# The Big Bang Theory [01/31/2013] - "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion"



## ScubaCat (Jun 26, 2003)

Wow. So many good quotes I don't know which to chose.

Sheldon: I read his research and ... it's leaps and bounds ahead of mine. Which means the mommy of the smartest physicist at the university is not my mommy as I thought. It's his mommy.
Amy: Sheldon, I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better. May I offer you a consoling hug?
Sheldon: What do we have to lose?
Amy: How's that?
Sheldon: I feel like I'm being strangled by a boa constrictor. Why did you stop?​
And we can't overlook this one!

Penny: Okay. Hang on. Are you saying some day that you and Amy might actually get physical?
Sheldon: It's a possibility.​


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## ScubaCat (Jun 26, 2003)

Just one more:

Kripke: My work would suffer too if I was getting laid all the time.
Sheldon: Yes. That is the reason. My work is suffering because of all the laid I am getting.​


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## TampaThunder (Apr 8, 2003)

ScubaCat said:


> Just one more:
> 
> Kripke: My work would suffer too if I was getting laid _waid _all the time.
> Sheldon: Yes. That is the reason. My work is suffering because of all the laid I am getting.​


FYP


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## MikeCC (Jun 19, 2004)

I love watching Kaley's reaction shots. She seems very comfortable with minimal eyebrow raising, as in her reactions to some of the Sheldon-Leonard discussion, and she can really go broad, as with her reactions to Sheldon's possible physical relationship with Amy.

As I mentioned in earlier threads, I think the introduction of Penny to this nerd-universe of friends was the catalyst (or the "big bang," so to speak) of the group beginning to evolve and expand beyond its previously very limited universe.

Note it is Penny, for example, that keeps prodding Sheldon to move beyond his comfort zone in so many ways. In this ep, Penny gets Sheldon to examine his growing relationship with AFF. And Sheldon does not freak out.

Interesting.

As an aside, I love the additional insights we get into Kripke. The man clearwee has wayers.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

I was waiting for Howard to show Bernadette that their dolls were anatomically correct...


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## Waldorf (Oct 4, 2002)

For the curious, figures provided by ThatsMyFace.


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## MikeCC (Jun 19, 2004)

billypritchard said:


> I was waiting for Howard to show Bernadette that their dolls were anatomically correct...


...but not completely to _scale_....

Remember, one of the aspects Howard loves about Bernadette is that she has very small hands, so that, ahem, _things _look large in her hand.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

Waldorf said:


> For the curious, figures provided by ThatsMyFace.


Wow, that's a lot more reasonable than it was on the show. That would be fun, if you had a kid who liked action figures. (Or an adult. )


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Loved the part where Leonard was channeling Sheldon's mom.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Waldorf said:


> For the curious, figures provided by ThatsMyFace.


This is going on my Christmas shopping list for next year!


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

murgatroyd said:


> Loved the part where Leonard was channeling Sheldon's mom.


He just needed to call him 'Shelly' to make it complete.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

billypritchard said:


> He just needed to call him 'Shelly' to make it complete.


No, if you are going to mimic someone's mom playing the "you're really in trouble -- I'm calling you by your FULL NAME" card, you can't use someone's nickname. It has to be their entire name.


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## billypritchard (May 7, 2001)

murgatroyd said:


> No, if you are going to mimic someone's mom playing the "you're really in trouble -- I'm calling you by your FULL NAME" card, you can't use someone's nickname. It has to be their entire name.


Good point, though with his mom I could see her going either way. Her power over him is strong.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

I loved Bernadette's line about making lady parts and Howard using them himself, and she's "you're actually thinking about it???'!!!"

That was seriously a LOL moment.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

I thought he was going to say "we might have already done that" and them B would be "and you're going to need it!"


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## efilippi (Jul 24, 2001)

Why shouldn't Howard be making enough money to pay for his own dolls/action figures. Are academics paid so little in California? Just seems weird to me. The two scientists living across from Penny, apparently in the same economic stata as a waitress, is not too jarring because I figure the two guys are just too geeky to care. But they should be rolling in dough, given their cost of living. Howard lives/lived at home with mom. He should have a fortune, no?


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Depends on if they're post-docs or staff.

Since the show is at a fictional Caltech, here's the info for the real Caltech.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Caltech-California-Salaries-E22139.htm

Average of $48K for post-docs, $75K for staff. Both get benefits. Professorships are in the $100K+ range.

At $48K, you definitely need a room mate in Pasadena. I did when I made that level 15 years ago.

Post-docs in general (not just CIT) don't get paid much.

--Carlos V.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Unbeliever said:


> Depends on if they're post-docs or staff.
> 
> Since the show is at a fictional Caltech, here's the info for the real Caltech.
> 
> ...


I love learning stuff!


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## TampaThunder (Apr 8, 2003)

Unbeliever said:


> Depends on if they're post-docs or staff.
> 
> Since the show is at a fictional Caltech, here's the info for the real Caltech.
> 
> ...


And isn't one of the running gags in the show that Howard doesn't have a doctorate and is only and engineer?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Yow, that's very little money..

I loved that Sheldon evolved a bit in this episode.

We also watched the unaired pilot. I should go read the other thread mentioning it.. IMHO, it was very entertaining to watch.. and I think the characters WERE very much the same, despite there being some very noticeable differences (Sheldon being interested in IT, even if solely because of instincts).


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

TampaThunder said:


> And isn't one of the running gags in the show that Howard doesn't have a doctorate and is only and engineer?


One of my favorite early jokes, during a turf war over offices:



> Howard: "I have a Master's Degree!"
> 
> Department Chairman: "Who doesn't?"


So yes, they established very early on that Howard doesn't have a PhD.


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

I'm waiting for Amy to find out how much laid Sheldon is getting.


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## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

For that matter, there are 3D printers down in the $500-$800 range now (in fact, I just placed an order for one a week ago). They paid $5000 for a used one? And it's not even one with a larger build volume.


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## The Flush (Aug 3, 2005)

Did Howard not get paid anything extra for being an astronaut?


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## markp99 (Mar 21, 2002)

Hunter Green said:


> For that matter, there are 3D printers down in the $500-$800 range now (in fact, I just placed an order for one a week ago). They paid $5000 for a used one? And it's not even one with a larger build volume.


So, when do we see little Hunter Green dolls on eBay??


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## ct1 (Jun 27, 2003)

An engineer with a master's degree working on a NASA flight project will make much more than a post-doc -- probably more than a Ph.D. staff researcher... At that point it would depend on their role in the project. Are they working off of funding someone else is getting, or are they getting their own funding?

A well published, tenured full professor with research project funding will make a lot more.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

I found it just a little surprising that Howard and Raj could just go buy something like that with their own money, to install in the university's lab facilities without any paperwork or bureaucracy.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Hank said:


> I found it just a little surprising that Howard and Raj could just go buy something like that with their own money, to install in the university's lab facilities without any paperwork or bureaucracy.


That will catch up with them later. Back to HR!


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

efilippi said:


> Why shouldn't Howard be making enough money to pay for his own dolls/action figures. Are academics paid so little in California? Just seems weird to me. The two scientists living across from Penny, apparently in the same economic stata as a waitress, is not too jarring because I figure the two guys are just too geeky to care. But they should be rolling in dough, given their cost of living. Howard lives/lived at home with mom. He should have a fortune, no?


There was an episode long ago when Sheldon gave Penny money and explained that he has lots of money saved because he makes a very good salary and only spends it on comics and games.

They all seem to eat out every meal, that must get expensive.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Penny's reaction to Sheldon admitting he might eventually have a physical relationship with Amy was _hilarious_. Probably the funniest thing this season so far.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

I watch a lot of reruns.

It's rather startling to see asexual Amy from early on.

Also, I kinda thought Penny's reaction was just a hair overdone, but Leonard's reactions in that conversation were KILLING me.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

Sheldon actually had a drawer full of uncashed checks.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

loubob57 said:


> Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.


Not only that, but you could tell he had no idea how to solder anything. At least (it looked like) the iron was hot, although they could have added smoke in post. Not very many things on a MB you can solder with an iron like that. Maybe the headphone jacks.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Hijack: see what Kaley has been up to.


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

murgatroyd said:


> Hijack: see what Kaley has been up to.


Love Shatner's look when he drops her off.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

murgatroyd said:


> Hijack: see what Kaley has been up to.


She's also scheduled to be featured in a commercial for Toyota during the Super Bowl.


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## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

markp99 said:


> So, when do we see little Hunter Green dolls on eBay??


I couldn't afford to pay people to take them!

Though seriously, one of the things I hope to start making with them is roleplaying game figurines. A few people on shapeways.com sell some, though mostly ones for specialized settings. (If you're not familiar with it, shapeways.com is like a 3D printer version of cafepress.com, with a dash of etsy.com thrown in. People upload 3D printer designs, and then when you buy them, shapeways makes them and sends them to you, and the uploader gets a share of the sale. I got some nice 3D printed gifts via shapeways this past Christmas, including the nicest dice ever.)

No idea if I will turn out to have the talent necessary to make actual figurines, though. There are a few patterns on thingiverse.com that might be a good starting point.


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## markp99 (Mar 21, 2002)

Hunter Green said:


> A few people on shapeways.com sell some, though mostly ones for specialized settings.


Love the geometric stuff, like this.


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## QueenBee (Feb 26, 2002)

loubob57 said:


> Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.


And THIS is why I love the Tivo Forum.


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

Hank said:


> Not only that, but you could tell he had no idea how to solder anything. At least (it looked like) the iron was hot, although they could have added smoke in post. Not very many things on a MB you can solder with an iron like that. Maybe the headphone jacks.


Actually the board was upside down, the soldering was mostly done the side opposite the chips.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

loubob57 said:


> Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.


I thought 'What is that he is 'working' on and what is he trying to do?" and "Don't most engineers have a electronic technician that does all their soldering so they can spend their time working on getting their doctoral degree?" At most large corporations that I have worked at the most skilled soldering people were low level people that that was all they did.

I was also surprised that Howard doesn't make much money. It was also telling that his wife was going to withhold sex. Reminds of me another thread on this site.


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## cannonz (Oct 23, 2011)

He could tell Kripke how Amy likes it when he spanks her.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

loubob57 said:


> Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.





QueenBee said:


> And THIS is why I love the Tivo Forum.


A BBT thread being derailed? GASP! 
I just love it being derailed on the this subject, I'm not done giggling.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

We're still on the first page -- the thread is hardly from derailed at this point.


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Yes it is.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Hank said:


> We're still on the first page -- the thread is hardly from derailed at this point.


oh give us time, I'm sure we can go on..

Like how is Howard allowed to solder without proper ventilation?


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## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

markp99 said:


> Love the geometric stuff, like this.


One of the things I got for Christmas is a Klein bottle:








Which seems like something the boys in BBT would be delighted by, but which would be too hard to explain to the audience. Even a Mobius strip would be a challenge.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Like a lot of the science or geek jokes, they wouldn't have to explain it, just do it and those of us who know, get it. They did this alot more early on.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Hunter Green said:


> Which seems like something the boys in BBT would be delighted by, but which would be too hard to explain to the audience. Even a Mobius strip would be a challenge.


The audience might surprise you :up:


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

ScubaCat said:


> Wow. So many good quotes I don't know which to chose.
> 
> Sheldon: I read his research and ... it's leaps and bounds ahead of mine. Which means the mommy of the smartest physicist at the university is not my mommy as I thought. It's his mommy.
> Amy: Sheldon, I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better. May I offer you a consoling hug?
> ...


So you're the type of person that goes to taping of these shows and laughs at every line.


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## dtle (Dec 12, 2001)

Hunter Green said:


> For that matter, there are 3D printers down in the $500-$800 range now (in fact, I just placed an order for one a week ago). They paid $5000 for a used one? And it's not even one with a larger build volume.


How much does the printing materials cost? Will it ever become the business case of "give away the printer and make money on the ink"?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

DUDE_NJX said:


> So you're the type of person that goes to taping of these shows and laughs at every line.


I think what you mean is, goes to taping of these shows and presses the laugh track button at every line...


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

dianebrat said:


> A BBT thread being derailed? GASP!
> I just love it being derailed on the this subject, I'm not done _*jiggling*_.


FYP...


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Engineers I knew who worked for the Federal civil service made around $60K. If I was working on projects like that I would work at nearby JPL.


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

dtle said:


> How much does the printing materials cost? Will it ever become the business case of "give away the printer and make money on the ink"?


According to a recent article in our Denver paper a 5-pound spool of ABS plastic - which can create hundreds of objects - costs $100. 3D print stores are opening in cities across the country since the price is still high for most people.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

loubob57 said:


> Anyone notice the circuit board that Howard was soldering on? Looked like a really old ISA bus computer board.


What else would he use it for?


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Ment said:


> According to a recent article in our Denver paper a 5-pound spool of ABS plastic  which can create hundreds of objects  costs $100. 3D print stores are opening in cities across the country since the price is still high for most people.


Or they could use it on the moon.

http://news.discovery.com/space/print-me-a-moon-base-130201.htm



> There have been many plans  some good, some bad, some silly  to build the first manned base on the moon, but many have two key drawbacks: cost and weight. To launch any habitat from Earth to the moon (and, indeed, land it safely on the lunar surface) is costly, therefore novel ideas for habitat construction are needed. Wouldnt it be great if we could build a lunar base from material mined in-situ (i.e., moon rock and regolith)?
> 
> One emerging technology that space engineers are currently eying is the 3D printer. Already being used in industry and the arts, 3D printers work by spraying a material  commonly some kind of plastic  layer by layer, often building complex shapes that wouldnt normally be possibly via traditional construction techniques. The only restriction to the size of the object youre printing is the size of the printer.


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

Hank said:


> I loved Bernadette's line about making lady parts and Howard using them himself, and she's "you're actually thinking about it???'!!!"
> 
> That was seriously a LOL moment.


Loved that line too. Of course I was thinking that, as an egineer, once some possibility was brought to Howard's attention _of course_ he'd start thinking about whether or not it was even possible (regardless of whether he had any interest in actually implementing it).

Unfortunatly for Howard this time the random idea was "3D print some lady parts" and not something more harmless like "water cannon powered bicycle" or and the time was in the middle of a fight with his wife, not BSing around at the comic book store


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## gschrock (Dec 28, 2001)

The financials of the university guys has always struck me as kinda odd in this series. I've seen the salary range in my department, and the people on the low end of the faculty are in the $65k to $75k range (generally these are faculty that are pretty new to the department, and haven't gotten tenure yet). Tenured faculty are mostly at least in $100k minimum range. Now, admittedly that doesn't go quite as far in California. Howard I'd say is not likely actually faculty, so it's hard to peg where he's at in the pay scale, but wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he's at the bottom of the four. Raj has always kinda struck me as being at the level of assistant professor (here that's tenure track, but not tenured yet). He's had some situations where his job has seem to be on the line, so it kinda implies he's not tenured yet. Leonard no idea, but Sheldon is almost certainly at least tenured. Hard to say if he'd be a full professor or not yet, he is likely a little on the young side for that. But he's probably making the most of the 4 of them.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Neither Raj, Leonard, nor Sheldon show any signs whatsoever of having any kind of tenure-track job. If they did, they'd have full teaching loads, and they never seem to do any teaching at all. If anything (and I suspect they're really just non-academic TV writers' vague notion of what academics are), they're post-docs. Which can be quite poorly paid, although in the sciences at a top science school that might not be so much the case.

No way in hell is Sheldon tenured.


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

I'd thought that Howard might actually be making more money. As opposed to guys with fellowships who just think up stuff and get grants, Howard has worked on multiple projects that have been launched into space. They make him sound like an engineer who works for the university and not an academic.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Neither Raj, Leonard, nor Sheldon show any signs whatsoever of having any kind of tenure-track job. If they did, they'd have full teaching loads, and they never seem to do any teaching at all. If anything (and I suspect they're really just non-academic TV writers' vague notion of what academics are), they're post-docs. Which can be quite poorly paid, although in the sciences at a top science school that might not be so much the case.
> 
> No way in hell is Sheldon tenured.


Absolutely this. I always assumed that they were post-docs. Except for Howard, of course.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Sheldon's job title that he gave the person at the job office in "The Einstein Approximation" was "Senior theoretical particle physicist at CalTech, focusing on M theory, or, in layman&#8217;s terms, string theory."

Edit: given that he has "senior" in his title, I'd guess that he's a senior staff scientist, not a postdoc.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Idearat said:


> I'd thought that Howard might actually be making more money. As opposed to guys with fellowships who just think up stuff and get grants, Howard has worked on multiple projects that have been launched into space. They make him sound like an engineer who works for the university and not an academic.


There are tons of Engineers that work for Caltech.

I'm one of them.

Though they do keep us at a different facility with guards at all the gates. Don't know if that's to keep us in or others out.

--Carlos V.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Perhaps I'm easily entertained, but I loved when Raj and Howard first got their 'action figures'. Raj was especially funny with his. LMAO at how bizarre they both looked.

Can you really make stuff like that with a 3D printer? Man am I behind the times. Hunter Green - looking forward to seeing yours.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

LoadStar said:


> Sheldon's job title that he gave the person at the job office in "The Einstein Approximation" was "Senior theoretical particle physicist at CalTech, focusing on M theory, or, in layman's terms, string theory."
> 
> Edit: given that he has "senior" in his title, I'd guess that he's a senior staff scientist, not a postdoc.


But that doesn't even vaguely resemble any actual job title.

Neither does "staff scientist."

Academics are very, very attached to their titles. If Sheldon is a scientist (as opposed to a character on a TV show), then he doesn't have one yet, or we would know about it. Which would be consistent with his being a post-doc (whose only title is "Doctor," which Sheldon IS very attached to).

Then again, if Sheldon were as brilliant as he insists he is (and evidence suggests that he's at least in the ballpark), then he would have an academic post by now. Which brings us back to "character on a TV show."


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## ct1 (Jun 27, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Then again, if Sheldon were as brilliant as he insists he is (and evidence suggests that he's at least in the ballpark), then he would have an academic post by now. Which brings us back to "character on a TV show."


His office also seems very nice for a post-doc..


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

ct1 said:


> His office also seems very nice for a post-doc..


Although that might be a result of the same quality of TV-land whereby everybody has a much bigger and nicer place to live than they could possibly afford...


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> But that doesn't even vaguely resemble any actual job title.
> 
> Neither does "staff scientist."


I didn't find an exact match for the title he gave, but similar openings to the one he would have are listed here:
http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/physics/Theoretical Particle Physics

The listing for Lawrence Berkleley does indicate the potential for moving from a postdoc to a "senior staff scientist" position.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

LoadStar said:


> The listing for Lawrence Berkleley does indicate the potential for moving from a postdoc to a "senior staff scientist" position.


But that's not a university...

...oh, never mind.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> But that's not a university...
> 
> ...oh, never mind.


Yeah, I know. It's about as much sense as I can apply to this, given that very few postdoc positions would ever run anywhere as long as the ones that the characters on this show have.

Real-world, it looks like they would generally be 2-3 year postdoc fellowships.


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## jamesl (Jul 12, 2012)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> ...
> Then again, if Sheldon were as brilliant as he insists he is (and evidence suggests that he's at least in the ballpark), then he would have an academic post by now. ...


what do you mean by "academic post"

we already know sheldon sucks at teaching

there was one episode where he taught a physics class and he was so condescending

we also know he suffers from sever stage fright and is unable to give speeches


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

I truely love the the character Amy Farah Fowler, but I miss not seeing more of Leslie Winkle. She is the only one that can really put Sheldon in his place in such a great way. Although Kripke does a good job too.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Leslie Winkle also did a pretty good job on Leonard, too.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

jamesl said:


> what do you mean by "academic post"


Researcher, lecturer, proposal manager/writer, "Principal Investigator". Lots of non-teaching academic jobs.

--Carlos V.


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## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

dtle said:


> How much does the printing materials cost? Will it ever become the business case of "give away the printer and make money on the ink"?


The material for the Solidoodle is two pounds and about $40 each. That sounds expensive but this is a pretty light plastic so if you think about how much the stuff you might build would weigh, that's quite a lot of material. For instance, a plastic figurine the size of the ones we saw on the show is probably only an ounce or two, while the size you use in roleplaying games is a much smaller fraction thereof. Mine won't be here until probably April, though, so I haven't gotten to start trying it.

I doubt it'll become a "make money on the ink" thing for a long time yet because the materials are simply an extruded filament of plastic, and there's no way for anyone to lock in the supply. HP can lock in the supply of toner because it comes in a special cartridge only they make, but the plastic is just a spool.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

jamesl said:


> what do you mean by "academic post"
> 
> we already know sheldon sucks at teaching
> 
> ...





Unbeliever said:


> Researcher, lecturer, proposal manager/writer, "Principal Investigator". Lots of non-teaching academic jobs.


And a simple, tenure-track assistant professorship.

My experience is in the humanities, but I suspect it is even more applicable to hard science...ability to teach and do research is required at different proportions depending on the institution. At a small liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere, you generally have to be able to do research but you will never be expected to actually do much; your job will be almost entirely teaching. At a major research university, you will be expected to be able to teach, but not terribly well; you are hired more for your ability to do research. Most of the heavy lifting in teaching (i.e., small-group discussions/labs, grading, student contact) is done by grad students, so you mostly only have to lecture, and believe me, there are professors at major research universities who are brilliant in the fields but terrible undergraduate lecturers who sailed through to tenure on the basis of their research records. By "able to teach," I mean stand up in front of an audience and explain something to them, but not necessarily in a way that they will understand or appreciate very well (the grad students will take up the slack in section if necessary).

And in both cases, being able to do "the other thing" _well _is a bonus, and to a degree can cover for some weakness in "the main thing." In Sheldon's case, if he's anywhere near as good as he claims to be (and as people treat him), he could be a pretty abominable teacher and still get a tenure-track job at a major research university.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

I cannot think of anything I could make with a 3-D printer, but I desperately need one!


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

My freshman year Calculus 101 professor was the head of the math department at the university. He was brilliant.

Could NOT teach to save his life. I had no idea why he was even teaching something like Calculus 101 to hundreds of freshmen.

We got to the final exam (common across all Calc sections) and about 1/5 of the test was stuff we'd NEVER seen before.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

LOL. That's how I felt during ALL calculus exams.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

Hank said:


> My freshman year Calculus 101 professor was the head of the math department at the university. He was brilliant.
> 
> Could NOT teach to save his life. I had no idea why he was even teaching something like Calculus 101 to hundreds of freshmen.
> 
> We got to the final exam (common across all Calc sections) and about 1/5 of the test was stuff we'd NEVER seen before.


I read an article that said college professors and grad students get no teaching training where elementary school teachers get more than a full quarter of teacher education classes! This is why the teaching skills of educators on the college level is so terrible. And added to this, many of the classes only cover less than half of what they are suppose to cover!


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## chocophile (Dec 27, 2007)

Sorry to get in so late, after the de rigueur derail, but my fave line of the episode came from Kripke: "Was she weawing wingewie?" Makes me waugh evewytime... 

A coworker almost became a coke fountain when I repeated it while she was taking a drink at lunch...


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Yes! We were envisioning the scene in the writer's room where they're during around trying to work extra Ls and Rs into his lines.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

Robin said:


> Yes! We were envisioning the scene in the writer's room where they're during around trying to work extra Ls and Rs into his lines.


We have no Wodewick!


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## gschrock (Dec 28, 2001)

I think my biggest arguments against them being post-docs are a) they've been there too long (generally post-doc positions seem to be 1-3 years) and b) their offices are way too nice for post-docs (here, they're lucky if they get anything better than grad students, and are frequently several in a room).

Of course, none of them seem to have any grad students, which is something of an argument against them being full faculty. As for teaching, I know a number of faculty that don't seem to do a whole lot of teaching (I know there's a system in place that they can buy out of at least a portion of their teaching requirements, but I don't know the exact details - I've never worried about that, since I'm not faculty).

If they were non-tenured, I'd also think that they might care a little more about the fact that none of them ever seem to actually produce any real research .

The show creators definitely don't seem to have spent much time around the academic world .


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

gschrock said:


> The show creators definitely don't seem to have spent much time around the academic world .


Ding ding ding!

We have a winner!


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Raj is a post-doc. In the episode where he started working with Sheldon it was because his grant had run out of funding and he was in danger of being deported.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

I do recall one conversation as a grad student assisting a tenured professor. After about the 10th straight lecture where I had to sub-teach for him because he wasn't available, I asked him why he can't find the time to teach his class (we had a great relationship).

He looked at me -- incredulous -- and said "teaching? teaching isn't just my lowest priority, it doesn't even make my list of priorities".

It was an eye-opening remark. A lot of things that didn't make sense for a long time about the world of academics made perfect sense. I felt so stupid!


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

gschrock said:


> The show creators definitely don't seem to have spent much time around the academic world .





Rob Helmerichs said:


> Ding ding ding!
> 
> We have a winner!


It's so funny how much everyone is analyzing this, it's a sit-com, I expect maybe a 30%-40% accuracy of real life stuff.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

MikeMar said:


> It's so funny how much everyone is analyzing this, it's a sit-com, I expect maybe a 30%-40% accuracy of real life stuff.


I think that, at this point, derailing the BBT threads with minutia has become kind of a sport!


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Anubys said:


> I think that, at this point, derailing the BBT threads with minutia has become kind of a sport!


How many stripes were on sheldon's shirts this episode?


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

MikeMar said:


> It's so funny how much everyone is analyzing this, it's a sit-com, I expect maybe a 30%-40% accuracy of real life stuff.


You haven't been around many BBT threads, have you?


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

MikeMar said:


> It's so funny how much everyone is analyzing this, it's a sit-com, I expect maybe a 30%-40% accuracy of real life stuff.


It's so funny how much anyone would analyze this, it's a TV show discussion forum, I expect maybe a 30%-40% accuracy of real life stuff.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Smeek.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I think we need to look at just how much we really do over-analyze the show in these threads.

Do some quantifying, and compare it to other shows.


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## ct1 (Jun 27, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I think we need to look at just how much we really do over-analyze the show in these threads.
> 
> Do some quantifying, and compare it to other shows.


Well, strictly speaking, if I count up some of the Lost threads...

Also, maybe we need a "meta" degree on some of the discussions.

We have the primary discussion, then the meta discussion, then the meta-meta discussion, then the meta-meta-meta discussion...

Nah -- we don't over-analyze..


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

This show, Fringe- anything even remotely science based.
It's the scientists causing all the over/analysis!

Maybe because science offers clear answers to questions those in possession of specialized knowledge often feel the need to clarify misspoken or incorrect statements by non sciencey types(and to do so repeatedly _far_ beyond what is required by those of us who are mere mortals willing to suspend our disbelief)?
Then the mortals look stuff up to prove they are just as smart as the scientists.
Then the scientists clarify again and go even deeper into whatever topic is being bickered over. Then the mortals get defensive and bring in irrelevant data to confound and confuse.

It's quite fun, actually


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Nah, it's just that some TV writers think that science is a form of magic, and that they can say anything they want if they use sciencey words. And then people who actually know what those words mean call them on it.

We're right and they're wrong. How much simpler could it be?


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Nah, it's just that some TV writers think that science is a form of magic


5 Forms of Black Magic That Science Is Making Possible


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Nah, it's just that some TV writers think that science is a form of magic, and that they can say anything they want if they use sciencey words. And then people who actually know what those words mean call them on it.


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o[/media]


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Wasn't he a science advisor on ST:TNG?


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Anubys said:


> I do recall one conversation as a grad student assisting a tenured professor. After about the 10th straight lecture where I had to sub-teach for him because he wasn't available, I asked him why he can't find the time to teach his class (we had a great relationship).
> 
> He looked at me -- incredulous -- and said "teaching? teaching isn't just my lowest priority, it doesn't even make my list of priorities".
> 
> It was an eye-opening remark. A lot of things that didn't make sense for a long time about the world of academics made perfect sense. I felt so stupid!


My friend is a grad student at JHU and was moaning about grading papers when she was working with her mentor/tenured professor. I asked why he didn't do them and she he just doesn't do the kind of scut work like teaching.


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## gschrock (Dec 28, 2001)

betts4 said:


> My friend is a grad student at JHU and was moaning about grading papers when she was working with her mentor/tenured professor. I asked why he didn't do them and she he just doesn't do the kind of scut work like teaching.


Grad students exist to do the crappy work that faculty don't want to do . They then eventually graduate and become faculty, and take their revenge by inflicting pain and suffering on their own grad students.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

MikeMar said:


> How many stripes were on sheldon's shirts this episode?


Take the address of their apartment house (before Sheldon changed it so he couldn't be found by someone that had already been to the apartment ) divide that by 7 minus 234 and multipy by 3.5.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

TampaThunder said:


> And isn't one of the running gags in the show that Howard doesn't have a doctorate and is only and engineer?


Sorry to bring up an old thread, but that must have been a re-continuity thing.

BBT finally both finally made it to the top of my Netflix AND shipped. Season 1, episode 9, he was presented as having a Ph.D., got it at 24, at the conference when he presented the paper: "Paradoxical Movement-of-Inertia Changes Due to Putative Super-Solids."

Getting it at 24 is quick. 6 years to Ph.D. assuming graduating High School at 18.

Edit: of course the title is wrong. It should be "moment-of-inertia".

--Carlos "catching up from S1" V.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

sieglinde said:


> Engineers I knew who worked for the Federal civil service made around $60K. If I was working on projects like that I would work at nearby JPL.


I missed this post the 1st time around. JPL is a FFRDC. And Theoretical Particle Physics isn't JPL's bailiwick.

We're not civil servants, we're Caltech employees. Fortunately, they pay us better than the GS scale.

--Carlos "works at JPL" V.


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## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

Unbeliever said:


> Getting it at 24 is quick. 6 years to Ph.D. assuming graduating High School at 18.


Your assumption is wrong. He states elsewhere in the series that he graduated high school at 12 or 13 I think. A bit wildly optimistic on the writers' part, IMHO, but a dozen years to a PhD is much less impressive. 

Youngest student to enter college that I know got his doctorate at 20. Not sure precisely when he finished public school/started college but I don't think it was as linear as a traditional public school education. Next youngest was 13 but that was a fluke as a) she turned 14 within a month of starting and b) it was an early admissions program so technically she had not completed high school. Not sure when she got her doctorate as I know she did gov't research for a while.

ETA: Wikipedia says Sheldon graduated high school at 11 and completed his first PhD at 16.....yeah, um, no. That's the Doogie Howser academic track, which is to say, sounds cool on TV but not logistically possible in real life.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Urm, you guys realize that Sheldon and Howard are two different characters, right?


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## Waldorf (Oct 4, 2002)

Quick refresher:

Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng has a Masters degree from MIT although he first studied in medical school and dropped out.

Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D. entered college at the age of eleven and graduated summa cum laude at age fourteen. From then, he worked on his doctorate and was the youngest person at the time to receive the Stevenson Award. Sheldon worked as a visiting professor at Heidelberg University in Germany at age fifteen, and received his first PhD degree at sixteen years old.


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## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Urm, you guys realize that Sheldon and Howard are two different characters, right?


Whoops! Missed the "Howard" in the nested quotes.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Urm, you guys realize that Sheldon and Howard are two different characters, right?


I should have realized Howard and Leonard are different characters.

--Carlos V.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Pfeh, Big Bang Theory, the characters are all the same, it's a miracle anybody can tell any of them apart.

(There is _something _about that Penny, though...)


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Pfeh, Big Bang Theory, the characters are all the same, it's a miracle anybody can tell any of them apart.
> 
> (There is _something _about that Penny, though...)


There are a couple of reasons she stands out.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

Hank said:


> [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o[/media]


I have two of these Encabulators, one takes the dog for a walk ( but refuses to pick the poop up ) and the other one is working on string theory and promises me a Nobel prize , or a quicker way to make crows feet with string, I forget which.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ4kzXmREpk[/media]


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## rosieambles (Jan 22, 2013)

DUDE_NJX said:


> There are a couple of reasons she stands out.


On that basis, Bernadette stands out more.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

I'm sorry, I wish Bernadette would divorce Howard and move to another sitcom and Howard would start dating Leslie Winkler. Leslie is very funny and doesn't have those giant mamarlies like Bernadette that makes her scream when we give her a enthusiastic hug.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

replaytv said:


> I'm sorry, I wish Bernadette would divorce Howard and move to another sitcom and Howard would start dating Leslie Winkler. Leslie is very funny and doesn't have those giant mamarlies like Bernadette that makes her scream when we give her a enthusiastic hug.


Wait... when did WE give her a hug? I seem to have missed that day... is there another one scheduled?


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

Ereth said:


> Wait... when did WE give her a hug? I seem to have missed that day... is there another one scheduled?


Sorry, according to your internet profile, you are _exactly _the type of guy that hugs too hard and results in pain, so you will be NOT invited to the next group hug that is scheduled next week. ;-P


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Unbeliever said:


> At $48K, you definitely need a room mate in Pasadena. I did when I made that level 15 years ago.


Watching earlier seasons catching up, they make it obvious that they can see the Pasadena City hall out their balcony window.

That puts them in a high rent district. Probably the 2nd highest outside the Pasadena/San Marino common city border. Easily in the $2500 range and above, probably more due to the size.

Heck, considering the specific view, (with the post office in the foreground to the right and the City Hall in the background, San Gabriels as a backdrop) they're probably in the apartments above the Paseo Colorado mall or just west of it. But that's not on the Los Robles side of Paseo (which is the east border), but more like Marengo/Arroyo. Los Robles would put the post office on the left of the view. Pretty close match to the view the production crew designed into the set, though.

The street address they gave in one of those blooper reels I saw would put them in San Marino, though, where $2500/mo would be cheap rent, if you could find anything.

Yes, I know it's fiction.

At real-life post-doc salaries, affordable would be East of Lake along Colorado Blvd, or North of the 210 freeway West of Lake, but South of Woodbury.

Edit: Paseo to Caltech is an easy walk. About 2 miles. I've done it many times.

--Carlos "damn, have I lived here for 20 years, now?" V.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

All that and no working elevator?


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## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

Unbeliever said:


> Edit: Paseo to Caltech is an easy walk. About 2 miles. I've done it many times.


Then why does Sheldon need a ride to work?


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Polcamilla said:


> Then why does Sheldon need a ride to work?


It's in the script.

--Carlos V.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Polcamilla said:


> Then why does Sheldon need a ride to work?


You think Sheldon is the type to walk two miles for anything?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> You think Sheldon is the type to walk two miles for anything?


Maybe if the sidewalks were super-clean...


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

If there was a train, he'd take that to work.


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

And Penny could afford it?


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Maybe if the sidewalks were super-clean...


California Blvd. is descent and tree lined. South border of the Caltech Campus and runs past the South Bridge building (their supposed working building).



scooterboy said:


> If there was a train, he'd take that to work.


There is, the Metro Gold line from Memorial Station to Allen Station, but it doesn't save you any walking.

--Carlos V.


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## cannonz (Oct 23, 2011)

He would have to wear his sidewalk pants.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

cannonz said:


> He would have to wear his sidewalk pants.


Sidewalk _shoes_.
Bus pants for sitting on a bus, sidewalk shoes for walking on a sidewalk


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

scooterboy said:


> If there was a train, he'd take that to work.


Or maybe a streetcar, he likes streetcars


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Jonathan_S said:


> Or maybe a streetcar, he likes streetcars


Oh good - _someone_ got my joke.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

scooterboy said:


> Oh good - _someone_ got my joke.


What joke?


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Bierboy said:


> What joke?





scooterboy said:


> If there was a train, he'd take that to work.


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## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

scooterboy said:


>


I didn't think that was a joke, just a statement of fact.


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Forget it then.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Polcamilla said:


> I didn't think that was a joke, just a statement of fact.


That's what I meant. I saw no joke...but I saw a statement of fact. Of course, I'm also a railfan...unless Rob disagrees....


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Bah.

You're obviously a Fake Rail Guy.


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## Polcamilla (Nov 7, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Bah.
> 
> You're obviously a Fake Rail Guy.


Hey---I can hold my own against Sheldon. I've eaten at BOTH Carneys' AND held a major event at Travel Town. 

(ETA: Because I love the picture so...)


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