# Big Bang 1/6--The Bus Pants Utilization **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614 "2011-01-06T15:33:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/41 "2011-01-08T20:37:10Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > He was - badly - playing the Star _Trek_ theme (which didn’t, actually, use a theremin), not the Star Wars theme. I was wondering if it had - I \*almost \*posted a question asking, but in the end was lazy. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/42 "2011-01-08T22:39:39Z")
I discovered [this unexpected song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhkxDIr0y2U). It seemed appropriate for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/43 "2011-01-09T00:21:57Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > He was - badly - playing the Star _Trek_ theme (which didn’t, actually, use a theremin), not the Star Wars theme. I’ve played a theremin, or tried to. Anyone who can wrangle a recognizable melody out of it is doing very well. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/44 "2011-01-09T13:58:22Z")
It was an OK episode. I also find Sheldon written as totally annoying to be less than funny. Once again you have Penny turning into the straightman. It’s funny when you have a fault and struggle with it. For instance when Felix tries to be sloppy or Oscar tries to be neat and just cannot do it. Both realize they have faults, but can’t overcome them. Sheldon just comes off as self-righteous and smug. Too often the guys are written as stupid, which they are not. They are unfamiliar with social things but not uninformed. Sheldon would know enough that Penny isn’t going to be able to understand anything the guys talk about, much less steal their idea. Sheldon isn’t stupid, he’s just unfamilair with socialization. I agree that it would have been funnier to show Sheldon/Penny suffering with each other to build an “app” that would have beaten out the guys. Of course seeing that Howard recognizes that they only will sell about 70 of their apps, and they’ll wind up at best, “hundred-aires” this wouldn’t be so hard to do. I would think that Raj would be the front yard though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/45 "2011-01-09T15:11:30Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > I noticed a very slight limp on her in the first shot that shows her walking, I think. Unless that was my imagination? I noticed the limp, too, and pointed it out to my wife. I also saw some awkwardness later in the show. During the scene where she enters the building to find Sheldon sitting on the steps playing his Theremin, she sits next to him and they talk. When she gets up and begins ascending the stairs, there was something funny about the way she took that first step up. It was small, and my wife didn’t really see it, but it was clear to me that she’s still not 100%. [QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] I wonder why Howard doesn’t get a doctorate. Have they discussed this? Surely he’s smart enough, and could get a discount from CalTech. [/QUOTE] There’s very, very little reason for a practicing engineer to get a doctorate. Even being involved in research like Howard is, a Master’s is all the credentials he would ordinarily need. ---
**Author:** ![idontknow358](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@idontknow358](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/idontknow358)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/46 "2011-01-10T06:57:53Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Did anyone else think of “Human Centipede” at that? haha, I signed up just to tell you yes, i did think of that nasty picture of human centipede. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/47 "2011-01-10T15:14:42Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > here’s very, very little reason for a practicing engineer to get a doctorate. Even being involved in research like Howard is, a Master’s is all the credentials he would ordinarily need. This. As an Engineer with a Masters married to an Engineer with a PhD, those moments are hilarious around our house. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/48 "2011-01-10T17:48:32Z")
> [@ptr2void](#): > > I thought it was a nice touch to us real nerds that there was actually Objective-C code – the language in which an iPhone app is most likely to be written – on the whiteboard. And it even had the correct references to the Cocoa API – NSOBjects galore! A couple of other points: - Howard is almost certainly more likely to use differential equations and Fourier transforms in his work than, say, Raj is in his. - Was I the only one who thought that Penny’s app idea would actually sell like gangbusters on iPhone app store? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/49 "2011-01-10T17:57:44Z")
> [@](#): > > - Howard is almost certainly more likely to use differential equations and Fourier transforms in his work than, say, Raj is in his. Yes, but, remember, it was Sheldon who said he wouldn’t. Unless it has to do with theoretical physics, comic books, or science fiction (or football), Sheldon doesn’t actually know anything about it. Although, being Sheldon, he’ll generally act like he does. > [@](#): > > - Was I the only one who thought that Penny’s app idea would actually sell like gangbusters on iPhone app store? Nope. Sheldon was probably the only person around who didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/50 "2011-01-10T18:40:45Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Yes, but, remember, it was Sheldon who said he wouldn’t. Unless it has to do with theoretical physics, comic books, or science fiction (or football), Sheldon doesn’t actually know anything about it. Although, being Sheldon, he’ll generally act like he does. [This xkcd](http://xkcd.com/793/) comic seems reasonably appropriate at this point. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/51 "2011-01-10T21:58:28Z")
[QUOTE=MilTan] - Was I the only one who thought that Penny’s app idea would actually sell like gangbusters on iPhone app store? [/QUOTE] I wonder how many people have begun one since that episode. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/52 "2011-01-10T22:02:26Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder how many people have begun one since that episode. Trouble is, it’s kind of insanely difficult to make it work. It’s hard enough for a computer vision program to distinguish between a shoe and dog, let alone different types of shoes, at any arbitrary angle, in any lighting condition. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/53 "2011-01-12T23:18:33Z")
To get a good picture of a shoe someone is wearing, you’d probably want to ask them if you can take the picture, and then you just may as well ask them where they bought them. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/54 "2011-01-13T17:47:07Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Trouble is, it’s kind of insanely difficult to make it work. It’s hard enough for a computer vision program to distinguish between a shoe and dog, let alone different types of shoes, at any arbitrary angle, in any lighting condition. What’s more, the requisite software would probably exceed the memory and processing capabilities of any smartphone. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/55 "2011-01-13T21:58:52Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Trouble is, it’s kind of insanely difficult to make it work. It’s hard enough for a computer vision program to distinguish between a shoe and dog, let alone different types of shoes, at any arbitrary angle, in any lighting condition. It doesn’t work very well yet, but an app called Google Goggles may eventually be able to do just this. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/56 "2011-01-13T23:25:50Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > What’s more, the requisite software would probably exceed the memory and processing capabilities of any smartphone. Not really, because you’re just taking the picture and sending it to a land-based server farm. It’s all back-end stuff. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/57 "2011-01-13T23:36:07Z")
Ah, good point. Yes, if the smartphone simply serves as a front-end (as it should), then that makes it more feasible. Still not easy, and I wouldn’t count on the application working in most situations. However, this approach would circumvent the problems of processing power and memory limitations. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/58 "2011-01-14T01:15:00Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder how many people have begun one since that episode. It seemed to me Google Goggles was pretty close to what she described but works for everything, not just shoes. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614/59 "2011-01-14T03:08:55Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It seemed to me Google Goggles was pretty close to what she described but works for everything, not just shoes. Wow… most impressive. Google impresses as usual… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-1-6-the-bus-pants-utilization/566614.md?page=2)