# 1/19 Big Bang Theory: The Friendship Algorithm **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070 "2009-01-20T00:56:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/21 "2009-01-20T20:49:48Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > No praise for the beginning? Seeing Sheldon go off cause he couldn’t deliver the goods on tapioca? > > “Feel better now?” > “I’m not finished. Tapioca is native to Brazil, which also raising the cocoa bean, which is used to make chocolate, which is used in making the best pudding.” “You promised you wouldn’t do that anymore.” ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/22 "2009-01-20T21:22:43Z")
Yeah, that was a good bit. I thought he might explode! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/23 "2009-01-21T06:09:30Z")
I like a show that’s so geeky that the writer actually explains this joke (What part of an inverse tangent approaching an asymptote don’t you understand?) on the [vanity card](http://www.chucklorre.com/index.php?p=237) at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/24 "2009-01-21T07:39:06Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > Come to think of it, what the Hell happened to Leonard’s girlfriend? I liked her. She was busy getting saved from her evil boss who wanted her plane blown up. (That is, she was the guest star on Leverage tonight.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/25 "2009-01-21T07:41:21Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > What was wrong with the ending? > > Good point about Carnegie – but maybe that would have involved licensing. And I guess it was funnier for Sheldon to be using _Stu the Cockatoo is New at the Zoo_ (which I assume is fictitious). > > Funny, but I’d like to see some episodes that aren’t so Sheldon-centric. The guy who plays Sheldon has this character nailed down and wrapped up really tight, just like Sheldon. The other characters have not crystallized as well. I used to room with someone very much like Sheldon back in my college days during the last millennium. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/26 "2009-01-21T18:45:01Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > We pondered how many takes it took for them to get something they could use. She was definitely cracking up. Actually, I was thinking it was an adlib. There’s something noticable about an actor laughing in character and actually getting cracked up by something unexpected.. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/27 "2009-01-21T21:48:31Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Does anyone know what that **thing** is on the column in Sheldon and Leonard’s living room? > > It reminds me of a piano keyboard hung vertically. It is maybe 3 feet long and 6-8inches wide, made of wood with a number of silver-colored metal keys or latches attached to it. The metal keys are all of identical size and shape, but are grouped in different numbers - I believe at the bottom there are 3 keys in a group, then a space, then 5 or 6 keys, another space, another 5-6 keys, etc. The groupings/spacings is what reminded me of a keyboard. > > Last night it was clearly visible a number of times, most notably when S&L were talking in their LR in the 1st 1/2 of the show. S was sitting on the couch and L was standing. The object was behind S every time they cut to him. It is on a column, between the two windows in their living room. > > Any ideas? Is it in the picture on [this page?](http://tv.ign.com/articles/876/876616p1.html) Looks like a musical instrument, maybe an early electronic keyboard? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/28 "2009-01-21T22:48:06Z")
[This page](http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/21/wtf-is-on-the-wall-in-the-big-bang-theory-apartment/) has a better picture, but nobody there knows what it is for sure. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/29 "2009-01-22T03:09:55Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > [This page](http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/21/wtf-is-on-the-wall-in-the-big-bang-theory-apartment/) has a better picture, but nobody there knows what it is for sure. That is much better. Now it looks fuselike to me. I have a friend who knows about old computers and electronics, I’ll ask him. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/30 "2009-01-22T14:15:52Z")
Yeah - that’s it. For whatever reason it caught my attention early on in the series. My guess would be that it has something to do with older technology, but I know nothing about that type of thing. For some reason the metal pieces make me think of some kind of lever-clasp, the kind of thing where you press down on a lever to more securely connect 2 things. _(I wasn’t kidding when I said I have no expertise in either identifying or describing things mechanical/technological!)_ ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/31 "2009-01-22T14:28:41Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > [This page](http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/21/wtf-is-on-the-wall-in-the-big-bang-theory-apartment/) has a better picture, but nobody there knows what it is for sure. I threw this [question out into GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10727125#post10727125) figuring we’d get more eyes to solve it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/32 "2009-01-22T16:12:19Z")
It looks like one of two possible things to me: 1) a high voltage electrical bus, of the type you’d find in a factory or power station or in some scientific installation with high power consumption needs, or 2) a pneumatic valve layout for a pipe organ. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/33 "2009-01-23T04:45:07Z")
While we’ve got people with access to obscure screenshots, has anyone found pics of the friendship flowchart, pre and post infinite loop? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/34 "2009-01-23T15:32:16Z")
OK, am I the only one hoping that Crypkey doesn’t become a regular? The speech impediment is not funny. Let it go. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/35 "2009-01-23T15:47:57Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > While we’ve got people with access to obscure screenshots, has anyone found pics of the friendship flowchart, pre and post infinite loop? No screen caps, but [this blog](http://www.nosewheelie.com/blogofthedarned/?p=52) has recreated both. ---
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/36 "2009-01-23T15:54:48Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > OK, am I the only one hoping that Crypkey doesn’t become a regular? The speech impediment is not funny. Let it go. You are definitely not the only one. The three watchers in this house agree with you 100%. Not only is the speech impediment not funny, it’s not even done all that well, which makes it worse. Overall, I find the character an irritating distraction from a show I love, and I groaned when he appeared again this week. I think the idea of Sheldon having an arch-nemesis could be hilarious, but Barry Kripke is **not** that arch-nemesis. Happily, the actor’s name (John Ross Bowie) does not appear on the cast list for next week. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/37 "2009-01-23T15:58:20Z")
I think Sheldon should have credited Wolowitz’s assistance with fixing the infinite loop as a reason for retaining him as a friend over Raj. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/38 "2009-01-23T16:04:14Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > I think Sheldon should have credited Wolowitz’s assistance with fixing the infinite loop as a reason for retaining him as a friend over Raj. I think you underestimate Sheldon’s underestimation of Howard’s intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/39 "2009-01-23T16:18:48Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > OK, am I the only one hoping that Crypkey doesn’t become a regular? The speech impediment is not funny. Let it go. The only thing that guy was useful for was to look worse to Penny than Howard. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070/40 "2009-01-23T16:21:24Z")
Besides, Wolowitz’s mom makes one hell of a brisket. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-19-big-bang-theory-the-friendship-algorithm/482070.md?page=3)