I was going to write up some stuff about TAM 5, but instead tonight I’d rather cut to something cool: on the last day of the conference, I was able to get several people to talk to me on the webcam. I’ll post one every day this week, and to start it off, I present you with Adam Savage of The Myth Busters!
Adam is as warm and friendly and bubbly as he is on the show. We didn’t get as much time to talk as I would have liked– we met at last year’s TAM and got along really well. But we did get a second at the speakers’ dinner to get a picture taken together:
Adam joked we looked alike and dressed alike, so we swapped glasses:
His glasses prescription is a lot more serious than mine. I almost lost my dinner when I turned my head.
Tory Belleci was also there. I met him at Dragon*Con last year, and we got a few seconds to chat at TAM, but that was about it. He seems like he is also a friendly, open guy. I wish we had more time to talk! I found myself thinking that literally dozens of times at the meeting. Anyway, here he is with Adam, as Hal Bidlack introduces them:
Gossip: Adam does a killer Jamie impression; I nearly peed my pants. He also intimated that there will be some shows coming up that I’ll be interested in. Hmmmmmm. More news on that when I get it!
You can see all my TAM 5 pictures at Flickr. I’ll be adding more as time goes on, so check back!
Previous TAM 5 entries: Report #1
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa! That is SO COOL. And I wonder what kind of show you’d be “interested in”!? Maybe the Mythbusters are planning on sending something into space… ^_^
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Hey how did you take those pictures of yourself?
Also how come you wore the same shirt 2 years in a row? I think you wore the royal purple last year also, something we need to know? Looks like you had fun at TAM.
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:57 pm
I wish I could go
it looks like a total blast! And you and Adam do look alike. maybe you should get them to get you on the show for a “Space Myths” episode!
I’ll have to settle for the fact that I seem to have hooked my 14 year old daughter on Astronomy.
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:03 am
I wish I could be as enthusiastic as Adam Savage about everything. Seriously- what pills does he take?
High school diploma? The Mythbusters are smarter than most scientists I’ve met.
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:09 am
[...] For actual descriptions of what happened, visit Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy blog (Parts 1 and 2 are currently up). [...]
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:02 am
Phil — I’m a relatively new visitor to the site, and I have to say, I’m REALLY loving it — thanks so much for the time and effort I know this requires.
How did you do the film interviews? What sort of camera do you use?
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:15 am
Bah, one of the things I hate about living in Canada is that I get all the episodes of Mythbusters half a year late. There’s always YouTube, though.
I unfortunately had a ton of school requirements I couldn’t get out of this year, so no Amazing Meeting for me. Next year I’ll be in grad school, and that will hopefully be a bit more lenient, so I’ll hopefully get to be there then.
Congrats on getting to meet Adam, though, Phil. And Adam (if you’re reading this), congrats on meeting Phil.
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:26 am
Yeah Adam’s cool. But Phil – you’d score even more points with some of us if you were standing around with Kari Byron!
Oh yeah, it’d be “jealousy points” though.
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:36 am
I’m a Mythbusters addict! Ah, I wish I could’ve went to TAM5. But my money is a bit short, and going there would cost me a lotsa money. Maybe I’ll start carefully saving money for one in a couple years.
January 23rd, 2007 at 6:03 am
Phil,
You clearly have better taste in glasses than Adam. Your glasses look better than his on both you and him.
January 23rd, 2007 at 6:03 am
Can you say “Separated at birth!”? I listened to one of Phil’s interviews with the Slacker Astronomers, his voice even reminded me of Adam’s…
I love MythBusters as much as the next guy, but I hope everyone realizes they are entertainers first, and not bastions of in-depth research. I’ve seen several episodes where they’ve conducted really incomplete experiments, then pronounced conclusions that are either flat wrong or simply unsupported by the evidence. To their credit, they have had a couple episodes where they’ve revisited and more fully assessed earlier myths, even reversing themselves on a few conclusions.
January 23rd, 2007 at 6:40 am
Would love to attend even though from the faith community
People in the faith comunity are encouraged to check things out (See Acts 17:11 for example)
The Faith community is a magnet for charlatons, so we need to watch out for them.
Any chance of a TAM in another country, like TAM UK?
I know of some venues here in Newcastle.
January 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 am
Nashville Guy– I just use a webcam. It’s a Logitech one, cost under $100. I figure it’s an investment in the blog! I just got a new microphone but I haven’t tested it out yet.
Adam really is just like he appears on TV; I can’t stress that enough. Tori is also very nice. I’ve met Kari a couple of times — she is also wonderful, and she’s prettier in person, amazingly.
Since the show is filmed less than an hour’s drive from where I live, I’m hoping to get down there sometime. I’ll blog about that for sure!
January 23rd, 2007 at 9:56 am
Phil and Adam, separated at birth? Could be Fox’s next big conspiracy show.
January 23rd, 2007 at 10:22 am
Very very cool! I wish i had been there
January 23rd, 2007 at 11:05 am
[...] The Bad Astronomer talks to Adam Savage. Too cool. I wonder if The Amazing Meeting could count as a work conference… previous entry [...]
January 23rd, 2007 at 4:14 pm
cool, but no kari.
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
what happened to the comment I posted a couple of hours ago?
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Being “star struck” aside (I would be too! how cool!) you were direct on the mark w/ your statement about bringing skepticism back in to the mainstream.
The whole team makes the hour so entertaining, the “lessons” just sneak in to be (I hope) internalized later.
But enough analysis! it’s great to hear Adam and Co. are just as great in person as they come across on the show. Glad you are friendly with.
January 24th, 2007 at 2:31 am
Actually posted by Sticks, having trouble posting:
2nd half of post:
However the only thing stopping me is geography. Any chance of the TAM going international and being held here in the UK? I could provide a good list of venues in Newcastle for a TAM UK? such as the http://www.metroradioarena.co.uk/home
http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Home/0,,10278,00.html
to name two
January 24th, 2007 at 2:33 am
Posted for Sticks, second half of first half of post:
although I would point out that the NT does praise a group for checking that even the Apostle Paul was on the level (Acts 17:11). Those in the faith world are seen as easy pickings for the frauds and charlatons, and we need to be kept straight.
January 24th, 2007 at 2:34 am
Posted for Sticks, first half of first half of post:
I would love to drop in on a TAM,
even though I come from the faith community and would be considered the enemy,
January 24th, 2007 at 2:38 am
OK, this is totally weird. I posted all of Stick’s post, but I had to split it up piece by piece to find the offending section. Then I had to add a line space in the first sentence to avoid the 404 error.
So, those wanting to read Stick’s post, start with the third post (immediately above this one), then read the second one, then the first.
I have been having this trouble for quite a while, Phil.
January 25th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
What I wouldn’t give to meet the Mythbusters. DANGIT PHIL!! YOU MAKE ME JEALOUS!!!
February 2nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Long-time lurker, first-time poster! I agree with DennyMo – “Mythbusters” is a great start, but it ain’t always science. More than a few of their “plausible” rulings have left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, but they’ve got the self-correcting thing down pat, so there’s hope! That said, I’m just a little starstruck at the very thought of rubbing geeky elbows with most of these folks, as I plan to attend the next TAM, come mud, flood, hell or high water!
Phil, I unfortunately missed your talk in Seattle last month…any chance you’ll be up this way again? Thanks for keeping up such a great blog…hurray for the skeptics and scientists keeping the candles lit and the demons away.
February 2nd, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Puckish– I missed my talk as well. I was sick and couldn’t give it. I have no plans to be in Seattle at the moment.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Phil- What exactly is the Amazing Meeting? I know what goes on there, but what is its purpose? Why was it started? What are you all skeptic about? And, by the way, congrats on meeting the awesomest person this side of the sun!
March 5th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
1. Phil, I would like to thank you for being part of a group that is tempting me away from forestry and towards astronomy.
2. I am so thoroughly jealous at this point. I’d love to meet those guys. (Particularily Kari…)
3. Thanks again.