Does anyone know who the writer(s) was/were on the Jim Carey Quantum Mechanics skit?

I work at Harvard and I heard it was verbatum from a paper written by a Professor here and I was wondering why they chose that paper, and if it was a former student or just a random choice, and who the writer(s) was/were, for it was hilarious and I figured I would forward that info to the prof... I heard he got a kick out of it and was curious too if it was a former student... afterall isn't Conan a Harvard alum? Any info?

Sue

if anyone wants to read the actual paper, I believe it is this one:

http://hussle.harvard.edu/~gabrielse/gabri...seSwitching.pdf

Enjoy!

This is highly intriguing. Especially because I had a strong desire to marry whichever one of the writers wrote that bit, and I now find out it was the last paragraph on page 900 of the article "Stochastic Phase Switching of a Parametrically Driven Electron in a Penning Trap" in the journal of the American Physical Society, volume 83, number 5. And my dreams come crashing down before my eyes. Well, I still love you, Lapidus, Enzer, and Gabrielse, even if you're not comedy writers.
As to which writer(s) was/were involved in the bit, your guess is as good as ours. Actually I'm going to guess it was probably the biochem major from Harvard.

Thanks for the info. The biochem major sounds likely. Thanks again. And I agree Lapidus, Enzer and Gabrielse rock!

Anyone else with any info, I would love more info to add this to Harvard Physics lore!

I want to marry that biochem major from Harvard...:swoon:

You know Sue, Jim Carrey was on a while back (5/23/2003) and he did a very similar thing with Stephen Hawking, who actually taped a bit for Jim Carrey's interview. (Something about the world of the brane--don't ask me, I was a Telecomm major.) If you can find someone who has a copy of that show (not me), I think you'd like it, too.

"They called me mad. They laughed at me--HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

SOJ

Thanks for the info. Yes, I saw that skit. I try to see Conan every week night. Love the show, love the guy, love the comedy! Idid see that Hawking/Carey sketch, and love both of them too. Hilarious!

However, this skit, I took special interest and delight in since they used a paper from a Prof that works a few doors down from me and we were all curious since the paper was an old obscure one, thinking maybe an ex physics major from here was now writing for Conan but it looks like it might be an ex biochem major from here.

Now the remaining curiosity for us here, is why of all the quantum papers in all the quantum joints, did he pick that one... and we would love to relay a nod of how hilarious we found that skit! We serious scientists and engineers need a good laugh at least once a day and that skit was genius!

Cheers,
Sue

Sue - If you want to contact the writer, you should write to Late Night's head writer, and he can show your letter to whoever wrote the bit.
Mike Sweeney, c/o Late Night, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.

QUOTE (severina80 @ Mar 1 2007, 10:20 PM)

I want to marry that biochem major from Harvard...:swoon:

I heard that he's cute. Like REALLY cute, especially in person. Wow, the luck of that girl who saw him in person. And so what if he just so happens to already be married. Some people can look beyond that.

D.amn that b.itchy girl who saw him in person! Some girls have all the luck!


Do you think he could use a second wife? You know, like spare batteries. Who doesn't need spare batteries?

I keed, I keed

THat is interesting were there anymore jokes in that sketch that only a Quantum Mechanics person would know? I only ask because my brother is a nuclear engineer only he doesn't get a chance to watch the show as much as he would like. Is there any layered humor that is going over the head of us simpletons? Just curious.

Thanks. I got my info. It was Dan Goor, a Harvard alum, biochem class of 1997, and I even found out why he chose that paper... it had just the right amount of jargon, not too much, not too little. That was all I was curious about and I sent a complement on the work, so thank you all for the information.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if that episode won an Emmy, it might be the frist time in history that physics jargon won an Emmy

Hmm, you clearly just randomly talked to Dan Goor or Mike Sweeney. And you are now my hero.


That would be wonderful, but don't bet the farm on it. Jon Stewart usually stomps all over what should be Conan's glory at the Emmys. I wish Late Night would at least win once...

As much as I love Conan, I love Jon Stewart too, both for different tastes of humor, where Conan has that wacky humor I love but Jon has the political with a dose of reality and perspective that sometimes that and his expression are genius humor that I love. They both have given me laughs so I am grateful for both for we all need to laugh more often and Jon's actually has some real impact by making people realize the ridiculousness of some politicians and policies. So I would love Conan to win more for he deserves it but I would never begrudge my hero Jon.

I find Jon Stewart on The Daily Show to be too smug, snarky, snide, and just overall unlikable, and I really can't get past that to even watch the show. But that doesn't mean they don't have a brilliant show with brilliant writing. And you're right, TDS and Late Night are two very different shows, and they're both exceptionally good at what they do. I don't think The Daily Show and Conan should even be in the same Emmy category, because they are so vastly different. And I think it's sad that Late Night w/Conan has been on the air 14 years and nominated for 20 Emmys and never won. Too much of this "reality" nonsense makes me shudder, so that's why I prefer Conan or non-topical humor.