System crashing, nuclear threat,
riots in streets, fiat paper debt,
mass extinctions, despot measures-
I’m changing the channel for TV pleasures.
I am not familiar with most current TV offerings – and this is old news for you hipsters – but while visiting family, I learned about The Big Bang Theory, one of the biggest shows on TV. It’s about a couple of super-smart science geeks, and the limitations they have as whole people.
One particular episode, Season 4 Episode 2 The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification, aired on November 30, 2010 and had a guest appearance by Apple computer legend Steve Wozniak AND a mention of cold fusion.
As Sheldon, one of the characters who plays a verifiable genius with obsessive compulsive disorders, figures out when he’s going to die, he laments to his friend and room-mate Leonard about all he’s going to miss out on when he does.
Watch a short clip here (with Turkish! subtitiles).
The cold fusion reference comes in at mark 2:10. [Full transcript here]
Sheldon: But seriously, even if I disregard the Uncle Carl factor, at best I have 60 years left.
Leonard: That long, huh?
Sheldon: 60 only takes me to here. I need to get to here.
Leonard: What’s there?
Sheldon: The earliest estimate of the singularity, when man will be able to transfer his consciousness into machines and achieve immortality.
Leonard: So, you’re upset about missing out on becoming some sort of freakish self-aware robot?
Sheldon: By this much.
Leonard: Tough break. You want eggs?
Sheldon: You don’t get it, Leonard. I’m going to miss so much, the unified field theory, cold fusion, the dogapus.
…60 years?
Maybe they got confused with hot fusion…
Or…maybe I got the joke wrong! [See comments] If Sheldon can make it long enough to transfer his consciousness to a machine, then he could live forever, and then, he would experience cold fusion.
Well, luckily, we don’t believe Sheldon will miss cold fusion!
The writers are listed as: Bill Prady (Story), Lee Aronsohn (Story), Steve Holland (Story), Chuck Lorre (Teleplay), Steven Molaro (Teleplay), Jim Reynolds (Teleplay) – at least one of this crew had some ears on.
It’s an old episode, before the Rossi effect. Perhaps the writers will put Sheldon’s genius towards the cold fusion question in an upcoming episode, and Big Bang Theory will turn comedy to science fiction with a what-if plot: What if we got clean cold fusion energy in 2012?
As an aside, the very first entry searching Big Bang Theory and Cold Fusion brings up Eugene Mallove‘s The Implications of the Big Bang originally published in Infinite Energy #46 from 2002.
Related Links
Official The Big Bang Theory from CBS
The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification Wiki
Steve Wozniak personal website
How did we get from that TV show (which I am a fan of) and cold fusion? You people are morons. Was that supposed to be funny? I just wasted 5 mins of my life that i will never get back. thanks for nothing.
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How did you get to Cold Fusion Now?
Watch that Internet surfing, days go by that you’ll never get back…
Ruby
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Wow! Bill Prady! Yes, of course, you’re write!
The 60 years young adult human life span matches the number of decades the hot fusioneers have received tens of billions of dollars, to little practical energy effect.
Holy cow, Bill! Have you followed the saga of cold fusion to any degree? Do you believe its possible at all? If so, when? Are you aware of the recent news?
Do you see these characters embroiled in drama the way the real life scientists have?
Thanks for righting in!
Ruby
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You misunderstood the joke.
Sheldon feels that if he could live 60 years longer, he could become part machine and then live forever.
He does not believe that cold fusion will happen within the next 60 years (and we know the dogapus is generations away).
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