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Anyone else here have a hard time watching mythbusters?

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LAN_403

Coronafix

Fri Feb 22 2008, 02:15PM

Registered Member #160 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 02:07AM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 938

EastVoltResearch wrote ...

Who cares about the science . . .

I only watch for one reason - Kari

She's the redhead, right? Who can go past a redhead.
The problem I have is their stamp of approval or disapproval on a myth.
The science is by no means credible enough to be able to prove or disprove anything.
Other than that, it's wholly entertaining when they blow up something big
like a concrete mixer.

Mates

Fri Feb 22 2008, 03:17PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

For example: I will never understand why they never tried an ice bullet made of dry ice (forzen CO2 or some other gass)...

Otherwise it belongs to the better type of TV entertainment (according to my scale)...

And yeah, Kari is hot chick

Experimentonomen

Fri Feb 22 2008, 06:37PM

Registered Member #941 Joined: Sun Aug 05 2007, 10:09AM
Location: in a swedish junk pile
Posts: 497

I dont like kari, she act too weird.

Chris Russell

Sat Feb 23 2008, 06:37AM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Interesting that this thread should come up. Jamie and Adam are going to be making an appearance at the University of Maine, and I have front row tickets to go see the "show." They're going to talk about their experiences on the show and possibly take some questions from the audience. They're also interested in getting ideas with regards to future myths to bust. If anyone has any ideas for questions to ask them or myths to bust, please let me know and I will try my best to pass them along. Note: no, I will not ask for Kari's phone number.

I personally enjoy the show a great deal. A lot of times the science is pretty laughable (the salami rocket was a perfect example, I remember shouting at the TV several times), and they come to some pretty incredible conclusions (talking to plants may help them grow? really? seriously?)... but I have to agree with TDU here. It's theatrics! Clearly the intent is to have fun and entertain first, and do science second. Nobody wants to see some people run some computer simulations, read some research papers, do a scale test, and then say "well, myth x clearly cannot be true, so no sense blowing anything up." If the science (or lack thereof) is that bad, just repeat to yourself "it's just a show, I should really just relax." Usually works for me.

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sat Feb 23 2008, 08:06AM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

Hey Chris, maybe you can suggest the myth of resonant rise and see what they come up with. They'd probably try to find the world's biggest available Tesla Coil and make a show of prodding it, which would be fun to watch! heheheh.

Chris Russell

Sat Feb 23 2008, 08:27AM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Well, kidding aside, a high voltage myth would be great fun, I just can't think of one offhand. Maybe they could play around with Tesla's non-Hertzian power transfer. Build two identical Tesla coils and see if they can transfer more energy than would be expected over various distances.

I know Dave Marshall and I would like for them to try tackling long delayed echoes on HF, but they probably won't take that one on.

Any other thoughts?

Tesladownunder

Sat Feb 23 2008, 08:36AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

OK with Joe Public hat on the biggest HV myth is that "lightning never strikes twice" in the same spot.

Set up the show with a 2MV Marx. Sparks onto a flat plane and record where they hit by scorch marks or video. Also set up a diaorama and set things alight like trees.
Hit a plane, car etc
Nice theater, big sparks, fire and action.

And I'd enjoy watching it too...

TDU

Bjørn

Sat Feb 23 2008, 11:15AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

Lack of science does not have to be a problem. It is pretending to do science that is a problem. Most members of this forum knows that pretending to do science is pseudo science.

The second problem is, who decides what is a myth? Is gravity a myth? That leads directly to the third problem.

If the presenter pretends to believe the myth even if he (and the viewers) knows the outcome then we have a problem. After that the presenter is stripped of credibility and is not able to convey serious information with the required authority.

"lightning never strikes twice" - Is this really a myth?
First of all it does not have to do with high voltage at all but with probability (math) and the human mind (psychology). It is a metaphor, not a myth. When people fail to understand the concept of a metaphor it becomes a misconception. Investigating it purely as a HV myth will only strengthen peoples misconceptions, I don't consider that to be a very commendable activity.

Even pretty dim people know that lightning has a tendency to strike the same objects repeatedly. You never see anyone climbing up a tower that has just been struck by lightning because they think they will be safer up there.

So what do we have then, a misconception that no one really believes in and that they have never bothered to think through. Clearly it will take more than the typical mythbuster formula to get away with it.

Now we arrive at the core, it takes talent, honesty and integrity to make something entertaining and of lasting value. Anyone here can blow up things, take sparks to their head or accidentally shoot themselves in the face and be a hit on youtube.

Tesladownunder

Sat Feb 23 2008, 01:00PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

BjÃ¸rn BÃ¦verfjord wrote ...

.....Now we arrive at the core, it takes talent, honesty and integrity to make something entertaining and of lasting value. Anyone here can blow up things, take sparks to their head or accidentally shoot themselves in the face and be a hit on youtube.

Not sure whether I should rise to the bait on this one since it seems to be personally directed at me. Perhaps "anyone" can but I am the only one I know on this list that has taken sparks on my head. "Anyone" can blow things up, but I think I have the largest cap bank at 16kJ on the list. These are quite different to shooting oneself in the face. Success on YouTube may not be your aspiration but it is to some.

Not everyone sees entertainment as you do. Frankly, honesty and integrity have less to do with entertainment compared with talent, personality, hard work, good camera work and production and a successful formula. There are not many shows about clever Bankers out there regarless of talent, honest and integrity.

TDU

Bjørn

Sat Feb 23 2008, 02:08PM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

Not sure whether I should rise to the bait on this one since it seems to be personally directed at me. Perhaps "anyone" can but I am the only one I know on this list that has taken sparks on my head.

There is at least one member that made a video about it before you did. It was a good example to use because it illustrates my point that skill is not required to make successful entertainment. It is enough to be extreme, first or very very stupid. Neither of those are going to do any good when there is even the weakest link to science.

Not everyone sees entertainment as you do. Frankly, honesty and integrity have less to do with entertainment compared with talent, personality, hard work, good camera work and production and a successful formula. There are not many shows about clever Bankers out there regarless of talent, honest and integrity.

That is fine, but we are not talking about pure entertainment here, we are talking about something more. As soon as we start proving and disproving myths or presenting facts we don't have pure entertainment any more. That is where honesty and integrity comes in.

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