Three, Two, One …

Aided by explosives and assistant Kari Byron, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage have survived seven years of television by taking relatively straightforward questions — Can you swim faster in syrup than in water? Can you polish shit? — and squeezing them through the scientific method. Often that means crouching behind a blast shield or having an explosive expert onsite. Their show, Mythbusters, is quintessential San Francisco (especially if your San Francisco centers on Survival Research Labs–era DIY chic) and it’s hard to get through any of the more than 140 episodes without feeling incredibly jealous of what they get to do, such as the time they produced a weapons-grade fireball from matches dumped in a bucket. "Bust a Myth with Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage" features the pair in a safe area, manning just a microphone to discuss methodology and behind-the-scenes chaos, prompted by questions from moderator Moira Gunn of NPR's Tech Nation.
Thu., Aug. 6, 6 p.m., 2009