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The Futurama of Physics
MasaMuneCyrus writes "I was surprised to notice an article about Futurama in my latest American Physical Society news. Titled, 'Profiles in Versatility: The Futurama of Physics with David X. Cohen,' Cohen talks a little bit about his life and his love for physics, and he goes on to describe how he regularly injects graduate-level physics jokes into the script of Futurama. He also talks a little bit about the upcoming season of Futurama: 'In the 10th episode of the upcoming season, tentatively entitled "The Prisoner of Benda," a theorem based on group theory was specifically written (and proven!) by staffer/PhD mathematician Ken Keeler to explain a plot twist.'"
Does the physicist-turned-comedy icon have any regrets? "What I do is ultimately not similar to physics or computer science," Cohen admits. "I would like to have lived two lives, to be a scientist in one... So of course I have regrets. Science is more important than what we do, although I do get a lot of satisfaction out of my work."
Surely you must take some solace or pride in the fact that the genre of sci-fi entertainment often sparks the scientist in people? And if it doesn't get them to become scientists, it at least drives a curiosity. Were it not for the enjoyment of many sci-fi novels as a kid, I would not be so interested in science and computers. Many older engineers I've worked with have given Star Trek a lot of credit for their early intrigue with physics. Surely Cohen can consider the cult popularity of Futurama and its return as a potential to be an enduring piece of entertainment that serves as a pilot light for young minds. Even though many of the Stanislaw Lem novels I read were humor or political satire, they caused me to wonder ... "what if?" Futurama makes physics entertaining and funny. Some would consider that very valuable as there's very little material out there that does that.
My work here is dung.
I was a huge fan of the series, but those movies were pretty atrocious. I'm not sure if they went with different writers, or maybe they were just off their game, but I sure hope the new season gets the old groove back. The math and physics jokes are funny, though, but even those seemed to be missing from the movies.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I love hypnotoad. I always have and always will.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I thought FOX (bastards!) canceled that show over 5 years ago [...]
The bastards at Fox did cancel the show. The new episodes are going to run on Comedy Central.
This ain't rocket surgery.
that goes without saying. everyone loves hypnotoad.
It's Friday night. I have no date, a bottle of Shasta, and an all Rush mix tape.
They cancelled it. Internet community cried out it never had a chance with its programming and how it was the next evolution of the simpsons (they were getting old, and futurama connected with the upcoming technological revolutions), so after a few years (7 or so) they brought out movies of Futurama on DVD only to test the success and keep it alive resulting in 4 Futurama movies.
The DVD success has given them enough momentum to restart the series; first new episode will be aired the 24th this month if I recall this alright.
So, to me it's not that strange to see Futurama more in the media again and get it more weight at relaunch by showing the intelligence in it in science magazines and other media to draw in attention of people who would enjoy the humor alike.
I for one, am rejoicing! 10 years ago I enjoyed this series and devoured it, but maybe the world wasn't ready for it yet.
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!
Because Futurama is a comedy and not a drama like Star Trek
Star Trek not a comedy? Why didn't someone tell me I wasn't supposed to laugh?
--
.nosig
"Cohen has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard and a master’s degree in computer science from UC Berkeley" He obviously has too many degrees that he isn't using and is a detriment to the American economy. (snark)
"I'm not a quack, I'm a mad scientist! There's a difference." - Dr. Cockroach
http://r33b.net/
ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
From episode 2-16, The Deep South, as the crew of the Planet Express ship are plunging to the bottom of the ocean...
Leela: "Depth at 45 hundred feet... 48 hundred, 50 hundred. 5,000 feet."
Professor: "Dear lord! That's over 150 atmospheres of pressure!"
Fry: "How many atmospheres can the ship withstand?"
wait for it...
Professor: "Well, it's a spaceship... so I'd say anywhere between zero and one."
I've invented a device that sneaks nerdy physics jokes into primetime programming!
...I've also invented a machine that makes you read this aloud in your head, in my voice!
Libertarians somehow believe that private businesses should be stronger than governments but weaker than individuals.
Physics jokes are fun for physicists, but there seems to be a lack of technology/computers-related jokes in the movies.
Who can forget the easy "10 home, 20 sweet, 30 goto 10" joke from the first (was it the first?) episode, the "two reels of tape look like boobs" painting/poster, the nightmare of Bender "and I think I saw a TWO in there!", etc. It's fine to make obscure jokes that only 5% of the viewers will get (old hardware or stuff like that perhaps), just like not everyone gets all the physics jokes.
One exemple would be "Hey Fry, can I borrow 150 dollars? Sorry Bender, I only have 144. Oh, I can't store 144, that's where my speech processor is at.". The reference (of course) is the 220h default address of the Sound Blaster (220 hexadecimal = 144 decimal).
Not sure if time-travel paradoxes jokes are considered physics jokes, but I like those too.
They could also play with logic, similar to those fake Veridian Dynamics ads in Better Off Ted. Watch "Friendship. It's the same as stealing." to see what I mean. It's logic and you can almost agree with all their points up until the end. Reminds me of the crazy MPAA ads before movies.
P.S.: we want more Amy! Half-naked Amy acting cute, charming and clumsy!
So the humor here is that it's paradoxical to want to solve a single equation with two variables? Or am I being too geeky here? After all, the solution is *trivial*...
Is it? It's quite possible that that equation has no solutions in the reals, though I can't be assed to work it out right now. Given Cohen's penchant for deep mathematical jokes, I wouldn't be surprised if the value of B is complex.
An equation with only complex solutions, where the solutions are supposed to be physical quantities, can in some sense be said to be "unsolvable," or rather, it has no true physical meaning because its solutions are not physical.
An equation with only complex solutions, where the solutions are supposed to be physical quantities, can in some sense be said to be "unsolvable," or rather, it has no true physical meaning because its solutions are not physical.
Any time you put a capacitor or an inductor in a circuit, you have just created an equation with only complex solutions, with true physical meaning. The real portion is magnitude and the imaginary portion is a phase shift. If I remember my mechanical stuff correctly, the same thing happens when you put a spring or a dashpot in a mechanical system.
Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.