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Grant From Mythbusters Died
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subego
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Jul 14, 2020, 02:28 AM
 
Of a brain aneurysm.

As these things are, kinda out of nowhere.

My favorite random Grant fact is he parlayed his effects work on Star Wars into a gig as the “live-action” C-3PO. That, and Jamie once paid him in homemade Soylent.
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 14, 2020, 04:06 AM
 
What?!? An aneurism?
Come on 2020, you are such a bummer.

I am a huge Mythbusters fan, and I particularly liked the dynamics between the Imahara, Byron and Belleci. And usually when people die this young, it is by their own hand. Having an aneurism at not even age 50 is such a bad draw from the lottery of life … 
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 14, 2020, 10:42 AM
 
Very sad. I always thought he was younger than I was. Didn't know about his Star Wars robotics, which is very cool.
     
ghporter
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Jul 15, 2020, 07:18 PM
 
I’m quite bummed about this. Usually the only way someone finds out they have an aneurysm is after “an event” and the doctor tells them why their head is shaved and they have staples holding their scalp together. ‘Cause the way other people find out is usually from an obituary. Like this.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
mindwaves
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Jul 15, 2020, 07:50 PM
 
Don't know about the guy but I hate Mythbusters. Just because you can't prove it doesn't mean it is busted. And, their ways of proving something is just too comical for my liking. Yes, others like it, but it is not my taste.
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 16, 2020, 12:28 AM
 
I’m fine with comedy in my science. If it’s well written, I actually prefer it that way.

I agree reducing everything to a label at the end isn’t the best practice, but I find it a forgivable gimmick in a TV show. I see the whole point of the show as an opportunity for the viewer to pick apart their methodology, so the cap they put on the end is one of the show’s least important components.

For the same reason, I take issue with the claim made by some that the show isn’t science. The vast majority of the show is experiment design, which I consider to be one of, if not the most important parts of science.
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 16, 2020, 01:37 PM
 
The show didn't have rigorous or large blind test groups but for the most part used good comparisons. Plus explosions.
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 16, 2020, 09:37 PM
 
Science ed shows exist on a spectrum where you usually have to balance scientific rigor with entertainment value. I think especially the early seasons of Mythbusters did a good job putting emphasis on the scientific method and on the build process, which also appeals to aspiring makers. The later seasons sometimes focussed too much on large explosions and the like, which wasn’t my cup of coffee.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
ghporter
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Jul 17, 2020, 06:02 PM
 
But Mythbusters was about blowing stuff up. Often, anyway... . My favorite was "can you really clean out a cement mixer with explosives?" Yes, yes you can. If by "clean out" you mean obliterating the entire mixer truck. Adam walked up to the remnants (and crater), found a piston just laying on the ground, and picked it up..."Ah, here's your problem!" Honestly, they usually did resort to big explosions only after settling the "question" the myth they were working asked. Like powdered coffee creamer - is it explosive? It sure as heck is! So how much of it do you need to make an impressive explosion? Not much. And then...how big a boom do you get from a LOT of the stuff? (Quite a big one.)

I liked Grant's take on the mechanics of what the three builders (him, Keri and Tori) set out to build. Maybe he was scripted as the straight man, but it worked well. And he didn't hurt himself nearly as often (or as much) as Tori did...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 17, 2020, 06:51 PM
 
I admit a certain fondness for when they accidentally ricocheted a cannonball through some sleepy California suburb.

Woops!
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 18, 2020, 10:29 PM
 
Probably my very favorite myth was whether water can shield you from bullets (spoiler: yes!). The result was really surprising to me at the time and the tests very simple. (Grant wasn’t involved in that one, though.)
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 18, 2020, 10:51 PM
 
The three memories of him from the show that stick out for me are,

1) He was the first person on the show (or anywhere really) I saw using an iPhone instead of a regular calculator.

2) He freaked out having to get covered in snakes or tarantulas. I forget which. The one that didn’t freak him out freaked out Kari instead.

3) I forget the myth, but he had to sit in a kiddie pool with no pants on for an extended time, so he did a bunch of sudoku.
     
   
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