Infosphere:Featured articles/2012
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This page lists articles that were featured on the Main Page during 2012. If you have ideas for pages that should be featured, please add them on the nominations page.
Fortnight 1, 2012: Tinny Tim (reprise)
Tinny Tim is an unlucky orphan robot who lives on the streets of New New York. He uses a crutch (which seems to replace his arm) to help himself walk. Despite the hardships he endures, he seems to be accepting of his lot in life. Though generally seen begging, he has also been seen selling newspapers. Tinny Tim is both in name, accent and appearance based on Charles Dickens' Tiny Tim character. (more...)
Fortnight 2, 2012: The Late Philip J. Fry (reprise)
"The Late Philip J. Fry", aired in July 2010, is often considered by both staff and fans to be one of the best episodes, if not the best episode, of both the series and the sixth season. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, and Bender accidentally travel into a dystopic year ten thousand, without the possibility to travel backwards, only forwards in time. Upon realising this, they decide to keep traveling beyond, hoping to reach a time when Humanity has constructed a backwards time machine. (more...)
Fortnight 3, 2012: Dark matter
Dark matter is a substance that was widely used as starship fuel in the 30th and 31st centuries. A pound of it weighs over ten thousand pounds. Dark matter has existed in the form of a ball of no more than one inch in radius, which is excreted by the Nibblonians (1ACV04), and oil (3ACV02). The only place where dark matter has been known to be mined was the planet Vergon 6, now destroyed. It was completely filled with the heavy substance and imploded due to the lack of support for the surface after it was mined hollow (1ACV04). Dark matter was useless until 2970, when, while smashing some in a particle accelerator, Professor Farnsworth accidentally created a single non-local metaparticle and an anti-backwards crystal. Spacecraft fuelled by dark matter were fairly common until 3008, as proven by the availability of dark-matter fuel at orbital filling stations. In that year, when dark-matter prices started to rise due to a supposed shortage, the professor set out to render dark matter useless again and to ruin Mom's fortune with the anti-backwards crystal, which Mom technically stole from him along with the single non-local metaparticle. The two crystals were destroyed and all dark matter became useless once more (BG).
Fortnight 4, 2012: Bender Lets Loose!
Bender Lets Loose! is a spoken word album released by Bender. Bender advertised it at a Human hunt on Chapek 9, where he said that it cost 18.95 and came with a Bender action figurine, in the year 3000. Bender Lets Loose! later went gold (1ACV05).
Fortnight 5, 2012: Amy's obscene tattoo
Amy showed her obscene tattoo to the rest of the Planet Express crew in Historic 20th Century Apartments in 3000 after making a remark about the low-definition TVs of the 20th century (1ACV06). We cannot see it clearly due to our primitive technology, but it appears to consist of two red figures, possibly Decapodians.
Fortnight 6, 2012: Bont the Viscous
Bont the Viscous is the Emperor of Trisol. He was succeeded by Fry and succeeded Fry as the Emperor in 3000 (1ACV07) and attended the Ultimate Robot Fighting match between the Gender Bender and Destructor in 3001 (2ACV08), the violet dwarf star implosion ceremony in 3009 (ItWGY) and the 100th delivery party in 3010 (6ACV12).
Fortnight 7, 2012: Cinnamon
Cinnamon is Wernstrom's pet goldfish. He was used to demonstrate the reverse scuba suit at the Academy of Inventors' annual symposium in 3000 (1ACV08), watched Professor Farnsworth in Fry's body attack Wernstrom in 3003 (US#009) and suffered from common cold in 3004 (US#011).
Fortnight 8, 2012: Fender
Fender is a loudspeaker who works with the Beastie Boys. He went to high school with Bender and worked at Jack In The Box before 3000, attended a Beastie Boys concert and a jacking-on party with Bender in 3000 (1ACV09), was outside the Mom's Friendly Robot Company headquarters and participated in the Robot Uprising by shooting lasers on Mother's Day in 3001 (2ACV14), attended the Big Robot Party in 3003 (4ACV08), welcomed Bender to the League of Robots in 3008 (TBwaBB) and attended the 100th delivery party in 3010 (6ACV12).
Fortnight 9, 2012: Titanic
The Titanic was the largest, most luxurious space cruise ship ever built (1ACV10). She resembled the classic steam ship of the same name in design with its four funnels and sharp bow, sported a casino with a bar, a buffet (including bisque, Amy's favorite), an outdoor swimming pool on the deck, a large restaurant and many other amenities and was fueled by many stokers shoveling dark matter into the fires. Propulsion was seemingly provided by one or more dark-matter reactors situated in the bowels of the ship. Unlike her unlucky namesake, the ship sported a great number of escape pods at the stern, sufficient to allow every person on board to escape in an emergency.
Fortnight 10, 2012: Rumbledy-hump
Rumbledy-hump is a children's television series created by Leela in 3011, inspired by the adventures of the inhabitants of the planet of the same name - the Humplings. It was developed for Abner Doubledeal's Tickelodeon Kids Network, written by Leela, and directed by Doubledeal and Leela, starred members of the Planet Express crew as the Humplings, and won a Slurmie for "Best New Kids' Show". When the planet was discovered, the series was turned into a reality show, starring the real Humplings (6ACV21).
Fortnight 11, 2012: Tijuana
Tijuana is a town in Mexico, located just a stone's throw away from the American frontier. There, Bender was built (3ACV06), Hermes lived in a dusty house while working for Mom as Inspector 5 (6ACV06), Fat-bot caught a computer virus during a trip with Bender and the other Fratbots (1ACV11) and Bender and Hermes tried to find Inspector 5 (6ACV06).
Fortnight 12, 2012: Giant ball of garbage
The giant ball of garbage was a ball of garbage created in the 20th century by the people of Old New York (1ACV08). In the year 2000, they put the garbage ball on the world's largest barge. This barge circled the ocean for 50 years, but no country would accept it. Eventually, in the year 2052, Old New York used its mob connections to obtain a rocket and launch the garbage into outer space. At the time, many scientists worried that the ball would return to Earth someday, but their concerns were written off. In the year 3000, the ball did return to Earth, and it was discovered by Fry using Farnsworth's Smell-O-Scope. When it was found, Farnsworth discovered that it would directly hit New New York in less than 72 hours. Fry, Bender, and Leela attempted to destroy the ball of garbage, but failed. Ultimately, the people of New New York made a second ball of garbage of the exact size and density of the original ball. They knocked the second ball into the original, and the original was blasted into the sun.
Fortnight 13, 2012: Planet Express (reprise)
Planet Express, inc. is an intergalactic delivery company owned by Professor Farnsworth to fund his research. Its primary location is located in New New York, and its crew includes many important characters of the series. The company scrapes by, in spite of fierce competition from the leader in package delivery, Mom's Friendly Delivery Company, and they stay in business thanks to their complete disregard for safety and minimum wage laws, as well as the Professor's unscrupulous acceptance of the occasional bribe. (more...)
Fortnight 14, 2012: Old New York
In the Stupid Ages, Old New York was known as simply New York. It was one of the biggest cities in the world and produced more garbage than any other city. In 2000, the city put its garbage on a giant barge, which was launched into space 52 years later. [1ACV08] In the 31st century, Old New York is in ruins, with New New York built atop. (more...)
Fortnight 15, 2012: The Mutants Are Revolting
"The Mutants Are Revolting" is the one hundredth episode of Futurama, the season finale of season 6, and aired in September 2010. After Leela is banished to the sewers along with the other mutants, she and the Planet Express crew lead a revolution for mutant rights. The episode is one of few which shows large political and sociological change in the Futurama universe, which had effects on many following episodes. (more...)
Fortnight 16, 2012: Suicide booth (reprise)
The suicide booth is phone booth like machine standing on most corners in New New York. The suicide booth is used for a quick, efficient way of committing suicide. While some suicide booths are purely mechanical, others seem to be robots, for example Lynn. The suicide booths have been in use at least since 2008, when the Stop 'n Drop brand of suicide booths was introduced. The use of suicide costs 25¢, and probably has not changed in a thousand years. The booth allows for two primary forms of killing, "quick and painless", or "slow and horrible", but it is also possible to describe your own method to the machine. (more...)
Fortnight 17, 2012: Fry-Leela relationship (reprise)
The Fry-Leela relationship is a recurring theme and a story arc in Futurama, the developing romantic relationship between Philip J. Fry and Turanga Leela. Starting early in the pilot with Fry showing a physical attraction to Leela but being turned off by her monstrous eye, the theme is seen in most episodes and is the center of a grande number of episodes both from the original and second run, including "Time Keeps on Slippin'", "The Sting", "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", "Into the Wild Green Yonder", "Rebirth" and "The Late Philip J. Fry". Though at first a one-sided affection, with Leela showing little care for Fry as anything but a friend, her subconcious feelings are revealed in "The Sting", in which she believes Fry has died, and their kiss by the ending of "Into the Wild Green Yonder" as well as the subsequent "Rebirth" settles their less windy relationship of the sixth season. (more...)
Fortnight 18, 2012: Fry-Leela relationship (reprise)
The Fry-Leela relationship is a recurring theme and a story arc in Futurama, the developing romantic relationship between Philip J. Fry and Turanga Leela. Starting early in the pilot with Fry showing a physical attraction to Leela but being turned off by her monstrous eye, the theme is seen in most episodes and is the center of a grande number of episodes both from the original and second run, including "Time Keeps on Slippin'", "The Sting", "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", "Into the Wild Green Yonder", "Rebirth" and "The Late Philip J. Fry". Though at first a one-sided affection, with Leela showing little care for Fry as anything but a friend, her subconcious feelings are revealed in "The Sting", in which she believes Fry has died, and their kiss by the ending of "Into the Wild Green Yonder" as well as the subsequent "Rebirth" settles their less windy relationship of the sixth season. (more...)
Fortnight 19, 2012: A Flight to Remember (reprise)
"A Flight to Remember" is the tenth episode of Futurama, and the first episode of the second broadcast season, making it the first episode to be aired in a different season than intended. The plot is largely a parody of the 1997 film Titanic, and features the Planet Express crew on vacation in the luxury spacecraft Titanic, piloted by Zapp Brannigan. The episode is most important for starting the relationship between Kif Kroker and Amy Wong, and is regarded as one of the best episodes of the first season. (more...)
Fortnight 20, 2012: A Flight to Remember (reprise)
"A Flight to Remember" is the tenth episode of Futurama, and the first episode of the second broadcast season, making it the first episode to be aired in a different season than intended. The plot is largely a parody of the 1997 film Titanic, and features the Planet Express crew on vacation in the luxury spacecraft Titanic, piloted by Zapp Brannigan. The episode is most important for starting the relationship between Kif Kroker and Amy Wong, and is regarded as one of the best episodes of the first season. (more...)
Fortnight 21, 2012: Nine (reprise)
Nine (also known as the Number 9 Man) was originally a cameo character appearing in the first and second seasons of Futurama. He was merely used as an Easter egg in crowd scenes, and was slowly forgotten, having not appeared in the third and fourth seasons. However, he re-appeared in two of the movies (BBS, ItWGY).
Fortnight 22, 2012: Blinky (reprise)
Blinky is a three-eyed mutant fish from The Simpsons. Blinky makes a quick cameo appearance in "Space Pilot 3000" as Fry is using the Tube Transport System for the first time. Fry goes underwater after passing the Statue of Liberty and speeds by Blinky, who is seen slowly drifting by and blinks all three eyes.
Fortnight 23, 2012: Hydroponic farmer (reprise)
The hydroponic farmer is a farmer who works on a hydroponic farm on the Moon. He tried to kill Bender because he impregnated one of his three beautiful robot daughters, whom he does not allow anyone to touch, on the Moon in 3000 (1ACV02); drove a hoverlorry full of chickens through Historic √66 in 3001 (3ACV02); was non-canonically destroyed by the Planet Express ship on the Moon in 3008 (TBwaBB); attended the Space Demolition Derby in 3008 (BG); attended the violet dwarf star implosion ceremony in 3009 (ItWGY); protested against the teaching of evolution outside the Wozniak Nerd Academy in 3010 (6ACV09); invited Clamps, Hermes, Amy, Leela, Fry, Zoidberg and Farnsworth for supper on the hydroponic farm in 3011 (6ACV14) and sold vegetables from his Moon's Finest Produce stand at the Local Group Farmers Market in 3011 (6ACV22).
Fortnight 24, 2012: Apartment 00100100 (reprise)
Apartment 00100100 is the place where Bender and Fry live. It is unknown how long Bender has lived there, but Fry moved in with him in February of 3000, after having lived at the Planet Express headquarters for approximately one month, at the expense of his nephew (1ACV03). The apartment is located in Robot Arms Apartments in New New York, Earth.
Fortnight 25, 2012: Free Waterfall, Sr. (reprise)
Free Waterfall, Sr. was the father of Free Waterfall, Jr., the son of Old Man Waterfall, and the founder of the ecological group Penguins Unlimited. In March 3001, he led a non-violent protest against having a dark matter tanker fly past Pluto, which had been turned into a penguin reserve (3ACV05). He led a peace ring around the tanker, which failed due to the three-dimensional nature of space. When the tanker's captain dumped the entire load of dark matter onto the penguin reserve, Waterfall, Sr. observed that the dark matter was nature's "love drug" and that it made the penguins extra fertile.
Fortnight 26, 2012: Where No Fan Has Gone Before (reprise)
"Where No Fan Has Gone Before" is the sixty-fifth episode of Futurama, and it guest stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig, George Takei and Nichelle Nichols as themselves, as well as Jonathan Frakes as himself in a jar. Fry discovers that Star Trek has become forbidden to even mention, and the Planet Express crew together, with Leonard Nimoy, sets off on a journey to find the Star Trek cast. The episode is famously having many references and parodies on Star Trek, as well as guest starring a large portion of its original cast. (more...)