I really appreciate the subtitles on most of the videos. I have to wonder why some don't even have auto-generated ones. It's a bummer when they're missing on videos I'm interested in.
Motor Mythbusters looks promising. I’ve only seen the first episode but I like what I’ve seen . As long as Tori doesn’t try bunny hopping another bike it’ll be peachy.
I agree - all the - Mythbusters- The Search, Mythbusters Junior, and Motor-Mythbusters it's just not the same! I am now rewatching good old MythBusters, really loved dynamic between Adam and Jamie and Build team too
Myth busters was a fantastic teaching tool, too. You guys demonstrated critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving to a generation. What a legacy.
The word “deadline” has always been a bane of my existence. You just changed my mind. Let’s hack those branches off the decision tree and make things happen! Always a pleasure to listen to Adam and his philosophies on meaningful work.
I'm in the midst of rewatching the show for the umpteenth time. Each time I watch from start to finish, I think of these questions you've answered, Adam, and the enjoyment I derive from watching is intensified. It's that 'insider knowledge' that gives the extra kick to each episode. Thanks for your giving of yourself. It really is appreciated.
Well for me its because there wasn't access to the discovery channel anymore so i wasn't able to catch episodes of it anymore but i never lost intrest in the show and someday I'll go buy a box set of it when i have the money.
Hmmm... 2011 better and faster internet, better social media (cameras, microphones, computers getting faster, cheaper, better), people started to make their own test videos like Slow Mo Guys in 2010, others, etc, after those more and more people doing all kinda tests, etc! Maybe too many not so interesting Myths too.
Adam's Superpower is his ability to relay what is is to be a Maker. His way of telling things makes you fell "you can do this" and motivates people. He is a true superstar of the makerverse.
Mythbusters is and was a hugely fabulous demonstration of the scientific methodology. State a hypothesis, imagine a way to test the hypothesis, test it, assess it, reimagine the test if needed, repeat as necessary to nail down the FACTS. Record the facts and support the theory that emerged from the hypothesis. Thanks for your part in all this!
This is a paraphrase, 'cause I don't remember the actual quote, and I can't be bothered to look it up: "Mr. Scott, do you always exaggerate your estimates by a factor of four?" "Aye, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?"
@Will Frank Captain, the wore out and has to be replaced! Scotty, how long would it take? I don't know, maybe 8 hours? Scotty, I give you 4 hours! ok Captain, I do it in 2 Hey, that factor is pretty accurate 😄
@@willmfrank It's from the beginning of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as the Enterprise limps into spacedock: Kirk: "How much refit time till we can take her out again?" Scotty: "Eight weeks, sir...but you don't have eight weeks, so I'll do it for you in two." Kirk: "Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?" Scotty: "Certainly, sir, how else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?" Kirk: "Your reputation is secure, Scotty."
It is always such a pleasure just to hear Adam speak. He’s so knowledgeable, is great at getting his points across, and is always excited to be on screen. Whenever he talks about myth busters or just life lessons in general he is so down to earth.
Lol. I’m the almost master at like 3 trades. But horrible at all of em at the same time. It’s like, you never get better at something. You just finally find a new massive thing you missed all your life, and a person that is actually a god at that one part of the whole thing, and it’s like, “ damn. I suuuuuck bro.” Like, I can learn any solo on guitar from ear. It’s what I’ve always done, from like age 6-23. Basically, just as difficult as rapping fast. But than im like, “well. I can basically do what I want on this thing. Absolute freedom. Expression…..ight bored. Daaaamn. I suck at chord and harmonic theory. And finger style. Ight. Imma spend 3 years on that. 3 years later and I suck at guitar again. And it feels soooooo good. But yeah. I got like 3-4 things like that I can maaaybe say I’ve put in my 10000 hours…..music production for sure. I actually checked the hours of all my bigger projects and it’s at like 15k…..Which sucks. Cuz I’m still pretty ass at compression and phase management. But I’m pretty sure this dude has put well over the cliche “professional” amount of hours into stuff. Ima say it’s a blend of humbleness mixed with an exposure and appreciation for certain aspects in a field that takes skill to actually understand. Tho I do understand that Am very much not good at keeping my thoughts concise. And that’s objective, given the length and birth of this text block here. So….maybe I’m just dense.
What is great about the show is that you just didn't figure it out, then showed us how you did the project once it was figured out. You figured it out right on the show itself, you even disagreed with each other on how you figure it out. Sometimes even going separate ways to do two different ways of doing the same thing until you got what you really wanted, and we witnessed all that. I think your best skill is patience and willing to make mistakes and taught us that it's OK to make mistakes and waste material (not really wasted, it can be used for something else....eventually) and not freak out over it. I used to get upset when I do that, now I am more patient with myself and others. Thank you for that skill set.
Watching this video I had a crazy realization, I no longer think of you as Adam that crazy guy from Mythbusters but instead I think of you as Adam the maker and the artist and the educator. I see you as the human being you share with us on the internet and I value your insight and creativity. Thank you Adam for the wealth of knowledge and experience and passion you choose to share with us.
Adam thank you for making me feel better about my large collection of mediocre skills! Societal pressure to “be the best at one thing” is BS if you can leverage all your skills (or talent stack) together.
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects!” This is a quote a wholly agree with, be a student of life and work to acquire as many skills and abilities as possible
This is so true, I can master anything put before me, usually find better methods because of outside thinking. But because resumes require you to be be perfect at one thing, you get pigeonholed & have the most unsuccessful life ever
5:37 I also have a friend who has done work behind the scenes for American Ninja Warrior, he does some obstacle design consulting for ATS (the company that handles the course) and there's a lot of iterative design that goes into each obstacle on the course both creatively and the logistics of when they get testers in their warehouse to actually attempt the earlier versions. And yes some of these obstacles while "simple" can have a lot that goes into them, some easier than others, or in one case a single obstacle ended up with a pretty high price tag (even compared to other obstacles) because of how much went into it
Problem-solving under pressure is awesome... We get to reach into our bag of tricks, wear many hats at the same time, never knowing just what course of action to take until inspired by each step and its results. Engineering 3D vision, seeing each step finished before its even started. Each step can trigger memories of something similar, and though the memories and experiences are all jumbled up in our head, the inspiration shines a light on them. Building one off, functioning droids and props, jumping in with both feet and learning at each step makes the end results, (after many hours of redoing things due to mistakes along the way) so sweet, and totally worth it.* Totally on the same page Adam.
What you guys did on Mythbusters was beyond fantastic. You guys influenced an entire generation of engineers, makers and many others to think critically while having fun at it. Personally it motivated me to gain my own badge of being a craftsman to this day. The way you talked about deadlines and pressure as a way to trim the branches has me thinking about how I can approach projects. Absolutely inspiring work Adam.
Long time since you posted this, but that very big awareness of the breadth rather than depth of many of your skills is something I've embraced for a really long time - I'm not the best at most of what I know or do, but what I can do see a problem and very quickly carve a solution out of the large block of opportunity using a broad set of tools and skills. Upside down and back to front while under pressure.
The first answer I came up with was perseverance. I always got the impression watching Mythbusters you guys never gave up. You exhausted all the possibilities and outcomes. It was a joy to watch and watching the questions regarding the show are among my favorite UA-cam videos. 💜
You have a skillset like that of a General Practitioner doctor - your expertise is measured in breadth over depth. This is what I do too, though in the IT industry. I tell new clients, if it has a computer involved (or just wires), I do that. Adam, thank you as always. Your comments really resonated with me.
Adam, I am glad you learned a lot and we (your audience) learned a lot! You also planted seeds of knowledge for humanity that will last for at least a generation. Could you please do a back stage set up program for ANW?
I feel like the time estimation is one of the core aspects of professionalism. After a few years of work, I found I got to the point where my estimates were pretty much down to the hour. And it's hugely beneficial to be able to tell your boss exactly what it will take and be able to trim down features if the time available is more inflexible than the feature list. To be clear, you do have to build in padding, but that's done with your boss and with full awareness of the actual expected time.
You think that Mr. Roboto joke is bad, Adam? Where I work, we use Lovato isolators for the machines we build as the main power switches, and whenever a box of them come in, I take pleasure in saying, "Domo arigato, Mr. Lovato" to my supervisor. Massive eye-rolling ensues.
I have always been amazed at how many disciplines cross each other and can feed ideas and solutions to other problems. I am also in awe of those who have those backgrounds to pull from!
YES!!!! If I knew then (~then being when I started electronics repair~), what I would learn over the years. It would tell me I wasn't as good as I thought I was, and I'm only good now because I've really learned so much.
The problems were caused by people who just had to "color outside the lines" and make modifications to their part, or those who failed to account for some property of the materials they chose to use, like the piece around the window that was the wrong size because the plastic resin shrank and whomever made it couldn't be bothered to redo it correctly. The hinges looked great in wood and brass but the "gas cylinders" should have been made in two pieces with one sliding inside the other so the hinges could move. The way they were made caused them to break. A few people decided to make their part as close as they possibly could to the original. That vent valve looked like it could actually be used on a space certified command module. For me the neatest components were the multiple latches with an action at right angles to the actuation lever movement. I really need to find a down to Earth use for latches like that, then make some, in metal. If only all the parts in the hatch latching mechanism had been made able to work so that the latch lever could be pulled to move them all. That complexity was because of how time consuming and difficult it was to open the previous hatch design. After the Apollo 1 fire, the astronauts demanded a hatch they could open very quickly. That complex arrangement of rods and latches around the perimeter, connected to a single actuation lever with a big "D" handle, was NASA's solution.
Watching mythbusters helped me overcome severe panic attacks, they were so severe that I couldn't even look outside or watch a commercial that showed flying or anything that showed mountains or heights, mythbusters showed me psychologicaly that it's safe and ok and helped my panic attacks to pretty much go away.. so thank you
I can totally relate, Love not just building stuff, but figuring out how to do it, can't tell you how many times I have heard "we don't know" "we've never done that before" etc etc
Adam, I greatly appreciate your insight and openness to career growth and lessons learned. I recently shifted my career from mechanical engineering to project management and it's been quite the interesting transition that has illuminated many parallels in a lot of your stories.
Your point about overlapping skills is so interesting because I think that truly skilled people can take seemingly unrelated knowledge and figure out how to apply it in a totally unique way....
I, like you, am a "jack of all trades" type of person. I do a bunch of stuff to an average-above average degree. Never thought of the range of abilites as an expertise added together, what a great perspective to see finally
Thanks Adam, you showed me how to explain to people what I do best. "Take all the skills I've learned over the years and apply them to the problem I'm tasked with"
Mythbusters was more than a TV show it was a public service. It’s hard to imagine how many peoples life’s changed for the better? Especially kids that were wondering what they were going to do with their lives. 👍
I would kill (not literally) to have a tour of Adam's workshop!! I mean look at all the tools, supplies. Jigs, machines, parts.. so much creativity and possibilities!!
I feel so much what you said at the beginning of this. Problem solving is my favorite trade. I'm a jack of all and a master of none. But problem solving a deadlines are by far my favorite line of work.
I sold my business I owned for a long time recently, and my dream retirement job would be to work with Adam in his shop on whatever projects he chose. I’d be smiling every day
Only until that trade is needed to a factor of 1:1 then being a jack is useless. You call a master and accept that sometimes it's true that a master is a good thing to have and is worth the cost.
@@jonanderson5137 Yeah, but even the so-called "masters" have some experience in other fields...otherwise, they'd be useless. I think that old saying is rather dumb. Most people can maintain more than one skillset to some degree. Hell, if that weren't the case, live music and live theater would be practically impossible!
I think you were an expert at frustrating Jaime, even when that's not what you were aiming for! But I loved the show & the interplay between the two of you was one of the things that made it interesting.
@Adam Savage's Tested from the couple times over the years i've had the honor & pleasure of talking to you i'd have to say that you are an expert at problem solving.
I actually have "Professional GSD" printed on my business card. GSD stands for "Gets shit/stuff done". I think it is one of the most vital jobs in all industries - the ability to parachute into any situation and find a workable solution. I work in IT, and the curse of the IT industry is a deeply unhealthy focus on very specific skills, and a failure to appreciate the profound value of someone with a diverse set of skills, knowledge and experience.
Big fan! Thanks for all the heady stuff. I got to go to the Comedy Central rally for and against sanity and/or fear and we all jumped up and down at the same time to see if it registered on a trembly earth detector device. Great times.
Yes Mythbuster ratings may have gone down… but they didn’t, I’m telling myself we grew up watching you Adam, and the rest of the crew (RIP Grant) and not only made it interesting and easier for a generation to understand and WANT to do math, science, and engineering stuff. But also inspired a bunch of us to pursue those fields because you guys made it easier and fun…. Thank you so much Adam, Grant RIP ❤️, Jamie, Kari, and Tory
One of the best things you can learn about yourself, is how you work. No, really. I mean it. Workout how you work is one of the best things you can ever learn. If you're a project manager, you need the strict markers, this is a good day, bad day, this is what I need to get through. Or are you more freeform, freewheeling, can you just get started and get things done. Are you somewhere between the two? Seriously, working out just how you work can be so important. Not just what, but why and how.
I tell everyone I am doing jobs for "I have worked with this guy (me) before, I know how he does things. It might not make sense to you, but the final product will exceed your desires.
You have my dream job, I like figuring out mechanical questions and spawning theoretical plans (that I'll probably never make). I don't have the education to get into the field, but it's fun to speculate and problem solve
Adam Savage is a Master Jack-of-all-Trades. Not a master of any one, but a master of combining the ones he knows into unique solutions to tricky problems.
Wait. ADAM set up the Apollo 11 command module set at the Smithsonian?! Wow! Impressive! I've seen it so many times and it was well put together! He and his team did a fabulous work on it!
Man Adam, I remembered that your favorite thing to do is to blow something up. I'll miss mythbusters, especially the original cast and that walrus you always work with.
Adam - this is one of my favorite self reflections - and we are kindred spirits in this: "Jack of all Trades, King of None" - I personally prefer that - there are many skills In which I'm proficient, but none where I'd consider myself an expert. And I've always preferred that because it leaves me room to grow and improve. Always and inspiration, you are....
I had a college professor say to me, regarding fitting monumental amounts of work into a limited amount of time, “it will get done, because it must get done”. I breathe slowly and repeat that to myself often, might be the most important thing I learned in that school.
Problem solving is what you are an expert at I’ve seen it time and time again. I didn’t miss a single episode of Myth Busters. And tested is another program I haven’t missed I might not see them as they aired but I have a habit of binge watching 🤣
I’m working on permanently inhabited Mars colony scenarios. I’ve been thinking about the technical staff recently. Imagine being 7 months minimum from getting things you don’t have or that can’t be fabricated/printed and 5-20 minutes from directly talking to Earth. And still having to build, install and fix things. Possibly to save lives. Imagine wanting a rare element or complex chemical that no one ever thought would be needed. Planning, organizational, decision making and implementation skill sets like you talked about would be at the extreme. This is, of course, 30+ years in the future, but as engineers we know that all the AI and advanced tech there is won’t help with some novel, subtle issues. Skills you’re talking about on a movie will be needed, times, oh say, 1,000. Mars is going to need a few Adam and Jamies. AI or human.
Like all forays into essentially unknown lands... take it with you and throw out the stuff you don't need later. Sure, it's space and death stalks you and its... expensive and painful to toss in the kitchen sink. Don't ignore old wisdom. The only thing Mars really needs to generate is an atmosphere contained in domes or tunnels. After that let's hope for some industry and for Mars Hitler to never be born.
Scott Adams talks about a "talent stack" - where your individual talents may not be that great, but collectively they make for a something uniquely suited for a job.
Is it out of theme to say after watching myth busters and now a daily tested fan is it safe to say I see Adam as an expert student. He ability to adapt and learn new skills and then translating them to his own practical use shows he has expertise in learning and applied learning. Truely an expert student
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Non-related, but today I dreamed about watching the show back in the day, but with today's technology. It was like, watching one vintage episodes of Mythbusters as it premiered on Discovery Channel here in Brazil, but I had my current LED television PLUS i'd be able to record it in FHD and upload it on YT since i already had the notion it was difficult to find all the episodes dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese in decent quality on this platform, if not find it at all. Thanks for the "refreshments", Adam
The beginning of this reminds me of something my grandpa once told me, " you can do something for 20 or 30 or 40 years. It does not mean you were doing WELL during that time."
I love this Q/A! When Adam said “Covid is throwing off all of my dates.” though…I think we’re all feeling that. It hasn’t even been two full years yet and thanks to the continued “trauma” that is dealt out to us from this pandemic, we’re all having trouble remembering what “life before Covid” was like. 😞
I liked working as a programmer, because of similar attributes. It was always changing. Anything you had to do twice you automated and never needed to do again. At the point that your job was repetitive, you found another job. With an implied rule of never working for the same employer twice.
3:50 Adam says "yeah, what we learned" everyone hears: "(Together) We will learn and teach (Together) Change our pace of life (Together) We will work and strive"
Adam is playing the game of tell me you work well under pressure without telling me you work well under pressure in as close to, but not above 9 minutes as you can.
Dear Adam I would love to hear about your history of magic. I too am a theater tech freelancer, magician, and juggler. I also am a disabled vet who can't afford a tested patronage this is the only thing I want to know about you given how many times I have seen you on magic documentaries.
Generalism is highly underrated and not taught in design schools anymore. I caught the last wave of that and it allowed me to move into almost any direction I wanted.
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question:
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I really appreciate the subtitles on most of the videos. I have to wonder why some don't even have auto-generated ones. It's a bummer when they're missing on videos I'm interested in.
@@w9co736 iirc , they need to be turned on by the uploader. They should be on as a default setting.
Motor Mythbusters looks promising. I’ve only seen the first episode but I like what I’ve seen . As long as Tori doesn’t try bunny hopping another bike it’ll be peachy.
Adam of all trades and master of "what can I do today?"
Myth busters will forever be one of the best tv shows ever.
No doubt. So grateful for its existence 🙏
I agree - all the - Mythbusters- The Search, Mythbusters Junior, and Motor-Mythbusters it's just not the same! I am now rewatching good old MythBusters, really loved dynamic between Adam and Jamie and Build team too
One of my favorites next to the owl house
Agreed!!
@FOREX FUNDEF FACTS.
Myth busters was a fantastic teaching tool, too. You guys demonstrated critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving to a generation. What a legacy.
Yeah, they really brought the scientific method front and center
The word “deadline” has always been a bane of my existence. You just changed my mind. Let’s hack those branches off the decision tree and make things happen! Always a pleasure to listen to Adam and his philosophies on meaningful work.
The way I like to look at is: I'm not procrastinating -- I'm refining my options.
I'm in the midst of rewatching the show for the umpteenth time. Each time I watch from start to finish, I think of these questions you've answered, Adam, and the enjoyment I derive from watching is intensified. It's that 'insider knowledge' that gives the extra kick to each episode. Thanks for your giving of yourself. It really is appreciated.
As an additional point to the 2010-11 drop in viewership, A LOT of your viewers are Millennials and those were peak years for graduations
I feel like that’s when quick easy mobile internet access became popular, and the novelty of the show wore off a bit.
I came here to say the same thing.
Yeahhhh buying a TV with cable when moving to a dorm was not on my priorities list.
Well for me its because there wasn't access to the discovery channel anymore so i wasn't able to catch episodes of it anymore but i never lost intrest in the show and someday I'll go buy a box set of it when i have the money.
Hmmm... 2011 better and faster internet, better social media (cameras, microphones, computers getting faster, cheaper, better), people started to make their own test videos like Slow Mo Guys in 2010, others, etc, after those more and more people doing all kinda tests, etc! Maybe too many not so interesting Myths too.
Adam's Superpower is his ability to relay what is is to be a Maker. His way of telling things makes you fell "you can do this" and motivates people. He is a true superstar of the makerverse.
Adam talking about Mythbusters is like a grandpa telling stories about his life. And I love it
Mythbusters is and was a hugely fabulous demonstration of the scientific methodology. State a hypothesis, imagine a way to test the hypothesis, test it, assess it, reimagine the test if needed, repeat as necessary to nail down the FACTS. Record the facts and support the theory that emerged from the hypothesis. Thanks for your part in all this!
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” -Douglas Adams
As a great engineer once said “If you want them to see you as a miracle worker, never tell them how long it will actually take you to do the job”.
This is a paraphrase, 'cause I don't remember the actual quote, and I can't be bothered to look it up:
"Mr. Scott, do you always exaggerate your estimates by a factor of four?"
"Aye, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?"
@Will Frank Captain, the wore out and has to be replaced!
Scotty, how long would it take?
I don't know, maybe 8 hours?
Scotty, I give you 4 hours!
ok Captain, I do it in 2
Hey, that factor is pretty accurate 😄
@@willmfrank It's from the beginning of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as the Enterprise limps into spacedock:
Kirk: "How much refit time till we can take her out again?"
Scotty: "Eight weeks, sir...but you don't have eight weeks, so I'll do it for you in two."
Kirk: "Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?"
Scotty: "Certainly, sir, how else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?"
Kirk: "Your reputation is secure, Scotty."
@@talon262 Hey, now...I was close! ;-)
It is always such a pleasure just to hear Adam speak. He’s so knowledgeable, is great at getting his points across, and is always excited to be on screen. Whenever he talks about myth busters or just life lessons in general he is so down to earth.
"Jack of all trades, Master of none"
Don't always know what you're doing, but ya get the job done!
When I first heard this phrase it was kinda depressing. Then I finally heard the rest "Is still better than master of none."
Rather be a jack of all trades than a master of one.
Edit: it’s far more exciting. Keep up the good work!
Is always better than a master of one
Lol. I’m the almost master at like 3 trades. But horrible at all of em at the same time. It’s like, you never get better at something. You just finally find a new massive thing you missed all your life, and a person that is actually a god at that one part of the whole thing, and it’s like, “ damn. I suuuuuck bro.” Like, I can learn any solo on guitar from ear. It’s what I’ve always done, from like age 6-23. Basically, just as difficult as rapping fast. But than im like, “well. I can basically do what I want on this thing. Absolute freedom. Expression…..ight bored. Daaaamn. I suck at chord and harmonic theory. And finger style. Ight. Imma spend 3 years on that. 3 years later and I suck at guitar again. And it feels soooooo good. But yeah. I got like 3-4 things like that I can maaaybe say I’ve put in my 10000 hours…..music production for sure. I actually checked the hours of all my bigger projects and it’s at like 15k…..Which sucks. Cuz I’m still pretty ass at compression and phase management. But I’m pretty sure this dude has put well over the cliche “professional” amount of hours into stuff. Ima say it’s a blend of humbleness mixed with an exposure and appreciation for certain aspects in a field that takes skill to actually understand. Tho I do understand that Am very much not good at keeping my thoughts concise. And that’s objective, given the length and birth of this text block here. So….maybe I’m just dense.
But Adam Savage is a Master Jack-of-all-Trades.
MB lasted so long because the show was fun and educational. Great cast and content too. Glad I got to tune in for almost 8 years. Thanks Adam.
What is great about the show is that you just didn't figure it out, then showed us how you did the project once it was figured out. You figured it out right on the show itself, you even disagreed with each other on how you figure it out. Sometimes even going separate ways to do two different ways of doing the same thing until you got what you really wanted, and we witnessed all that. I think your best skill is patience and willing to make mistakes and taught us that it's OK to make mistakes and waste material (not really wasted, it can be used for something else....eventually) and not freak out over it. I used to get upset when I do that, now I am more patient with myself and others. Thank you for that skill set.
Great discussion, Adam. Really enjoyed how you answered his question with full transparency and honesty.
You’re honestly the real deal Adam, love this
i spent my Highschool years watching you guys. At home and in a classroom. Thanks for the good years !
"What am I an expert at? . . . I don't even know!" Felt that.
Now you and Jamie have 70 years combined experience! Was great growing up with your influence.
Watching this video I had a crazy realization, I no longer think of you as Adam that crazy guy from Mythbusters but instead I think of you as Adam the maker and the artist and the educator. I see you as the human being you share with us on the internet and I value your insight and creativity. Thank you Adam for the wealth of knowledge and experience and passion you choose to share with us.
Adam thank you for making me feel better about my large collection of mediocre skills!
Societal pressure to “be the best at one thing” is BS if you can leverage all your skills (or talent stack) together.
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects!”
This is a quote a wholly agree with, be a student of life and work to acquire as many skills and abilities as possible
This is so true, I can master anything put before me, usually find better methods because of outside thinking.
But because resumes require you to be be perfect at one thing, you get pigeonholed & have the most unsuccessful life ever
I love the realization of being an expert at knowing how to link all the knowledge from so many techniques and capabilities.
5:37 I also have a friend who has done work behind the scenes for American Ninja Warrior, he does some obstacle design consulting for ATS (the company that handles the course) and there's a lot of iterative design that goes into each obstacle on the course both creatively and the logistics of when they get testers in their warehouse to actually attempt the earlier versions.
And yes some of these obstacles while "simple" can have a lot that goes into them, some easier than others, or in one case a single obstacle ended up with a pretty high price tag (even compared to other obstacles) because of how much went into it
Problem-solving under pressure is awesome... We get to reach into our bag of tricks, wear many hats at the same time, never knowing just what course of action to take until inspired by each step and its results. Engineering 3D vision, seeing each step finished before its even started. Each step can trigger memories of something similar, and though the memories and experiences are all jumbled up in our head, the inspiration shines a light on them. Building one off, functioning droids and props, jumping in with both feet and learning at each step makes the end results, (after many hours of redoing things due to mistakes along the way) so sweet, and totally worth it.*
Totally on the same page Adam.
What you guys did on Mythbusters was beyond fantastic. You guys influenced an entire generation of engineers, makers and many others to think critically while having fun at it. Personally it motivated me to gain my own badge of being a craftsman to this day. The way you talked about deadlines and pressure as a way to trim the branches has me thinking about how I can approach projects. Absolutely inspiring work Adam.
Long time since you posted this, but that very big awareness of the breadth rather than depth of many of your skills is something I've embraced for a really long time - I'm not the best at most of what I know or do, but what I can do see a problem and very quickly carve a solution out of the large block of opportunity using a broad set of tools and skills. Upside down and back to front while under pressure.
Well you definitely passed some of that knowledge along because I learned so much through watching the entire run of mythbusters. Thanks!
I could listen to him all day.
I agree. We need more audio books spoken by him.
The first answer I came up with was perseverance. I always got the impression watching Mythbusters you guys never gave up. You exhausted all the possibilities and outcomes. It was a joy to watch and watching the questions regarding the show are among my favorite UA-cam videos. 💜
You have a skillset like that of a General Practitioner doctor - your expertise is measured in breadth over depth. This is what I do too, though in the IT industry. I tell new clients, if it has a computer involved (or just wires), I do that.
Adam, thank you as always. Your comments really resonated with me.
Adam,
I am glad you learned a lot and we (your audience) learned a lot!
You also planted seeds of knowledge for humanity that will last for at least a generation.
Could you please do a back stage set up program for ANW?
I feel like the time estimation is one of the core aspects of professionalism. After a few years of work, I found I got to the point where my estimates were pretty much down to the hour. And it's hugely beneficial to be able to tell your boss exactly what it will take and be able to trim down features if the time available is more inflexible than the feature list.
To be clear, you do have to build in padding, but that's done with your boss and with full awareness of the actual expected time.
You think that Mr. Roboto joke is bad, Adam? Where I work, we use Lovato isolators for the machines we build as the main power switches, and whenever a box of them come in, I take pleasure in saying, "Domo arigato, Mr. Lovato" to my supervisor. Massive eye-rolling ensues.
Love ya man. Thank you so much for continuing to share with us.
I have always been amazed at how many disciplines cross each other and can feed ideas and solutions to other problems. I am also in awe of those who have those backgrounds to pull from!
YES!!!! If I knew then (~then being when I started electronics repair~), what I would learn over the years. It would tell me I wasn't as good as I thought I was, and I'm only good now because I've really learned so much.
Egress was a 6 hour build that was finished within +15 minutes. What a great team. Glad I got to see it live.
Congratulations on being able to attend! I bet it was a blast because, it looked absolutely fascinating when I watched it on here!
The problems were caused by people who just had to "color outside the lines" and make modifications to their part, or those who failed to account for some property of the materials they chose to use, like the piece around the window that was the wrong size because the plastic resin shrank and whomever made it couldn't be bothered to redo it correctly. The hinges looked great in wood and brass but the "gas cylinders" should have been made in two pieces with one sliding inside the other so the hinges could move. The way they were made caused them to break. A few people decided to make their part as close as they possibly could to the original. That vent valve looked like it could actually be used on a space certified command module.
For me the neatest components were the multiple latches with an action at right angles to the actuation lever movement. I really need to find a down to Earth use for latches like that, then make some, in metal.
If only all the parts in the hatch latching mechanism had been made able to work so that the latch lever could be pulled to move them all. That complexity was because of how time consuming and difficult it was to open the previous hatch design. After the Apollo 1 fire, the astronauts demanded a hatch they could open very quickly. That complex arrangement of rods and latches around the perimeter, connected to a single actuation lever with a big "D" handle, was NASA's solution.
Watching mythbusters helped me overcome severe panic attacks, they were so severe that I couldn't even look outside or watch a commercial that showed flying or anything that showed mountains or heights, mythbusters showed me psychologicaly that it's safe and ok and helped my panic attacks to pretty much go away.. so thank you
Where I am Discovery kept moving Mythbusters timeslot. There was a couple of seasons I missed because I didn't know when it was on regularly.
The MythBusters cast and crew heard that a lot. Definitely not alone there.
I agree with this completely. During the last few seasons it felt like Discovery changed the time slot every three months or so. It was frustrating.
I can totally relate, Love not just building stuff, but figuring out how to do it, can't tell you how many times I have heard "we don't know" "we've never done that before" etc etc
Adam, I greatly appreciate your insight and openness to career growth and lessons learned.
I recently shifted my career from mechanical engineering to project management and it's been quite the interesting transition that has illuminated many parallels in a lot of your stories.
The ghost that starts screaming at around 6:20 is wild. Really added to the drama of the story
You could tell how super distracting it was.
I really love these Q/As!
Your point about overlapping skills is so interesting because I think that truly skilled people can take seemingly unrelated knowledge and figure out how to apply it in a totally unique way....
I, like you, am a "jack of all trades" type of person. I do a bunch of stuff to an average-above average degree. Never thought of the range of abilites as an expertise added together, what a great perspective to see finally
Thanks Adam, you showed me how to explain to people what I do best. "Take all the skills I've learned over the years and apply them to the problem I'm tasked with"
Adam’s true expertise is in communicating the difficulty of achieving his goals.
Mythbusters was more than a TV show it was a public service. It’s hard to imagine how many peoples life’s changed for the better? Especially kids that were wondering what they were going to do with their lives. 👍
I would kill (not literally) to have a tour of Adam's workshop!! I mean look at all the tools, supplies. Jigs, machines, parts.. so much creativity and possibilities!!
I feel so much what you said at the beginning of this. Problem solving is my favorite trade. I'm a jack of all and a master of none. But problem solving a deadlines are by far my favorite line of work.
I sold my business I owned for a long time recently, and my dream retirement job would be to work with Adam in his shop on whatever projects he chose. I’d be smiling every day
I love Tested, your stories are so interesting. I especially love your reminiscing about Grant and all the others.
“Jack of all trades and master of none, is better than being a master of one”
Only until that trade is needed to a factor of 1:1 then being a jack is useless. You call a master and accept that sometimes it's true that a master is a good thing to have and is worth the cost.
Better than being a master? Good luck with that.
@@jonanderson5137 Yeah, but even the so-called "masters" have some experience in other fields...otherwise, they'd be useless. I think that old saying is rather dumb. Most people can maintain more than one skillset to some degree. Hell, if that weren't the case, live music and live theater would be practically impossible!
I think you were an expert at frustrating Jaime, even when that's not what you were aiming for! But I loved the show & the interplay between the two of you was one of the things that made it interesting.
@Adam Savage's Tested from the couple times over the years i've had the honor & pleasure of talking to you i'd have to say that you are an expert at problem solving.
Yes, Adam, you´re right, awesome question, but really FANTASTIC answer too. 😁
Adam...you are an expert in understated humility.
Excellent conversation!
I actually have "Professional GSD" printed on my business card. GSD stands for "Gets shit/stuff done". I think it is one of the most vital jobs in all industries - the ability to parachute into any situation and find a workable solution.
I work in IT, and the curse of the IT industry is a deeply unhealthy focus on very specific skills, and a failure to appreciate the profound value of someone with a diverse set of skills, knowledge and experience.
You are the only non music, non writer person i truly admire, Mr. Savage. I truly wish i would be a bit like you, sir
Big fan! Thanks for all the heady stuff. I got to go to the Comedy Central rally for and against sanity and/or fear and we all jumped up and down at the same time to see if it registered on a trembly earth detector device. Great times.
Yes Mythbuster ratings may have gone down… but they didn’t, I’m telling myself we grew up watching you Adam, and the rest of the crew (RIP Grant) and not only made it interesting and easier for a generation to understand and WANT to do math, science, and engineering stuff. But also inspired a bunch of us to pursue those fields because you guys made it easier and fun…. Thank you so much Adam, Grant RIP ❤️, Jamie, Kari, and Tory
The Domo Arigato joke should have gone at the end when he thanked Mrroboto for his question
One of the best things you can learn about yourself, is how you work.
No, really. I mean it. Workout how you work is one of the best things you can ever learn. If you're a project manager, you need the strict markers, this is a good day, bad day, this is what I need to get through. Or are you more freeform, freewheeling, can you just get started and get things done. Are you somewhere between the two?
Seriously, working out just how you work can be so important.
Not just what, but why and how.
I tell everyone I am doing jobs for "I have worked with this guy (me) before, I know how he does things. It might not make sense to you, but the final product will exceed your desires.
I'll never get tired of hearing Adam talk about stuff and things
Always such a pleasure to witness Adam's enthusiasm!
Your an inspiration. Thank you. Long time fan, you look great man. Such a journey. ✌❤🥇⭐
You have my dream job, I like figuring out mechanical questions and spawning theoretical plans (that I'll probably never make). I don't have the education to get into the field, but it's fun to speculate and problem solve
Adam Savage is a Master Jack-of-all-Trades. Not a master of any one, but a master of combining the ones he knows into unique solutions to tricky problems.
Wait. ADAM set up the Apollo 11 command module set at the Smithsonian?! Wow! Impressive! I've seen it so many times and it was well put together! He and his team did a fabulous work on it!
Man Adam, I remembered that your favorite thing to do is to blow something up. I'll miss mythbusters, especially the original cast and that walrus you always work with.
Adam - this is one of my favorite self reflections - and we are kindred spirits in this: "Jack of all Trades, King of None" - I personally prefer that - there are many skills In which I'm proficient, but none where I'd consider myself an expert. And I've always preferred that because it leaves me room to grow and improve. Always and inspiration, you are....
I think the skill you improve at the most on the show, was you impression of Jamie
I had a college professor say to me, regarding fitting monumental amounts of work into a limited amount of time, “it will get done, because it must get done”. I breathe slowly and repeat that to myself often, might be the most important thing I learned in that school.
Your expertise... dear Adam... is storytelling
Problem solving is what you are an expert at I’ve seen it time and time again.
I didn’t miss a single episode of Myth Busters. And tested is another program I haven’t missed I might not see them as they aired but I have a habit of binge watching 🤣
Adam became a expert at being peoples idol/hero because of Mythbusters.
I've seen enough Tested to know that Adam actually does have one very specific mastered skill: Making boxes.
I’m working on permanently inhabited Mars colony scenarios. I’ve been thinking about the technical staff recently.
Imagine being 7 months minimum from getting things you don’t have or that can’t be fabricated/printed and 5-20 minutes from directly talking to Earth.
And still having to build, install and fix things. Possibly to save lives.
Imagine wanting a rare element or complex chemical that no one ever thought would be needed.
Planning, organizational, decision making and implementation skill sets like you talked about would be at the extreme.
This is, of course, 30+ years in the future, but as engineers we know that all the AI and advanced tech there is won’t help with some novel, subtle issues.
Skills you’re talking about on a movie will be needed, times, oh say, 1,000.
Mars is going to need a few Adam and Jamies. AI or human.
Like all forays into essentially unknown lands... take it with you and throw out the stuff you don't need later.
Sure, it's space and death stalks you and its... expensive and painful to toss in the kitchen sink. Don't ignore old wisdom.
The only thing Mars really needs to generate is an atmosphere contained in domes or tunnels. After that let's hope for some industry and for Mars Hitler to never be born.
"Jack of all Trades, Master of None; 'tis often more worthy than a Master of one."
Scott Adams talks about a "talent stack" - where your individual talents may not be that great, but collectively they make for a something uniquely suited for a job.
Is it out of theme to say after watching myth busters and now a daily tested fan is it safe to say I see Adam as an expert student. He ability to adapt and learn new skills and then translating them to his own practical use shows he has expertise in learning and applied learning. Truely an expert student
Non-related, but today I dreamed about watching the show back in the day, but with today's technology.
It was like, watching one vintage episodes of Mythbusters as it premiered on Discovery Channel here in Brazil, but I had my current LED television PLUS i'd be able to record it in FHD and upload it on YT since i already had the notion it was difficult to find all the episodes dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese in decent quality on this platform, if not find it at all.
Thanks for the "refreshments", Adam
I've always thought I'd rather be a B- at a great number of things than A+ at any one thing. Adam just put it really well.
If you have a moment, my man JeffB is a bright spark like you and loves your work. A baby shout out for his bday would be mint
The beginning of this reminds me of something my grandpa once told me, " you can do something for 20 or 30 or 40 years. It does not mean you were doing WELL during that time."
Adam is so casual; it’s very relaxing to watch him.
Adam Savage is the Winston Wolf of Sci-Fi
I love this Q/A! When Adam said “Covid is throwing off all of my dates.” though…I think we’re all feeling that. It hasn’t even been two full years yet and thanks to the continued “trauma” that is dealt out to us from this pandemic, we’re all having trouble remembering what “life before Covid” was like. 😞
I liked working as a programmer, because of similar attributes. It was always changing. Anything you had to do twice you automated and never needed to do again. At the point that your job was repetitive, you found another job. With an implied rule of never working for the same employer twice.
Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.
3:50 Adam says
"yeah, what we learned"
everyone hears:
"(Together) We will learn and teach
(Together) Change our pace of life
(Together) We will work and strive"
Adam is playing the game of tell me you work well under pressure without telling me you work well under pressure in as close to, but not above 9 minutes as you can.
2:26 You can actually hear the thought process spool up as the gears in his head start turning when he thinks about it.
Jack of all trades, master of none. Most useful people to have around.
Adam have you ever used a fractal vise? I just watched a restoration of one and it looks awesome, seems like an unique tool you'd like.
Dear Adam I would love to hear about your history of magic. I too am a theater tech freelancer, magician, and juggler. I also am a disabled vet who can't afford a tested patronage this is the only thing I want to know about you given how many times I have seen you on magic documentaries.
Generalism is highly underrated and not taught in design schools anymore. I caught the last wave of that and it allowed me to move into almost any direction I wanted.
Idk if you've done this but I think a Frankenstein switch for either your lights or maybe your mill would be a great project