On Thursday, April 7th, 2011, CBS will air another, 04x20 episode of The Big Bang Theory. It's called "The Herb Garden Germination." Amy and Sheldon will try to spread rumors and Howard will act to upgrade his relationship with Bernadette.
More importantly, Brian Greene will star as himself.
He will be reading excerpts from his new book, probably The Hidden Reality about the multiverse, while Sheldon Cooper will display another level of his striking overlap with your humble correspondent. Sheldon will be explaining that it is nonsense to try to teach physics to the general population.
Well, I have of course spent lots of time by popularization of science among the broader public - including the Czech translation of The Elegant Universe - and other books I authored etc. But the reality has taught me that Sheldon is right. It is nonsense to teach advanced physics to the broad public.
The public can never appreciate the concepts and inner workings of quantum physics, string theory, or anything else that actually requires a technical mastery of the subject. As a result, the interest of an outsider always converges from the actual physics that makes sense and that has very strict rules to some superficial, and almost universally wrong, issues that are attractive for the laymen because of pre-existing reasons.
In other words, it's throwing pearls to the swines.
Even when a layman manages to parrot some correct insights about science that he or she has learned from a popular book or presentation, it cannot be classified as an actual, lasting knowledge. The first pseudoscientific book or presentation that the very same layman encounters is able to immediately "neutralize" the previously acquired knowledge - because it was not a real knowledge. It was just a temporary state of parroting someone else.
It's actually more likely than not than a non-expert will worship the most incorrect ideas about physics and spit on the most valuable ones. It is kind of inevitable. And I am not talking just about the thousands of brainwashed and aggressive imbeciles who gather on blogs of Fecers Shmoits and read books by Pees Swolins and similar hacks who are much closer to an average chimp than to an average string theorist. They're just a diluted version of the way how pretty much every uninformed layman thinks.
I believe that it may be refreshing to admit that all the interest and excitement about advanced physics concepts displayed from the people who manifestly misunderstand the internal logic of the physical theories is fake. After all, a vast majority of the owners of Hawking's Brief History of Time has never read the book. It is a dishonest game for people to pretend that they are something else than what they are.
In my opinion, it would be healthier if the public stopped influencing things it can't understand and it can't possibly be interested in: the proliferation of postmodern pseudoscientists of the Swolin kind or the global warming alarmists is, to a large extent, a result of the interactions with the extra-scientific portions of the population. Quite universally, these interactions have contaminated science because they bring criteria that have nothing to do with the scientific ones.
I am not saying that the number of people who are educated in physics should be left dropping: quite on the contrary. But what I think should be avoided is the informal promotion of people who don't understand physics as "honorary physicists" just because they display some (usually fake) interest in the discipline and/or because they're found important by someone for totally unscientific reasons.
Showing posts with label TBBT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TBBT. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Zarnecki Incursion
In my opinion, Penny was the main hero of the yesterday's episode of The Big Bang Theory, 04x19 "Zarnecki Incursion".
Sheldon's World of Warcraft is hacked and everything, including all the gold and the battle ostrich, is stolen. Police turns out to be useless, despite Sheldon's hysteria.
...spoilers continue below...
All the boys are helping Sheldon. It turns out that Priya, Leonard's new girlfriend, has no empathy for Leonard's computer games hobby. This fact makes Priya much less suitable as a girlfriend relatively to Penny, a cured online game addict.
Howard finds out that the hacker is Todd Zarnecki, so all of them ultimately go to Carlsbad, CA to force him to return all the stolen stuff. Instead, a mean and fat Zarnecki - a Michael Moore lookalike - steals Sheldon's klingon batliff as well.
Fortunately, Leonard's car has a mechanical problem while they're on their way back. They decide to call Penny - not Priya - to pick them. Penny is clearly pleased to find out that she's closer to the boys' hearts.
When Penny learns that they didn't manage to get Sheldon's stolen virtual goods back, she decides to show them how a quest is commonly completed in Nebraska. They return to Carlsbad, CA and Michael Moore's lookalike opens the door again.
He's being an arrogant jerk again but Penny informs him that he can finally taste girl's punch in his special parts. She kicks him into his balls - LOL, Penny's kick into Michael Moore's balls was the peak of the episode for me - and "we" succeeded, Sheldon exclaims! :-)
After a painful and silent walk on the staircase with Priya, Penny finds out that Amy was right when she has logically deduced that Penny must have a desire to fling her poop at Priya.
Penny has learned a lot and, as far as I can say, she has the natural right to possess or reject the likes of Leonard. In this season, Kaley Cuoco spent much more time with the other girls. See what Cuoco has to say about this transformation of the character.
Sheldon's World of Warcraft is hacked and everything, including all the gold and the battle ostrich, is stolen. Police turns out to be useless, despite Sheldon's hysteria.
...spoilers continue below...
All the boys are helping Sheldon. It turns out that Priya, Leonard's new girlfriend, has no empathy for Leonard's computer games hobby. This fact makes Priya much less suitable as a girlfriend relatively to Penny, a cured online game addict.
Howard finds out that the hacker is Todd Zarnecki, so all of them ultimately go to Carlsbad, CA to force him to return all the stolen stuff. Instead, a mean and fat Zarnecki - a Michael Moore lookalike - steals Sheldon's klingon batliff as well.
Fortunately, Leonard's car has a mechanical problem while they're on their way back. They decide to call Penny - not Priya - to pick them. Penny is clearly pleased to find out that she's closer to the boys' hearts.
When Penny learns that they didn't manage to get Sheldon's stolen virtual goods back, she decides to show them how a quest is commonly completed in Nebraska. They return to Carlsbad, CA and Michael Moore's lookalike opens the door again.
He's being an arrogant jerk again but Penny informs him that he can finally taste girl's punch in his special parts. She kicks him into his balls - LOL, Penny's kick into Michael Moore's balls was the peak of the episode for me - and "we" succeeded, Sheldon exclaims! :-)
After a painful and silent walk on the staircase with Priya, Penny finds out that Amy was right when she has logically deduced that Penny must have a desire to fling her poop at Priya.
Penny has learned a lot and, as far as I can say, she has the natural right to possess or reject the likes of Leonard. In this season, Kaley Cuoco spent much more time with the other girls. See what Cuoco has to say about this transformation of the character.
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Benefactor Factor
The Big Bang Theory is always a lot of intelligent fun but the newest episode 04x15, The Benefactor Factor, was also addressing a serious topic, namely the funding of science.
The president of the university met the boys in the cafeteria and he told them about a fundraising party. Sheldon reacted in a way that explains why I identify with him so much: he won't be affected by down-to-Earth drivers such as finances in his quest to see the face of God.
So only the three boys went to the fancy party. When they met an arrogant but powerful woman, Howard had to disappear after she attacked him for his not being a doctor; Leonard began to stutter about a coffee machine; and Rajesh who can't speak to women had to escape, too. The lady later revealed that she enjoys giving a hard time to smart people - one of the things that wealthy bitches such as herself enjoy to do. Very true.
Meanwhile, Sheldon had a video call with his friend, Amy, who told him some cold facts about the real world. Until his mind is uploaded to a safe spaceship, he will have to depend on other members of the human species. After all, her own lab is funded by a Middle East dilettante, a prince who is technically her fiancé.
Moreover, she tells Sheldon that his friends are not capable to make a good job in defending the funding of physics. So the money could go to the geology department - the "dirt people", as Sheldon calls them - or something even worse: they could even end up in the humanities.
Now, Sheldon is as much horrified as your humble correspondent by the horror of the millions of dollars that flow to the gender studies and similar ultrasoft disciplines.
While the lady bitch is torturing the three guys, Sheldon arrives at the fundraiser. He tells the important people that he won't touch their hands and transfer their germs: instead, he honestly tells them that he has come only for their money. ;-)
On the following day, the president of the university calls Sheldon and gives him an incoherent message whether he wanted Sheldon to attend or not. Of course, Sheldon can't understand those things. I can't understand them, either. The money is the main point of similar fundraisers and everyone knows that. However, almost everyone got used to an amazing degree of hypocrisy so everyone denies the previous sentence - and the more hypocrisy one exposes, the better. Such things bother me as much as they bother Sheldon. At the end of the call, Sheldon encourages the president to organize his thoughts a little bit and try to call Sheldon later.
The rich bitch calls Sheldon and tells Leonard that he will be sent a car for a dinner. Leonard feels somewhat uncomfortable in the car. The rich bitch, who inherited her wealth from her husband, explains that she was dating a smart guy in the college who didn't have the money. That makes Leonard ask about the money for the physics department and she says that she will bring the idea to the next level - which means to kiss Leonard penetratingly.
So the trade is for the department to receive millions for a cryogenic centrifugal pump while Leonard would have sex with her - a thing that disgusts Leonard while Howard is jealous. :-) The lady wants to see Leonard again. So Sheldon tries to find out what Leonard should wear; the expert is Penny who knows something about trading sexual favors for material gains. :-)
Leonard doesn't want to sleep with her while Sheldon tells him that it may be Leonard's only chance to make a real contribution to science. :-) Fortunately, the lady tells Leonard that she's giving the money to the physics department regardless of the development of her romantic relationship with Leonard.
However, it turns out that she is also able to convince Leonard to change his mind: you know, she's that good. The following scenes have to be skipped on TRF which is more decent than CBS - where they were skipped, too. "Good morning, slut," is what Penny rightfully tells Leonard in the morning. Sheldon is proud about Leonard who is ashamed. Leonard reveals that she paid first and Sheldon admits that Leonard is a talented soldier of science. There are lots of other rich ladies around and we need a new linear particle accelerator. :-)
The president makes Leonard a hero of the cafeteria. Leonard objects that he didn't do it for the money. The president says that it's a good idea for Leonard to think in this way; the president himself knows quite something about it. Well, in this respect, he is surely not exceptional among the university presidents.
The president of the university met the boys in the cafeteria and he told them about a fundraising party. Sheldon reacted in a way that explains why I identify with him so much: he won't be affected by down-to-Earth drivers such as finances in his quest to see the face of God.
So only the three boys went to the fancy party. When they met an arrogant but powerful woman, Howard had to disappear after she attacked him for his not being a doctor; Leonard began to stutter about a coffee machine; and Rajesh who can't speak to women had to escape, too. The lady later revealed that she enjoys giving a hard time to smart people - one of the things that wealthy bitches such as herself enjoy to do. Very true.
Meanwhile, Sheldon had a video call with his friend, Amy, who told him some cold facts about the real world. Until his mind is uploaded to a safe spaceship, he will have to depend on other members of the human species. After all, her own lab is funded by a Middle East dilettante, a prince who is technically her fiancé.
Moreover, she tells Sheldon that his friends are not capable to make a good job in defending the funding of physics. So the money could go to the geology department - the "dirt people", as Sheldon calls them - or something even worse: they could even end up in the humanities.
Now, Sheldon is as much horrified as your humble correspondent by the horror of the millions of dollars that flow to the gender studies and similar ultrasoft disciplines.
While the lady bitch is torturing the three guys, Sheldon arrives at the fundraiser. He tells the important people that he won't touch their hands and transfer their germs: instead, he honestly tells them that he has come only for their money. ;-)
On the following day, the president of the university calls Sheldon and gives him an incoherent message whether he wanted Sheldon to attend or not. Of course, Sheldon can't understand those things. I can't understand them, either. The money is the main point of similar fundraisers and everyone knows that. However, almost everyone got used to an amazing degree of hypocrisy so everyone denies the previous sentence - and the more hypocrisy one exposes, the better. Such things bother me as much as they bother Sheldon. At the end of the call, Sheldon encourages the president to organize his thoughts a little bit and try to call Sheldon later.
The rich bitch calls Sheldon and tells Leonard that he will be sent a car for a dinner. Leonard feels somewhat uncomfortable in the car. The rich bitch, who inherited her wealth from her husband, explains that she was dating a smart guy in the college who didn't have the money. That makes Leonard ask about the money for the physics department and she says that she will bring the idea to the next level - which means to kiss Leonard penetratingly.
So the trade is for the department to receive millions for a cryogenic centrifugal pump while Leonard would have sex with her - a thing that disgusts Leonard while Howard is jealous. :-) The lady wants to see Leonard again. So Sheldon tries to find out what Leonard should wear; the expert is Penny who knows something about trading sexual favors for material gains. :-)
Leonard doesn't want to sleep with her while Sheldon tells him that it may be Leonard's only chance to make a real contribution to science. :-) Fortunately, the lady tells Leonard that she's giving the money to the physics department regardless of the development of her romantic relationship with Leonard.
However, it turns out that she is also able to convince Leonard to change his mind: you know, she's that good. The following scenes have to be skipped on TRF which is more decent than CBS - where they were skipped, too. "Good morning, slut," is what Penny rightfully tells Leonard in the morning. Sheldon is proud about Leonard who is ashamed. Leonard reveals that she paid first and Sheldon admits that Leonard is a talented soldier of science. There are lots of other rich ladies around and we need a new linear particle accelerator. :-)
The president makes Leonard a hero of the cafeteria. Leonard objects that he didn't do it for the money. The president says that it's a good idea for Leonard to think in this way; the president himself knows quite something about it. Well, in this respect, he is surely not exceptional among the university presidents.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Sheldon Cooper FTW: Jim Parsons won Emmy
Steve Heston has just informed me about something that happened last week and that I have completely missed. Jim Parsons won an Emmy for the best lead actor in comedy series! No Bazinga here. Dr Sheldon Cooper for the win. ;-)
Here is his, somewhat uncharacteristically unscientific, acceptance speech:
I always feel a bit strange if I partly congratulate myself. But Parsons gave the role in The Big Bang Theory much more than just myself. ;-) So congratulations! This first Emmy for a string theorist is a hugely deserved award.
Knock knock knock. Penny?
Knock knock knock. Penny?
Knock knock knock. Emmy! :-)
Some comments in the media:
Here is his, somewhat uncharacteristically unscientific, acceptance speech:
I always feel a bit strange if I partly congratulate myself. But Parsons gave the role in The Big Bang Theory much more than just myself. ;-) So congratulations! This first Emmy for a string theorist is a hugely deserved award.
Knock knock knock. Penny?
Knock knock knock. Penny?
Knock knock knock. Emmy! :-)
Some comments in the media:
Why Fame: Parsons beats Baldwin and Carell!
CNN: Sheldon super hot on Web
Variety: Jim Parsons' Big Break
Google News
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
