Mythbusters

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 7/14/2005 9:26pm

Originally Posted by Diocletian

Well, they're trained as engineers... they try to follow the scientific method in testing stuff, which would make them scientists if they did it right. But yeah, a few of their tests are pretty flawed. If they fixed all the errors, though, a lot of it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining to watch.

Narrator: "Adam's doing a bang-up job of remembering his Statistics classes!"
Adam (surrounded by piles of scrunched-up notepaper): "Alright, what I'm doing here is attempting to find the area under a t-curve with 40 degrees of freedom for a two-tailed .05 alpha level of significance. Once I get this test ratio figured out we'll be done!"
Jamie: "I don't know Adam, you're assuming that the population is normally distributed and that the sampling distribution is therefore kurtotic."
Adam: "OH COME ON!" (starts over)

Personally I'd rather hear a reasonable-sounding estimate than watch that...

I'm sorry. That's not what I mean. I mean being able to figure out which is the dependant variable and change only it. Using popsicles instead of nose cartiledge doesn't cut it. They also come to weird conclusions based on bad experiments. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I know there were a few times where they had flawed experiments and came out with a bad result. =/

Also, why do people think scientists always do stuff with graphs and numbers? Yes, that's a part of it, but that isn't the core part of science.

PL

**Knightmare** · Posted On: 7/14/2005 9:27pm

There is a show similar to myhtbusters. If you know which one I am talking about please tell me the name.

They take historical events and test the plausibility of the evidence found.

Ex. They tested how fast a man of Lee Harvery Os. size/stature could run/walk from the FBI's planned path he supposedly took after he left the depository.

I don't know if its on Discovery or TLC but I just remembered watching it alot.

**The_Mirth** · Posted On: 7/14/2005 9:34pm

Originally Posted by _Mick_

the nose bone brain poke could be tested, and would obviously be disproved. if it was possible, dozens of boxers would die every year from uppercuts.

i would like to see the mythbusters make a real dim mak, after they disproved it. i would imagine i robotic hand that rips out peoples hearts or something.

Wouldn't even need the ripping, just a robotic finger on the end of a hydraulic pump that shot forward lik 3-4 inches hard enough to break ribs and puncture the heart. That I think would be awesome and show how ridiculous a one finger touch could kill would be.

**Apostol** · Posted On: 7/14/2005 11:03pm

Even though the old nose into the brain thing is scientificially impossible, most brainwashed people actually believe it, which is why it needs to be disproved through testing, not speculation.

**Diocletian** · Posted On: 7/14/2005 11:06pm

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

I'm sorry. That's not what I mean. I mean being able to figure out which is the dependant variable and change only it. Using popsicles instead of nose cartiledge doesn't cut it. They also come to weird conclusions based on bad experiments. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I know there were a few times where they had flawed experiments and came out with a bad result. =/

Also, why do people think scientists always do stuff with graphs and numbers? Yes, that's a part of it, but that isn't the core part of science.

PL

Yeah, obviously. The statistical significance thing was just the first thing that came to mind for me because the last one I watched was the toast episode. Out of 55 trials, they got 29 landing butter side down and 26 landing butter side up or something like that, and just kind of assumed it was significant.

They usually do a reasonably good job of controlling for confounds, but the nature of the stuff that they're investigating is that it's hard to define operationally. If popsicle sticks can be shown to have the same basic properties as nose cartilage then so be it, because it's not like they'll find someone willing to volunteer to get their nose punched in repeatedly. It's not the best science ever, and some episodes are pretty cringeworthy for bad experiments, but on the whole I think they do a decent job considering the subject matter.

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 7/15/2005 11:43am

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Os is right, their tests are horribly flawed sometimes. These guys were what, special effects "makers" or whatever? That's not a scientist.

PL

For scientific testing, you'd want to get data from Fort Bragg's Goat Lab (see the book The Men Who Stare at Goats). The Goat Lab is used to train field medic skills by, well, shooting goats and getting folks to fix them. Among other things, the Goat Lab is where the Pentagon tested wacky New Age fightin', including attempting to kill goats by wishing them dead. I'm sure they tried teh Dim Mak at some point.

**Kintama** · Posted On: 7/15/2005 1:23pm

There are just too many bullshit myths about karate and MA history in the form of webpages, that it boggles the mind. I came across this one the other day:
http://www.aakf.org/revised3/traditional_karate.htm

poof! history re-written for the convienence of the simpleton.

I couldn't find anything on there which WASN'T total crap...
The first sentence:
"Traditional Karate evolved in Japan in the early 18th century as a self-defense martial art called "Budo."

and how many times have you seen this on a website:
"...Each kata is a long fight against multiple attackers..."
ref: http://www.kokondo.com/kata.html
another: http://www.americansamurai.com/asnew2/dojo.htm
etc...

...makes me want to engage in an involuntary personal protein spill.