# Big Bang 9/30 "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597 "2010-09-30T14:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/21 "2010-10-01T15:33:59Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@Meeko](#): > > > > “Really, that’s the question you want to ask him? When he installed a ramp?” > > Oddly enough, as soon as Sheldon rolled in, I wondered the same thing. > > Also, I’m surprised Leonard didn’t call Sheldon on the roommate agreement thing. The clause took effect if Sheldon should ever turn himself into a robot. He didn’t do that, he merely created a robot with a two way audio/video feed on it…Or more appropriately, he mounted a laptop onto a robot and logged onto Skype, nothing special really. Same here. But thanks to the wonders of TvTropes , I can see the Lampshade hanging for what it is. The joke doesn’t go as far if Leonard calls him out on it. It was more than enough for the “I’ll be darned” line for that exchange over a ping pong of triviality. One has a better economy. > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > > [@Tengu](#): > > > > Until he got pissy at Howard for stealing the R2-D-Bag joke, I was wondering if Raj’s actor was suffering from laryngitis or something while filming the episode, since all he did was whisper to Howard. > > > > (On another note, you’d suspect that Sheldon would have realized the need for a manipulator arm…) > > I was kind of expecting him to turn up with the arm from the previous episode mounted, in response to the doorknob conundrum. Again, this cheapens the joke at the end [Stinger?] with the “Knock, “Penny” X 3” routine. -I’d be willing to bet, that they considered the arm, anything to save money on a prop, and to depreciate the prop more [get more value from it] but someone mentioned the Penny Knock bit, and the comedic value was there, so they sacrificed the arm entire for the episode. > [@silenus](#): > > I think we know how Penny will interact with the guys while laid up with a broken leg. I wonder how they will give the robot cleavage? 😃 I heard about this, and I don’t wish her ill will, but perhaps they could call back the **Adhesive Duck Deficiency** , and build episodes onto that. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/22 "2010-10-01T17:11:57Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I thought this episode was way too much Sheldon. Quirky characters work best as supporting characters, not main characters. I think that Sheldon is hilarious, but I do agree with you on this – I don’t like it when all the other characters have to do in a particular episode is react to Sheldon’s latest quirk/obsession/escapade/whatever. All of the cast are fine comedic actors, and making every episode too “Sheldon-centric”, however fun the character may be, seems like a waste of their potential. Here is hoping that future episodes won’t fall down the “too much Sheldon” hole! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/23 "2010-10-01T17:12:54Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > I think we know how Penny will interact with the guys while laid up with a broken leg. I wonder how they will give the robot cleavage? 😃 > > I saw an article a day or so ago that said that she has been written out of a few episodes. (but alas, I cannot find a link.) I saw that too, and it was still in my browser history. [http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/13/big-bang-theory-kaley-cuoco-injured/](http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/13/big-bang-theory-kaley-cuoco-injured/) Apparently she fell off a horse and had to miss a few days taping so was written out of a script. Dated Sept. 13, it said: > [@](#): > > A _Big Bang_ rep, meanwhile, says Cuoco will be written out of the episode that is taping tonight. The show will then take a previously scheduled weeklong hiatus ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/24 "2010-10-01T17:26:23Z")
I smiled every time I saw the robot – which was most of the episode – but I wasn’t impressed with the writing. The robot was funny but nothing else was. It’s like all the creativity was spent on the robot. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/25 "2010-10-01T17:48:41Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I smiled every time I saw the robot – which was most of the episode – but I wasn’t impressed with the writing. The robot was funny but nothing else was. It’s like all the creativity was spent on the robot. They didn’t use any creativity on the robot. That is an off the shelf Remote Presence System called Texai. [http://www.willowgarage.com/pages/texai/overview](http://www.willowgarage.com/pages/texai/overview) I recognized it immediately, since it was in a NY Times article on remote presence systems. [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/science/05robots.html?\_r=1&scp=1&sq=robot%20presence&st=cse](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/science/05robots.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=robot%20presence&st=cse) I suspect the company loaned them the system for free. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/26 "2010-10-01T18:35:03Z")
My question is why does Sheldon have a 1977 model Apple II? The computer is older than he is. Did he buy it at a garage sale? I noticed since I have a 1978 Apple II that I bought new. I don’t recall seeing one in the living room with the rest of the electronics junk. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/27 "2010-10-01T18:38:44Z")
I knew a guy who boasted that he had the largest collection of obsolete personal computing devices in the country. He had old Apples, including the Apple Lisa and a host of others. It is something some geeks do. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/28 "2010-10-01T19:07:47Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I knew a guy who boasted that he had the largest collection of obsolete personal computing devices in the country. He had old Apples, including the Apple Lisa and a host of others. It is something some geeks do. I have a Commodore 64 and it still works! 🆒 (And yes, it’s older than I am.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/29 "2010-10-01T19:17:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I have a Commodore 64 and it still works! (And yes, it’s older than I am.) Hah! I have a working **Commodore Pet 2001** And I still have my old **DigiComp** > **[Digi-Comp I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digi-Comp_I)** > > The Digi-Comp I is a functioning, mechanical digital computer sold in kit form. It was originally manufactured from polystyrene parts by E.S.R., Inc. starting in 1963 and sold as an educational toy for US$4.99 (equivalent to US$51 in 2024). > The Digi-Comp I has been referred to as the first home computer. > A successor, the Digi-Comp II, is not programmable, but in effect a visible calculator. A two-level Masonite platform with guides serves as the medium for a supply of marbles that rolled down a... ---
**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:** [October 1, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/30 "2010-10-01T19:32:39Z")
This was a very funny episode, but I’m a little worried about the direction this show is going. It’s getting more and more outrageous so you just have to disconnect your brain and enjoy it. My technical nitpick; how would Sheldon be able to transmit full screen video to his SheldonBot at all times? Cellular network? I doubt it would have enough or consistent enough bandwidth. And how does Sheldon think that sitting in his bed will protect his body more than moving around? Surely he would realize the hazards of a completely sedentary lifestyle. But it’s just a sitcom, and a funny one at that. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/31 "2010-10-01T20:06:01Z")
I liked the fart scene(s). Yeah, I’m a 4th grader. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/32 "2010-10-01T20:34:36Z")
Found [it](http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kaley-Cucuo-Hiatus-1023264.aspx). It is very short, or I would quote it, but it basically says that she will be out for several episodes. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/33 "2010-10-01T20:57:52Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > My technical nitpick; how would Sheldon be able to transmit full screen video to his SheldonBot at all times? Cellular network? I doubt it would have enough or consistent enough bandwidth. I had that same thought when they were in the car. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/34 "2010-10-01T21:00:04Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Found [it](http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kaley-Cucuo-Hiatus-1023264.aspx). It is very short, or I would quote it, but it basically says that she will be out for several episodes. Maybe they could work around her absence by saying that Penny got some type of acting gig? That might be an interesting development. What do you guys think? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/35 "2010-10-01T21:17:21Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > This was a very funny episode, but I’m a little worried about the direction this show is going. It’s getting more and more outrageous so you just have to disconnect your brain and enjoy it. That’s what I was thinking as well, I wouldn’t mind so much if the rest of the cast wasn’t so good. Let’s give Raj and Howard a shot. I kept thinking doesn’t Sheldon have a job? It must take away from his work obsesson to build those things which are pretty much useless ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/36 "2010-10-02T05:32:30Z")
I’ll bet they taped then cut a scene like this: The gang sits down to eat and Leonard says everyone’s share is $12. Penny pulls out her checkbook, writes a check, and hands it to Leonard. Penny: “Now we’re even.” Leonard: “Wow, ok thanks!” “Howard, pay up.” Howard: “I’m short on cash, I’ll pay you next week.” 😃 ---
**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:** [October 2, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/37 "2010-10-02T07:04:10Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > My question is why does Sheldon have a 1977 model Apple II? The computer is older than he is. I still have my Apple LCII and would still have my Commodore if I hadn’t sold it to my grandparents. OTOH these were both computers I actually used. Was that really a 1977 model? I don’t remember using Apples in school until 1986ish at least. How old is Sheldon supposed to be? Does anyone have screencaps of the multiple marker boards Sheldon was working on to determine his life expectancy? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/38 "2010-10-02T14:46:40Z")
1. All these posts and no one mentions Woz? You argue about whether Sheldon has an Apple II but not about the guy that inspired the scene? Geeze, you guys are in danger of losing your nerd cred. (FTR: I my oldest computer is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum from 1982. Picked up at a thrift store for fun. Why wouldn’t Sheldon do likewise, but buying online instead.) 1. Anyone know who the woman was next to Woz? She looked like one of **Bad Astronomer** ’s skeptic friends, but all I could find Googling was a suggestion it was Woz’s daughter. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/39 "2010-10-02T20:31:30Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > > [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > > > My question is why does Sheldon have a 1977 model Apple II? The computer is older than he is. > > I still have my Apple LCII and would still have my Commodore if I hadn’t sold it to my grandparents. OTOH these were both computers I actually used. Was that really a 1977 model? I don’t remember using Apples in school until 1986ish at least. How old is Sheldon supposed to be? > > Does anyone have screencaps of the multiple marker boards Sheldon was working on to determine his life expectancy? I’ll try to capture some later. You can get an explanation of the whiteboards here: [http://thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/s04e02-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/](http://thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/s04e02-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/) Scroll down to the heading “Tonight’s whiteboards” ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597/40 "2010-10-02T20:40:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > 1You argue about whether Sheldon has an Apple II but not about the guy that inspired the scene? Geeze, you guys are in danger of losing your nerd cred. What’s to argue about? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-bang-9-30-the-cruciferous-vegetable-amplification/555597.md?page=3)