TV Tonight: How They Make Steakums

(Wednesday, August 6th, 2008) It doesn’t get better than the start of a new season of Mythbusters, does it? Tenderizing steak with explosives? We’ve heard of worse ideas. Also there’s a new Under Construction, and History is rerunning the Modern Marvels episode on Tesla. Finally, a good night of TV.
All times are central.
- Rock Solid: Fireplace Facelift (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
- Modern Marvels: Mad Electricity (History, 6:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Horse-drawn Carriages, Artificial Eyes, Dog and Cat Food, Mirrors (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Grinding Wheels, Compost, Window Blinds, Milk (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
- Deconstruction: Granite (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
- MythBusters: Exploding Steak (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.) NEW
- Under Construction: Stairway to Headache (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
- Ice Road Truckers: A Rookie Fumbles (History, 9:00 p.m.)
- Under Construction: Lofty Goals (DIY, 9:30 p.m.) NEW
- How It’s Made: Temporary Metal Fences, Asphalt Shingles, Expanded Polystyrene Products, Hard Candies (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Conga Drums, Metal Plating, Buttons (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)
Enjoy.
I caught most of Mad Electricity.
Most serious blunder: explaining how AC is more efficient than DC for power transmission by saying that in AC, the current doesn’t actually flow in a loop, it just wiggles back and forth. No mention that AC allows the use of transformers, or an explanation of the difference between transmitting as current and transmitting as voltage; certainly no reference to I-squared-R.
I did like the Edison v. Westinghouse story; that in and of itself would have been a great show, and appropriate for the History channel.
I also could have enjoyed a whole show on the fight between Tesla and Marconi. I don’t know much about that struggle, and I’d like to. How much of it was marketing and legal maneuvering, versus how much was that Marconi was better at putting together a usable package? I don’t know, myself, but I would have loved to find out.
The section on some of Tesla’s wilder ideas was also very disappointing.
More facts, guys, more valid explanations, and above all, more history; less speculation and myth-building.
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My favorite Tesla story, which I cannot confirm: the rumor was that Tesla could build a motor in his head, run it as a simulation for hours or days, then take it apart and check it for wear.
I’m recording the Mythbusters explosive meat show; I’ll watch it tomorrow.