Mythbusted
The New York Times has a great piece up today about one of my all time favorite TV shows Mythbusters.
Like many fans, what drew me to the show was the originality of the premise: two guys from the special effects industry using their skills to test the theories behind some well know and not so well known myths, urban legends and folklore. Now this might not sound like it would be very fun to watch, but the way in which the shows hosts Jaime Hyneman and Adam Savage go about testing these myths makes for a surprisingly entertaining hour of television.
The hosts will tell you that the success of the show is due to their willingness to "blow stuff up". But I think there is more to it than that. Because even though they may be willing to "blow stuff up" they don't do so just for entertainment's sake. There is a reason behind everything they do. And while they never purport to be scientists, they none the less teach us some valuable lessons about the scientific method of discovery.
Consider that without men who were willing to test out their theories about the world around them, we wouldn't have such things as the light bulb or the telephone. Many of the amenities of modern life were bore on the backs of men willing to push the envelope.
That is one of the things that makes Mythbusters such a great show. It is literally discovery in action.
Plus it is fun to watch them blow stuff up.
Like many fans, what drew me to the show was the originality of the premise: two guys from the special effects industry using their skills to test the theories behind some well know and not so well known myths, urban legends and folklore. Now this might not sound like it would be very fun to watch, but the way in which the shows hosts Jaime Hyneman and Adam Savage go about testing these myths makes for a surprisingly entertaining hour of television.
The hosts will tell you that the success of the show is due to their willingness to "blow stuff up". But I think there is more to it than that. Because even though they may be willing to "blow stuff up" they don't do so just for entertainment's sake. There is a reason behind everything they do. And while they never purport to be scientists, they none the less teach us some valuable lessons about the scientific method of discovery.
Consider that without men who were willing to test out their theories about the world around them, we wouldn't have such things as the light bulb or the telephone. Many of the amenities of modern life were bore on the backs of men willing to push the envelope.
That is one of the things that makes Mythbusters such a great show. It is literally discovery in action.
Plus it is fun to watch them blow stuff up.
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