episodes 919 'The Solder Excursion Diversion' (March 31)

[Stephen Hawking]

39 minutes ago, JohnPhD said:

doesn't CalTech employ any technicians to build equipment?

They employ engineers, of which Howard is one.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[JohnPhD]

10 minutes ago, Stephen Hawking said:

They employ engineers, of which Howard is one.

No, Howard is a professional engineer in the Engineering Department who works on engineering projects. Technicians build equipment to the requirements of scientists for their scientific experiments.

[Stephen Hawking]

Howard seems to be building equipment, to the requirements of scientists, for their scientific experiments, in this scene.

 

Edited May 14, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[joyceraye]

Sorry, I can't help sniggering every time I hear 'sodder'.

 

[JohnPhD]

15 hours ago, joyceraye said:

Sorry, I can't help sniggering every time I hear 'sodder'.

 

Yes. I don't care to imagine what a "soddering iron" is for.

[Stephen Hawking]

Isn't Leonard allergic to pollen?

[Stephen Hawking]

When the S, R and M keys stopped working, couldn't Sheldon have done one of the following?

1. Used an onscreen keyboard.

2. Plugged in a USB keyboard.

3. Used his desktop computer instead.

4. Used his I-Pad instead.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[djsurrey]

1 hour ago, Stephen Hawking said:

When the S, R and M keys stopped working, couldn't Sheldon have done one of the following?

1. Used an onscreen keyboard.

2. Plugged in a USB keyboard.

3. Used his desktop computer instead.

4. Used his I-Pad instead.

I had a similar list back in 

 

[djsurrey]

On 14/05/2016 at 10:06 AM, JohnPhD said:

Something I've noticed before - doesn't CalTech employ any technicians to build equipment?

They probably do but it is probably expedient for the grad students and post docs to do a lot of their own building rather than wait around to get stuff done. Except those things that really require special skills.

[Stephen Hawking]

43 minutes ago, djsurrey said:

I had a similar list back in 

I would think the easiest option, would be to send the email (and indeed Skype her) from his I-Pad.

[djsurrey]

On 14/05/2016 at 10:46 AM, Stephen Hawking said:

On 14/05/2016 at 10:06 AM, JohnPhD said:

doesn't CalTech employ any technicians to build equipment?

They employ engineers, of which Howard is one.

It would be typical to hire technicians and trades people to build stuff. In north america engineers typically make up the plans. At a university one may wear more hats.

[Stephen Hawking]

19 hours ago, djsurrey said:

In north america engineers typically make up the plans.

Howard doesn't.

From The Leftover Thermalization:-

Howard: Well, I guess, as an engineer, I lean towards execution. I spend my days trying to take ideas and make them real.

[Tensor]

3 hours ago, Stephen Hawking said:

Howard doesn't.

From The Leftover Thermalization:-

Howard: Well, I guess, as an engineer, I lean towards execution. I spend my days trying to take ideas and make them real.

Stephen, I don't know if it's the American-British language thing.  But drawing up plans would be creating the blueprints needed to build things.  Taking the idea, and making it real by creating the documents (plans) that are needed to build it.   Now, while he may also build some things (as he says), he will also create the plans for the things he builds, and things others build.

[djsurrey]

7 hours ago, Stephen Hawking said:

Howard doesn't.

From The Leftover Thermalization:-

Howard: Well, I guess, as an engineer, I lean towards execution. I spend my days trying to take ideas and make them real.

Television is a visual medium so this sitcom does not really give a good idea of what an engineer does.

Have a look at https://web.csulb.edu/colleges/coe/views/choosing/engineers.shtml

 

[joyceraye]

Can someone please explain to me what the significance is of putting male genitalia on things ? What with Howard's car, Sheldon's laptop and now Raj's  wish to put his on the guidance gadget, it seems an odd way to me of getting revenge. What does it mean ? Is it another American thing ?

[Kathy2611]

1 hour ago, joyceraye said:

Can someone please explain to me what the significance is of putting male genitalia on things ? What with Howard's car, Sheldon's laptop and now Raj's  wish to put his on the guidance gadget, it seems an odd way to me of getting revenge. What does it mean ? Is it another American thing ?

Yes, sadly, it's an American thing and yes, also a very immature one.

[joyceraye]

20 hours ago, Kathy2611 said:

Yes, sadly, it's an American thing and yes, also a very immature one.

A reply came up in my email inbox but appears to have been removed.  It said the writer knew a British bloke who did it. Even more intriguing. What does it actually mean ? Perhaps I'm too much of an old maid to understand. Putting paint, flour, ink or eggs on the things of people you're annoyed with makes sense to me, but naked parts that leave no mark doesn't.

[Stephen Hawking]

3 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

Putting paint, flour, ink or eggs on the things of people you're annoyed with makes sense to me, but naked parts that leave no mark doesn't.

I think it's the idea that they are handling something, which has been in contact with your genitals, gives you a certain twisted satisfaction.

[joyceraye]

1 hour ago, Stephen Hawking said:

I think it's the idea that they are handling something, which has been in contact with your genitals, gives you a certain twisted satisfaction.

Thanks. I see it now. Getting something of their chest, as it were, without doing any real harm.

[Stephen Hawking]

26 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

Thanks. I see it now. Getting something of their chest, as it were, without doing any real harm.

Pretty much.

We saw similar, in The Parking Spot Escalation.

[Stephen Hawking]

Surely Sheldon could figure out, that Amy doesn't need to go home, to test out the new laptop on Skype.

They could simply Skype between rooms in 4A,