Adam Savage: Mythbuster on Obsession

Adam Savage is a host of TV’s Mythbusters, but before the fame and fortune he was a model maker for ILM and other special effects houses. In this TED talk Savage discusses the creation of two personal projects driven by idiosyncratic obsessions. One is a life size replica of a Dodo bird. The other is an EXACT replica of a Maltese Falcon prop from the eponymous movie.

Other than the ornithological aspect the projects are related by rarity. Dodo skeletons are extraordinarily rare. No full skeletons from a single bird exist. The Maltese Falcon prop has a tortured provenance, disappearing or being stolen as often in real life as in the movie. In both cases, the object was unattainable, but Savage was able to make them real using only his skills and common materials. The video is 15 minutes of palpable passion for making and esoteric subjects.

Beyond the fun, the video is a great vision of what will be possible when custom manufacturing equipment and simple CAD tools are widely available. Passionate individuals will be able to recreate lost or truly unique artifacts. They will also be able to make things that are currently impossible to build. In either case this video is a great preview for what will be possible when web meets world.

Thanks to Jeff Dlouhy (@dlouhy) for turning me on to this video!

Bonus Section:

If you like the TED talk, this 60 minute version has the same basic stories as well as some additional interesting information.

- The phrase “Jack of all trades…” has a second part:

“Jack of all trades, Master of none, Very often better than master of one.”

- Savage references a great site called Replica Prop Forums that shares the secrets of model making for any physical hackers.

- Casting Tips: Models shrink about 5% each time they are cast so plan accordingly.

- He shows no fear calling out advertisers for squashing the content of particular shows. One particularly interesting story had to do with credit card companies acting thuggish in regards to an episode of Mythbusters focused on RFID.

- He also mentions that CAD technology is advanced, except in the key area of human interface. As those software packages become easier to use, personal creation will explode. This is not really news, but I am happy to have a certified MythBuster call out the importance of UI over a slightly better 3D printer.

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Tagged as: Adam Savage, MythBusters, Television