ne of my all time favorite quotes is from Adam Savage, the previous co-host of the Discovery Channel’s hit show “MythBusters.”
Savage says, “Remember kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.”
This has always stuck with me because it was a way of looking at learning that I had not been exposed to before; it took learning out of the classroom and into my personal life.
When most kids thought of learning, they immediately thought of being stuck in class and waiting until the day is over.
When I thought about learning, that boring vision still came to mind, but I also pictured myself messing around with K’Nex and LEGOs.
As I have continued to grow and learn, Savage has become one of my greatest inspirations in both my personal and academic lives.
In its episodes, “MythBusters” co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Savage proved whether certain myths and urban legends could actually happen.
Hyneman and Savage found a way to demonstrate how the scientific method works while at the same time entertained adults and children alike.
Back in the early days of Netflix, every episode of “MythBusters” was available for streaming, and 10-year-old me devoured every last one. I can still remember sitting on my grandma’s couch with my first generation iPod touch, constantly having to tell Netflix that I am in fact “still watching.”
The obsession that started with those Netflix marathons has continued to this day, as I am an avid viewer, listener and reader of Savage’s “Tested.com.”
Most of my time that is not spent studying is spent watching Savage build something amazing or listening to him talk about the movies and television shows that he loves.
Savage is an authority in many facets of making, but more than anything he is a renaissance man.
While he is adept at many skills, he is a master of very few, a distinction he openly addresses.
While I can’t presume to speak for his millions of fans as a whole, for me, Savage’s appeal lies in his infectious interest in whatever he is talking about.
Whether he is talking about movie props in his collection, his handmade and anatomically accurate model of a Dodo Bird, his collection of NASA-accurate space suits or his Comic Con cosplay for the year, Savage is always fully invested in what he speaking about.
His excitement about what he is doing is contagious, and I get drawn into whatever project he is tackling next. And along the way, I am picking up tricks of the trade that he generously shares with the public.
Savage also has a true talent for explaining advanced concepts to a wide variety of people.
On “MythBusters,” Savage was easily able to convey complex scientific problems and solutions in a way that children could easily understand, but also in a way that didn’t feel like he was pandering to the adult members of the audience, a virtue that “MythBusters” shares with very few shows.
A new take on the “MythBusters” formula, “MythBusters Jr.” is premiering on the Discovery Channel later this year, with Savage returning to host, and I could not be more excited.
If I know one thing with absolute certainty in this life, it is that if Adam Savage is putting out content, I will be there to enjoy it.
BENJAMIN HAYLETT
