Monosodium Dreams

From Homestar Runner Wiki

"Well, I don't know how we're gonna print it out, seeing as how somebody sliced off the back of your monitor."

Monosodium Dreams, The Cheat's second computer, debuted on July 10, 2006 in the Strong Bad Email redesign. Much like its predecessor, Tangerine Dreams, it is modeled after an iMac — in this case, Apple's iMac G5 or polycarbonate Intel iMacs — albeit with minor design alterations such as the Tandy logo. Mike Chapman came up with the name on the fly during the commentary for redesign. Much like Tangerine Dreams, it has never been referred to by name within the Homestar Runner body of work proper.

Strong Bad, in keeping with his penchant for out-of-date technology, is unimpressed by the new machine. He mistakes the all-in-one LCD design for a CRT monitor with the rear removed, as well as calling the wireless mouse a "plastic bar of soap".

Monosodium Dreams' final appearance was in 2014; as of 2018, it has been replaced by a new iMac.

[edit] Comparison with iMac

The operating system appears to be based on Mac OS X Tiger, released during the G5's lifetime. The font used for the menu bar is Chicago; though not the font used on Tiger, Chicago had been the default on some older Macintosh systems. The webcam is circular rather than square.

He checks real emails from the net

The lack of information on the menu bar and atop the windows that have been seen show a much simplified menu bar (in web comics, the email client displays "Email" rather than "View" on the Finder menu bar):

File   View   Edit   Window   Style

By comparison, Mac OS X Tiger's Finder Menu Bar has several additional elements, items in a different order, and a lighter gradient:

(Apple)   Finder   File   Edit   View   Go   Window   Help         (spotlight)

[edit] Appearances

• Debut: Email redesign
• Email web comics
• Rap Song
• Trudgemank
• Where U Goin' 2?
• Fish Eye Lens (Easter egg)