"Slipping and sliding. Creeping and hiding. You better beware of the snake in the grass." - The Temptations

Here you see seven, chronologically-ordered, optical microscope images taken over the course of 15 minutes, depicting the evolution of telephone cord delamination of a nano-crystalline silicon thin-film. This progression serves as a sobering reminder for materials engineers: In order for our pristine films to successfully leave the comfort of the vacuum chamber and face the natural environment for the first time, we must first vanquish a slipping and sliding army of snakes.