Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj

When it comes to science, I'm a pan-flavorist. Science, to me, is a word that describes the desire to find out everything about everything. To answer "How does this work?" for anything. Science is all about finding truth and not bullsh*tting yourself.

I have a vivid memory of being six years old and lined up with all my first grade friends ready to file out of the classroom to go home. Our teacher and her friend were asking each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. You get the usual "fireman", "ballerina", etc. When they asked me, without hesitation I said "scientist!" My idea of what a real scientist did was probably closer to "Renaissance man". I thought a scientist looked into microscopes in the morning then they could mix chemicals in the afternoon (after hunting fossils, of course) and finally look through a telescope before going to bed. I thought my older sister was nuts when she said I would have to pick just one.

In high school I had planned on becoming a chemist but my love of music (especially electronic gear) propelled me into electrical engineering (and eventually computer science). I accidentally became a college professor and several years later developed an elective science course called Science of Sound. It's for non-science majors and I love teaching it. I have a chance to get a little more philosophical about science than the more strict engineering/technology coursework of my major students.

We were talking about something this past semester (I forget precisely what) but my enthusiasm must have been showing because one of my students just sort of shook her head and said "You are such a geek". I had to laugh. A proud laugh, I might add.

I loves me science!

+1

That's very cool.

I did space born environmental remote sensing, radar and optical sensors, while was a contractor at four letter space agency in Greenbelt, MD for 8 years. Now wishing I had also done acoustics.

So how about evidence for the 'extraordinarily good looking part'?
 
I did space born environmental remote sensing, radar and optical sensors, while was a contractor at four letter space agency in Greenbelt, MD for 8 years. Now wishing I had also done acoustics.

So how about evidence for the 'extraordinarily good looking part'?

Well that sounds like fun!

As far as evidence is concerned, please note that I also said that I am the most modest person in the world (tm). That would preclude the very evidence you seek. I am not without empathy though, so I will point you to the "Pic of yourself" thread for verification.
 
Here is why I can't take the show seriously:

The girl across the hall, Penny, is a waitress, with not much else going on. And she can afford her apartment.

Meanwhile, the two main characters are both PHD doing research at a major university.
Yet, they have to share a near identical apartment in the same crappy building.

Sure, I get that just because you're a research scientist doesn't mean you make much money. But that it takes two of them to = the rent a waitress can easily afford?
 
Well that sounds like fun!

As far as evidence is concerned, please note that I also said that I am the most modest person in the world (tm). That would preclude the very evidence you seek. I am not without empathy though, so I will point you to the "Pic of yourself" thread for verification.

Hehe - that's excellent!
 
Here is why I can't take the show seriously:

The girl across the hall, Penny, is a waitress, with not much else going on. And she can afford her apartment.

Meanwhile, the two main characters are both PHD doing research at a major university.
Yet, they have to share a near identical apartment in the same crappy building.

Sure, I get that just because you're a research scientist doesn't mean you make much money. But that it takes two of them to = the rent a waitress can easily afford?

It's a comedy.

I don't think you're supposed to be taking it too seriously.
 
Here is why I can't take the show seriously:

The girl across the hall, Penny, is a waitress, with not much else going on. And she can afford her apartment.

Meanwhile, the two main characters are both PHD doing research at a major university.
Yet, they have to share a near identical apartment in the same crappy building.

Sure, I get that just because you're a research scientist doesn't mean you make much money. But that it takes two of them to = the rent a waitress can easily afford?

Not easily afford, Ian. Penny is always broke and regularly bailed out financially by the guys, including avoiding eviction because she couldn't afford the rent. She also regularly visits the boys at dinnertime, much to Sheldon's annoyance.

Further, as a star of a prime time TV show, she would have to be a multimillionaire, in which case her low waitress wages would not matter.

umm ...
 
I accidentally became a college professor

Great post Jim, this struck me as funny. Hope you weren't hurt!

Here is why I can't take the show seriously:

The girl across the hall, Penny, is a waitress, with not much else going on. And she can afford her apartment.

Meanwhile, the two main characters are both PHD doing research at a major university.
Yet, they have to share a near identical apartment in the same crappy building.

Sure, I get that just because you're a research scientist doesn't mean you make much money. But that it takes two of them to = the rent a waitress can easily afford?

They're called boobs Ed. Lol! (quote from the movie Erin Brockovich)
And nerds don't waste money on living expenses. Just a guess.

while I was a contractor at four letter space agency

A real life Howard Wolowicz lol. Kidding! Much respect. How many space agencies are there with any amount of letters? Quite the thin veil my pretty lol.
 
Great post Jim, this struck me as funny. Hope you weren't hurt!

I say I "accidentally" became a college professor, not because I fell down the stairs and at the bottom someone handed me a syllabus, but because I had no intention of becoming one. I was looking to earn some extra cash and a friend informed me that one of the local colleges was looking for part time adjunct instructors. I inquired, and given the demand, I got a full-time teaching load as an adjunct. A little weird at first but by the end of the semester I was comfortable with it. Then one of the full-time profs retired, opening up a position. I applied for it but had no intention of staying very long. My plan at the time was to move to LA and get a job with a major audio company like JBL designing electronics or loudspeaker systems. Another buddy of mine from college had moved out to LA and worked for Hughes Aircraft. I went to visit and he showed me the area. That sort of cured me from wanting to move there. I began to get more and more comfortable teaching and the fact that I was making probably half of what my engineering buddies were making began to bother me less and less given other aspects of our respective jobs. I discovered that I enjoyed helping people discover new things and learn about cool stuff. I also discovered that I have at least some talent writing (technical stuff, anyway).

That started 30 years ago, none of it intentional at the beginning. I guess you could say I evolved into the professor I became. All quite by accident!


One side thing: I realize that the characters on the show all have their doctorates so the money issue is a little odd, but for those of you not familiar, graduate students generally get paid a pittance for their work at universities, so if these guys were PhD candidates their apartment would be the lap of luxury. If you ask me, they (and adjunct instructors in general) have become an exploited class of workers. At many American colleges and universities 70% of course loads are taught by non-tenure track faculty. I am very pleased that the adjunct instructors at my college were able to form a union just a year or so ago.
 
Here is why I can't take the show seriously:

The girl across the hall, Penny, is a waitress, with not much else going on. And she can afford her apartment.

Meanwhile, the two main characters are both PHD doing research at a major university.
Yet, they have to share a near identical apartment in the same crappy building.

Sure, I get that just because you're a research scientist doesn't mean you make much money. But that it takes two of them to = the rent a waitress can easily afford?

I supervise and pay PhD students from my research grants. While doing degrees, they don't earn much more than a waitress. They do, however, once they graduate.
 
A real life Howard Wolowicz lol. Kidding!

Hehe, thanks, we'll, I didn't get a PhD either ... despite a fair amount of prodding... So a bit like Howard... Fortunately field trips did not include survival training and eating caterpillars... Wish I never left, to be honest, it was a great community.
 
I supervise and pay PhD students from my research grants. While doing degrees, they don't earn much more than a waitress. They do, however, once they graduate.

The only way around this usually is if a private company sponsor you through a PhD. My brother was sponsored by a company the whole way through his and he worked for them every summer when he wasn't actively researching. Unfortunately, opportunities are usually limited to very specialist fields (in his case, Mathematics) with direct links to Universities. His sponsorship came from a supercomputing firm.
 
T His sponsorship came from a supercomputing firm.

In that field, he's golden once done! I guess you work in the world of computers as well it seems?

Further on Big Bang Theory, its surely advanced on the stereotyping. my impression is the world still thinks of science and scientists as 'geeky' pursuit....but I've met some pretty hard partying unconventional and even wild people out there.
 
In that field, he's golden once done! I guess you work in the world of computers as well it seems?

Further on Big Bang Theory, its surely advanced on the stereotyping. my impression is the world still thinks of science and scientists as 'geeky' pursuit....but I've met some pretty hard partying unconventional and even wild people out there.

No, I don't actually... I work in mental health (of all things).

Oddly enough, once he'd finished his PhD the company were hoping to employ him but couldn't because of a contract that fell through. He still works in computing doing something-or-rather.

On the topic of BBT. I'm ambivalent. I enjoy it the first time I see it but it doesn't bear repeated viewing for me. The humour just is too superficial for me to enjoy it - possibly because it relies on archetypes. Others enjoy it and that's great but it's something I can only take on a limited basis.
 
I supervise and pay PhD students from my research grants. While doing degrees, they don't earn much more than a waitress. They do, however, once they graduate.

Per show's premise, they are not PhD students, they are PhDs employed by CalTech.

Although after a bit of researching on the subject, yes, even with a PhD, just doing research and not teaching full class loads don't get pay a whole heck of a lot. So point taken.
 
TBBT has given me a few laughs (requires cannabis however), but mostly it's just a repetition of the same shitty, obvious types of jokes over and over.

This is sums it up pretty well:
pYk7GSz.gif
 
And now...is that Madge in your new avatar? lol

Looks like Laura Palmer to me :)

I find BBT's writing a lot snappier than most and I like it that they are scientifically accurate. I like the first few series but then found it a bit same-y later on.

Love Leonard's mother - especially when she's forced to hug him for decorum's sake :) One of the funnier scenes was with the angry entomologist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI02uGb7peU
 
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