The Electric Conundrum - an episode of the Simpsons about Electric Vehicles

Homer Simpson discovers the environmental and ethical issues surrounding electric cars and fossil fuels, leading him to rethink his views and become an advocate for clean energy and sustainable transportation in "The Electric Conundrum".

Title: The Electric Conundrum - Watt’s the deal?

Synopsis:

The episode begins with Homer Simpson driving his gas-guzzling car to work while listening to the radio, which announces the latest electric vehicle technology advancements. Homer scoffs at the idea of an electric car, believing they are expensive, unreliable, and can't travel long distances.

Later, at the Springfield Auto Show, Homer meets an electric car enthusiast who promotes the benefits of electric cars, such as reduced carbon emissions and lower fuel costs. But Homer remains skeptical and dismisses the electric vehicle as a toy for the rich and environmentally conscious.

However, things start to change when Homer learns about the negative impacts of fossil fuels, such as air pollution and climate change. He begins to research electric cars and discovers that they are becoming more affordable and have improved battery technology, resulting in longer ranges.

But Homer's skepticism is compounded when he hears critics of electric cars argue that they require rare earth minerals, which are often sourced from unethical or environmentally destructive mining practices. They also argue that electric cars create pollution through the manufacturing process, which offsets their emissions benefits.

Homer becomes even more conflicted about the electric car issue when he realizes that the same critics who are attacking electric cars for their ethics are themselves owners of smartphones and laptops that contain the same battery technology.

To make matters worse for Homer, he also learns about the dark side of the fossil fuel industry, including oil spills, fracking, and environmental degradation. He feels conflicted about continuing to support such an industry, especially since it's also hurting the planet.

Homer eventually decides to test drive an electric car, and he's pleasantly surprised by its performance and features. He also realizes that by driving an internal combustion engine car, he's contributing to the problem he's criticizing, which makes him feel hypocritical.

In the end, Homer decides to buy an electric car, and he becomes an advocate for clean energy and sustainable transportation. He even convinces his boss, Mr. Burns, to invest in renewable energy sources and electric vehicle charging stations for the company's employees.

The episode ends with a shot of Homer driving his new electric car, feeling proud and empowered that he's doing his part to protect the environment. He also makes a point to recycle his old phone and laptop and to encourage his family and friends to do the same.

Here are a few potential jokes that could be used in "The Electric Conundrum" episode:

  1. Homer: "Electric cars? You might as well ask me to ride a bike to work. Actually, no, scratch that. I'd rather walk."

  2. Bart: "Hey Dad, did you hear about the new electric car that's so fast it can outrun the police? They call it the Shockwave."

  3. Marge: "Homer, have you ever considered how much money we could save on gas if we got an electric car?" Homer: "Have you ever considered how much money we could save if we stopped eating donuts?"

  4. Homer: "An electric car? I don't want to be the laughingstock of the town. What's next? Solar-powered underwear?"

  5. Lisa: "Dad, did you know that electric cars produce zero emissions?" Homer: "Wow, imagine how fresh the air will smell when we're stuck in traffic!"

  6. Marge: "Homer, I heard that electric cars can charge up in as little as 30 minutes." Homer: "Great, so now we can go from being stranded on the side of the road with an empty gas tank to being stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery."

  7. Mr. Burns: "Electric cars? I thought those were just a myth, like the Loch Ness Monster or the perfect cup of tea." Smithers: "Actually, sir, there are millions of electric cars on the road today." Mr. Burns: "Well, I suppose we'll just have to create a monopoly on electric charging stations then."

A list of funny quotes from Homer Simpson

Since lockdown of the 2020 Covid Pandemic, I started watching every episode of the Simpsons from the beginning. Here are some funny quotes from Homer Simpson

  1. "Marge, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen."

  2. "I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?"

  3. "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."

  4. "Hey, how come my beer don't have no alcohol in it?"

  5. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing."

  6. "It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day."

  7. "Don't let Krusty's death get you down, boy. People die all the time. Just like that. Why, you could wake up dead tomorrow. Well, good night."

  8. "Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get."

  9. "Marge, don't discourage the boy! Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel."

  10. "Lisa, if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way."

  11. "Marge, I'm going to miss you so much. And it's not just the sex. It's also the food preparation."

  12. "I'm sorry, Marge. It's just that, well, I'm an ignorant slob. I thought I could be a farmer, but I was wrong. I'm nothing but a drunken, lazy buffoon."

  13. "Oh, everything's too damned expensive these days. This Bible cost fifteen bucks! And talk about a preachy book! Everywhere I look, 'Thou shalt not.' 'Thou shalt not.' 'Thou shalt not.' It's like they're just trying to give me a guilt complex."

  14. "Marge, you being a cop makes you the man! Which makes me the woman - and I have no interest in that, besides occasionally wearing the underwear, which as we discussed, is strictly a comfort thing."

  15. "Oh, Marge, you're as beautiful as Princess Leia and as smart as Yoda."

  16. "Hey, Marge. I'm a white male, age 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are."

  17. "Marge, it's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day."

  18. "Marge, you being a cop makes you the man! Which makes me the woman - and I have no interest in that, besides occasionally wearing the underwear, which as we discussed, is strictly a comfort thing."

"The Simpsons" is a long-running American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show follows the life of the Simpson family, consisting of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, who live in the fictional town of Springfield.

Homer Simpson is a lazy, overweight, and often clueless father who works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Marge Simpson is a homemaker and the patient and understanding wife of Homer. Bart Simpson is the mischievous and rebellious oldest child of the family, while Lisa is the intelligent and politically aware middle child, and Maggie is the youngest member of the family who communicates through sucking on her dummy (pacifier).

The show is known for its clever humour, satirical commentary on contemporary American society, and memorable characters. It has received widespread critical acclaim and has won numerous awards, including, at the time of writing, 32 Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. The show has also had a significant cultural impact and has been referenced in a wide variety of media.

Anatomy of a Bond Movie

It’s January 2021. It’s almost a year into the pandemic in the UK, we’re in lockdown, and we’re finding ways to stay busy and entertained. Over the last few weeks my young man took a fascination with Bond Movies, and we’ve end ended up watching all the PG ones at a rate of almost 1 per night.

This starkly revealed the formula for a Bond Movie, as they very clearly all follow a pattern of similar events and constructs.

I decided to capture it on paper. It fits pretty well with the 15 or so we’ve seen so far.

Anatomy of a Bond Movie: most of the movies seem to follow a generic formula

Anatomy of a Bond Movie: most of the movies seem to follow a generic formula

Should have been labelled...

The aftermath of the recent IT fiasco at British Airways reminds me of a funny story which should be filed under the "should have labelled it" category.

In my early 20's I took a trip to Edinburgh and stayed in a cheap guesthouse. I also took my "games console" (a Philips CDi, if anyone remembers those!).

The room was a bit sparse on sockets, especially near the TV, but there was one with a 12 volt adaptor already in it... I looked to see where is was going and what it was powering, but it didn't seem to be anything in the room. So, i turned it off, and nothing seemed to change, so I unplugged it, plugged in my CDi, fired up the TV and thought nothing more of it.

Next morning, I was rudely awakened by a knock on the door and a TV engineer asking if my TV was working. I'd played my video games with no problem, so "yes" was the answer. There was some confusion, as every other guest in the guesthouse had reported their TV not working.

It transpires they meant there was no signal - and the TV company had been out since dawn clambering all over the roof to trace the fault, starting from the aerial backwards.

Well, you know where this is heading.

It turns out that adaptor powered the TV booster box in some cupboard somewhere - so I had killed everyone's terrestrial signal by unplugging it. 

The proprietor was fuming and wanted to charge me the whole call out fee. Despite being a nervous 20-something-year-old, I refused. He said we were not entitled to use the electricity in the room. I said there was a TV, kettle in the room, so he was talking nonsense. And if he had critical infrastructure powered from a guest room, it should be labelled.

(In the end I gave him everything I had in my wallet as a gesture of goodwill, which was about 28 quid; I think the call out fee was 60 something)

So - a 10p label would have saved a £60 cost to the business...

BA, take note.... 

How to make election stats say anything you want

I'l be honest - for the first time in my life I've been gripped by the UK 2010 election and the workings of the politics.

We live in such a different era to when I was first able to vote: wall-to-wall blanket media coverage, 24 hour opinion and speculation, and something I've found particularly interesting, helpful, amusing (and silly at times): the whole social media channel - which in a sense has given real-time interaction and access to opinions that are not edited by TV moguls with an agenda.

However - that's not to say all this coverage has been excellent or impartial - far from it. Nothing is more annoying to me than selective use of facts simply to create spin - and there has been plenty of that.

So, I thought I would list out some of the key facts from the outcome of the election and list some of the possible statements that can be made - all true - but selected depending on what spin you wish to give.

If i had more time I'd turn this into an interactive tool that allows you to construct any statement you wish, but for now, here are the guts of it.

Quantity of votes

(Con ~10.7m ~8.6m Lab LD ~6.8m) source bbc


CON > LAB
CON > LIB DEM
LAB > LIB DEM

Thus

"labour did not win"
"lib dem did not win"


CON ~ >1/3rd vote
Lab ~ <1/3rd vote
LidDem ~1/4 vote

"~2/3rds did not vote for con"
"~2/3rds did not vote for lab"
"~3/4ths did not vote for Lib dem"

+ "and yet they are getting their policies implemented" etc.

 

when it comes to seats

CON < 326 (the number required for an outright majority)
LAB < 326
LD < 326

thus:

"con does not have a mandate to govern" or "con did not win"
"lab does not have a mandate to govern"
"ld does not have a mandate to govern"
"we have a PM that was not voted for"
"we have a Deputy PM that was not voted for"


CON + LD > LAB
LAB + LD > CON
CON + LAB > LD

thus:

a con + LD coalition represents the majority
a lab + LD coalition represents the majority
a con + lab coalition represents the majority


Because both coalition parties have to compromise on policy:

"con no longer represents their voters / has sold itself down the river"
"LD no longer represents their voters / has sold itself down the river"

and so on..

I've not even covered level of turnout, which means something like ~35% of the populations' views are unknown and thus can be used to reduce the mandate of all the above figures.

You can do this stuff all day.. :-)

How I baffled a cold-caller with one easy statement...

Cold Caller: Do you think people should be paying less for solar energy

Mr. Nik: I don't know - I mean I don't know what they're paying at the moment

Cold Caller: But people should be paying less, right?

Mr. Nik: Like I said, I don't really know, what are they paying now?

(repeat for several minutes)

Cold Caller: Well, but they should pay less?

Mr. Nik: Honestly, I don't know if they should...I have no idea about the costs.. maybe what they're paying now is ok?

Cold Caller: <silence>

Cold Caller: <more silence>

Cold Caller: <about 12 seconds silence; sound of tumbleweed>

Cold Caller: Ok, thank you for your time.. <click>

In Mr. Nik's head: No, thank YOU. My day wouldn't have been the same without this insane conversation

Oh no! They gave me a scrapberry!?

A bunch of not-so-endearing nicknames I have for the hideous horrendous mobile computing device I have been given for work - otherwise known as a blackberry. I would never ever buy one of these terrible things.

They are very popular in business - and sadly that usually means the people who buy them are not the people who use them. Sadly this means that usability appears to have taken a back seat. Such simple errors of usability still about on these appalling devices. 

For example, there are two "convenience" keys on the side of the device. These are right where I have have to grip it when using it as a phone (for which, incidentally, it is a terrible form factor). So, inevitably these keys are always getting pressed when i try to hold it like a phone.

Whereas other manufacturers have learned to make the most of their keyboard real-estate with multi-function context keys (the ones that change function as you navigate through the menus - usually two just underneath the screen) - the blackberry designers felt it unecessary to provide such convenience to us business users. Instead practically every single function has to be accessed by first pressing a single menu button to pull up the list of functions and options - sometimes as much as 3 screens long! It's so tedious it's untrue.

And don't even mention all that wasted real estate on the main front screen....

so, some nicknames - feel free to suggest more:

  • scrapberry
  • crackberry (seems generally popular, though not sure why)
  • splatberry
  • whackberry
  • crapberry
  • quackberry
  • blockberry
  • bolokberry
  • shatberry
  • hackberry
  • slackberry
  • drawbackberry
  • lackberry
  • sackberry
  • setbackberry
  • smackberry
  • thwackberry
  • blankberry
  • blattberry