting “Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!” What was I thinking? There is nothing Jan Brady’ish about this issue.

I mentioned to a colleague that I was struggling with this preface and she jokingly suggested that I reference the Titanic in some way. At first I shrugged this off, thinking only of icebergs and bad pop songs, but then a clearer connection emerged. diode 5.2 is a blockbuster—it will give the reader an incredible return on his or her investment of time.

Speaking of time, diode 5.2 emerged from the frenzy of grading papers, annual reports, and committee meetings, in other words, the manic end-of-the-semester sprint that jangles nerves and prompts one to write very bad analogies.

diode as Jan Brady . . . sigh.

Though the issue has emerged from stress and exhaustion, it harkens to quieter days ahead. We wish you all quieter days ahead, and we hope you will spend some of these days with diode 5.2. It’s not in 3D, but we think it’s pretty epic.