# The Big Bang Theory 9/23 8:00 CBS--"The Robotic Manipulation" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765 "2010-09-23T13:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [September 24, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/41 "2010-09-24T16:23:20Z")
I thought it was a hilarious episode. Glad the show is back. The characters are growing, Penny understands geeky stuff (and Sheldon), Leonard is standing up for himself, Sheldon is becoming more socially skilled. The whole robot arm thing didn’t do much for me, surely 3 geek geniuses could figure out how to get robotic fingers to release without going to the hospital. But I guess going to the hospital was funnier. The hospital ladies solution was funny/clever though. I guess Howard forgot the hand would release when it quit receiving a control signal? When everyone heard Sheldon intended to reproduce, I liked the comment that the world would look back upon them in the future and wonder why they didn’t do anything to stop it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/42 "2010-09-24T16:25:33Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > Well, that’s just wrong. The Sheldon with whom I’m familiar has never even had an erection. Clearly, they had not thought this through at that time. Or that episode occurred on a different time-space continuum. Perhaps the infinite universes paradigm applies here. A wizard did it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/43 "2010-09-24T16:32:38Z")
A wizard’s staff has a knob on the end. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/44 "2010-09-24T17:16:24Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > If Sheldon and Amy do decide to go the petri dish route, think he’ll borrow the robot arm to get his specimen? Don’t even joke about it. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/45 "2010-09-24T17:18:00Z")
OMG! I forgot about you! _::falls over laughing::_ ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/46 "2010-09-24T17:38:54Z")
I really enjoyed the episode. It would have been much funnier if Leonard’s “problem” had extricated itself by shrinking the moment his Mom yelled up the stairs. And if they ever do show her, I hope it’s Fran Drescher in a really sexy miniskirt. Then we get to see Raj deciding whether he can get past the screaming :shudder: no, no he can’t. . . I’d also love to have a running joke with Sheldon inventing gadgets which would make childrearing palatable for him. An automatic diaper changer with attached incinerator, a combination rocker/massage chair to keep the baby comfortable, etc. And he could completely buy into the imagined scenario, becoming increasingly desperate to get the things working, as if the baby were really there. He would of course enlist Leonard, and grovel before his engineering skills (Leonard: "Not until you admit that my degree is as important as yours. . .) with Leonard eventually getting behind in his NASA work due to the pressure from Sheldon. . . Oh Lord, this show is going to turn me into a Fan-fiction wank, I just know it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/47 "2010-09-24T18:02:46Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I really enjoyed the episode. > > It would have been much funnier if Leonard’s “problem” had extricated itself by shrinking the moment his Mom yelled up the stairs. > > And if they ever do show her, I hope it’s Fran Drescher in a really sexy miniskirt. Then we get to see Raj deciding whether he can get past the screaming :shudder: no, no he can’t. . . > > I’d also love to have a running joke with Sheldon inventing gadgets which would make childrearing palatable for him. An automatic diaper changer with attached incinerator, a combination rocker/massage chair to keep the baby comfortable, etc. And he could completely buy into the imagined scenario, becoming increasingly desperate to get the things working, as if the baby were really there. He would of course enlist Leonard, and grovel before his engineering skills (Leonard: "Not until you admit that my degree is as important as yours. . .) with Leonard eventually getting behind in his NASA work due to the pressure from Sheldon. . . > > Oh Lord, this show is going to turn me into a Fan-fiction wank, I just know it. :smack: Then you’d better get it through your head that the NASA engineer with the screaming mother is Howard, not Leonard. (Though I can understand the confusion, with Leonard fading more and more into the background lately.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/48 "2010-09-24T18:03:07Z")
> [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](#): > > > [@Oy](#): > > > > I can’t imagine Sheldon going into a bathroom with a plastic cup and a magazine. > > A little ironic trivia for you: look around the intrawebs and you’ll find the unaired pilot episode of Big Bang. That Sheldon is intensely aware of sex and the episode opens with Leonard and Sheldon at the sperm bank selling their … “legacies” to make some money fast. IIRC even the aired version had a line about Sheldon being an “expert” at “self-loving”. Which wouldn’t really conflict with him being asexual. Besides, even if Sheldon doesn’t masturbate he’d still have been having wet dreams since he was a teenager. You what would be really funny? If Sheldon finally get’s around to having his sperm tested in preperation for procreation, only to discover he’s shooting blanks and can’t actually have biological offspring. 🙂 Of course this would make him want to figure a way to perfect human cloning so instead of a half-Sheldon or two the would could have dozens of _indentical_ Sheldons running around. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/49 "2010-09-24T18:56:11Z")
Realistically, once they turned the robot arm off, all they’d have to do is pry the fingers away. The fingers wouldn’t use very powerful motors, and the gearing in a dexterous hand probably wouldn’t have excessive amounts of friction. It should be safe to backdrive the fingers a little bit. Restarting the control signal, on the other hand, is a tremendously bad idea. Most robot hands would go through an initialization procedure, during which the motors would move around and locate their “home” positions. Obviously, that’s not a good thing to do when the hand has a firm grasp on your anatomy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/50 "2010-09-24T19:29:02Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Realistically, once they turned the robot arm off, all they’d have to do is pry the fingers away. The fingers wouldn’t use very powerful motors, and the gearing in a dexterous hand probably wouldn’t have excessive amounts of friction. It should be safe to backdrive the fingers a little bit. The other problem is when Howard says the program controlling the hand is paused. I guarantee they would know how to terminate a running process. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/51 "2010-09-24T19:33:39Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The other problem is when Howard says the program controlling the hand is paused. I guarantee they would know how to terminate a running process. Starrght from the **Robot Arm**! Simon Helberg is quite the fine acor as Howard Wolowitz, miserable character that he is. ETA: Were you just looking for a chance to grab this thread’s junk, **Robet Arm**? ---
**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:** [September 24, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/52 "2010-09-24T19:33:41Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@JThunder](#): > > > > Realistically, once they turned the robot arm off, all they’d have to do is pry the fingers away. The fingers wouldn’t use very powerful motors, and the gearing in a dexterous hand probably wouldn’t have excessive amounts of friction. It should be safe to backdrive the fingers a little bit. > > The other problem is when Howard says the program controlling the hand is paused. I guarantee they would know how to terminate a running process. Why thank you **Robot Arm**!! 😃 He probably wasn’t thinking clearly, and terminating the process wouldn’t really have gotten him anywhere. But it would have been safer than having it a keystroke away from continuing! ---
**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:** [September 24, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/53 "2010-09-24T20:08:24Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Are there more commercials this year? Seemed like almost more ads than program! I hear this complaint a lot about various shows, but is this even possible? I thought commercial time was standardized at least for broadcast TV. Maybe the commercials are shorter so more can fit in the same time? > [@Markxxx](#): > > Amy doesn’t matter much, 'cause all they do is put a Sheldon line in her mouth which she reads in monotone. So Amy is nothing more, so far, than a female Sheldon clone. If they’re gonna keep her around, they’re gonna have to do something with her, or she’ll get old quickly. I agree. I liked the idea of Amy, but the actress just isn’t pulling it off. The only way I can see it working is if they continue it like they did at the beginning of the episode, with it just being Sheldon reading his text messages from her. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/54 "2010-09-24T20:31:05Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > ETA: Were you just looking for a chance to grab this thread’s junk, **Robet Arm**? No, but here’s a napkin. Would you like me to rub your shoulder? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/55 "2010-09-24T20:32:53Z")
[QUOTE=Markxxx] Amy doesn’t matter much, 'cause all they do is put a Sheldon line in her mouth which she reads in monotone. So Amy is nothing more, so far, than a female Sheldon clone. [/QUOTE] And Jim Parsons is a much better female clone of himself as evidenced at [:59 and points thereafter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-R2eqF5m9Y). ---
**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:** [September 24, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/56 "2010-09-24T20:34:19Z")
The Amy character could be interesting if Sheldon develops new and confusing feelings, then goes through a stark raving mad period of Pon Farr only to return to his usual self. Maybe triggered by a botched attempt at producing a sample for his petri dish progeny. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/57 "2010-09-24T21:57:05Z")
I’m beginning to love Raj all the more because of his random stupid comments that just…happen. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/58 "2010-09-24T23:18:47Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Then you’d better get it through your head that the NASA engineer with the screaming mother is Howard, not Leonard. (Though I can understand the confusion, with Leonard fading more and more into the background lately.) :😊: mumble, mumble not much sleep, mumble, mumble . . . ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/59 "2010-09-25T00:57:52Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > The Amy character could be interesting if Sheldon develops new and confusing feelings, then goes through a stark raving mad period of Pon Farr only to return to his usual self. > > Maybe triggered by a botched attempt at producing a sample for his petri dish progeny. Only to find out she’s already been implanted by another man because it was more _logical_. In addition to the masturbation references in the pilot episode (which also had Vernee Watson as the receptionist at the sperm bank) Sheldon flirted with Penny as much as Leonard did. “I have charts too… these are my charts… see!” Sheldon as written today would be irritated that she entered the apartment without showing ID, answering random questions about Nebraska to verify her ID, and then being timed until she left. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765/60 "2010-09-25T02:23:57Z")
> [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](#): > > A little ironic trivia for you: look around the intrawebs and you’ll find the unaired pilot episode of Big Bang. That Sheldon is intensely aware of sex and the episode opens with Leonard and Sheldon at the sperm bank selling their … “legacies” to make some money fast. Penny: So what’d you guys do today? Sheldon: We were going to masturbate into a cup for money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-9-23-8-00-cbs-the-robotic-manipulation/554765.md?page=4)