SyFy Dream Machines

[ScottDCP]

You ask me, Myth Busters is less science, more reality show.

The science is at times a bit wonky, it's true, but the effort is legit. And in many cases it is definitely a wish fulfillment vehicle for the nerds in my chair more than a rigorous application of the scientific method, but their tendency to categorize things as plausible, implausible, possible, or impossible based on experimentation is pretty darn close to science for a TV show not called Cosmos. Remember, science is only a part of their gig.

That young woman is popular for a reason.

And hell yes Kari Byron is popular for a reason. Charm. Legitimate charisma. Plus, in the first season episode wherein the suction properties of an airplane toilet seat were tested (and she was an office assistant,) she was the mold model, which is nice. Her popularity certainly has nothing to do with her doll-making. I've seen them. No schoolboy fantasy in the world could make me want to be in the same room with one of them. Oh, and cute as a button.

[wxwax]

I still say Myth Busters is about science the way American Chopper is about building motorcycles. It's not as heavy-handed on the drama, I grant you. But the relationship between the brothers is a key factor. And the second unit does little science explanation and more "social activity." They blow things up, but their explanation of the science of what they just did is often non-existent. But that's not why I'm reluctant to watch that show. What I hate about it is the way they drag things out through interminable commercial breaks. I get impatient, and I stop watching.

ps Remember the show when they strapped a fart machine to her butt? How many minutes did they spend "sniffing" around her ass? I rest my case!

(For a while I watched a show called American Restoration. Antique machines are made new again. You could say the show was about the craft of restoration. But it's a reality show, just like Myth, just like the pawn shop shows. The only thing Myth doesn't do is the camera confessional booth.)

[ScottDCP]

I still say Myth Busters is about science the way American Chopper is about building motorcycles. It's not as heavy-handed on the drama, I grant you. But the relationship between the brothers is a key factor. And the second unit does little science explanation and more "social activity." They blow things up, but their explanation of the science of what they just did is often non-existent. But that's not why I'm reluctant to watch that show. What I hate about it is the way they drag things out through interminable commercial breaks. I get impatient, and I stop watching.

ps Remember the show when they strapped a fart machine to her butt? How many minutes did they spend "sniffing" around her ass? I rest my case!

(For a while I watched a show called American Restoration. Antique machines are made new again. You could say the show was about the craft of restoration. But it's a reality show, just like Myth, just like the pawn shop shows. The only thing Myth doesn't do is the camera confessional booth.)

There is truth in what you say - especially the drag. I completely agree there. Fortunately for them, I am entertained by much of the intermediate stuff. I am a nerd first and foremost. I am also not expecting rigorous science, especially if they blow something up. Or delve deeply into something ridiculous (polishing a turd leaps to mind.) And I wish I had their shop.

That said, it's got nothing on Farscape, so really not much else to say about it on my end.

Time go buy the floaties..

[darvon]

I still say Myth Busters is about science the way American Chopper is about building motorcycles. It's not as heavy-handed on the drama, I grant you. But the relationship between the brothers is a key factor. And the second unit does little science explanation and more "social activity." They blow things up, but their explanation of the science of what they just did is often non-existent. But that's not why I'm reluctant to watch that show. What I hate about it is the way they drag things out through interminable commercial breaks. I get impatient, and I stop watching.

ps Remember the show when they strapped a fart machine to her butt? How many minutes did they spend "sniffing" around her ass? I rest my case!

Let me defend and expound.

Mythbusters does Scientific Method. They investigate by making hypothesis and testing them. The used models to predict full size behavior.

Some of your comments puzzle me. Might we be talking about different shows. I have seen and stored on tivo most all episodes. I know Jamie and Grant from Battlebots. Jamie and Adam aren't brothers, Adam is an employee of the Special Effects company that Jamie had/has before the show started. The "second group" Grant, Kari, and Tory do "social events"? The build things to test hypothesis. They usually do less sophisticated builds, unless Grant does robotics. But there is plenty of testing, measurement, and math (usually done by Grant). Grant is the EE, Tory and Kari are artists by training, so they do the art/construction part of the build.

They dont reach conclusions unsupported by data. They almost always take the best method to test the Myth. Scientific Method. THAT'S science. Science isn't someone lecturing that there are "Billions and Billions of stars in the Galaxy." Science is taking a question, conjecturing a hypothesis, figuring a way to test the hypothesis, building and doing the test, and the seeing if the hypothesis is true, false, or Don't know yet.

They don't lecture on Science. Mythbusters DO science. Plus they shoot guns and blow stuff up and do outrageous things. But they get the Science done.


You have seen too many NOVAs.


In contrast, Dream Machines doesn't DO Engineering.
They do Design (to a limited degree), some Fabrication (Fab for cognisenti). They don't do engineering to make the race car go faster around the track. Or accomplish any goal BETTER by analysis and iterative testing.

They have a basic goal (Off road car), they design it to be striking to look at, they find some intriguing mechanical facets/sub assemblies to incorporate. And it has to work. Not optimally, or against any quantitative goals, but it has to drive in a way that doesn't make you think it's stupid (or at least the video can be editted to do so).

Other than looks, they have extremely limit design goals. Drive around the block without falling apart is about it.

American Choppers, OCC, etc are about the same. All looks, and then it has to drive around the block. All these shows are about cosmetic machining, not engineering and not really about design. Real design solves problems as well as looks cool. Their design just looks cool. Which is of value, but not total value.

The old show Montster Garage was same, but with a problem to solve each week. Jesse has some real engineering expertise, which peeked out from time to time in the trickier builds. But no one else did in that group.

Dont get me wrong, being able to fab something, or do wonderful paint jobs is a skill. Its just not the skill of Engineering.

[darvon]

And in many cases it is definitely a wish fulfillment vehicle for the nerds in my chair more than a rigorous application of the scientific method,

There might be a few exceptions, but 99% of the time it seems to this old scientist that it would be exactly what I would have done. Minus the art. I can't do art.

[ScottDCP]

There might be a few exceptions, but 99% of the time it seems to this old scientist that it would be exactly what I would have done. Minus the art. I can't do art.

Sometimes they're just building robots.

[ScottDCP]

To build robots. Though that might just be a Grant Imihara fetish.

[darvon]

Scientists do a LOT of building for experiments. I was really suprised when as a Freshman, I went to do some work for my Physics Advisor's lab, I got put on a Bridgeport and told to start milling.

[darvon]

To build robots. Though that might just be a Grant Imihara fetish.

Yeah. Grant is a robot fiend. He did R2D2 for ILM.

CORRECTION: Grant was a junior model maker on the original R2D2 but drove the original R2D2 in the original StarWars and then made the subsequent R2D2 models for the pre-quel Star Wars.

[ScottDCP]

Scientists do a LOT of building for experiments. I was really suprised when as a Freshman, I went to do some work for my Physics Advisor's lab, I got put on a Bridgeport and told to still milling.

That would have been awesome.