Jamie Hyneman (of Mythbusters) uses Fenix (and Linux)

I was pretty sure I saw him using a Fenix L1 in one of the episodes last year, but now it is finally official, as he notes the light in his article in Popular Mechanics:

Jamie Hyneman said:

Flashlights and other small electrical devices that run on exotic batteries.

I have a lovely little LED flashlight called the Fenix that puts out 1 watt, uses a single AA battery and lasts for months of use. If you look around, most similar flashlights on the market use lithium or other expensive batteries. The catch? Unless you need a high-intensity beam, they don't work any better or last any longer than mine does. I'd be happier if compact LED flashlights that require $13 batteries had never become so mainstream.

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I presume it's the L1P that he's talking about... but thought it would be interesting to share.

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He also recommends using Linux:

Jamie Hyneman said:

In the tech world this phenomenon is known as "software bloat" or "feature bloat." It's a well-documented problem and a frequent complaint about Windows OSs—Vista in particular. In addition to being buggy, the extra features tend to bog down your system by demanding more processing power and memory.
...
There's another solution available to consumers: Switch to a Linux-based OS such as Ubuntu. Since most Linux OSs are free, there's no business reason to bloat up the system with feature frills.

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My respect for Jamie (already substantial) has just skyrocketed.

That's pretty cool. Both choises.
Somebody should send him a single AA cree.

That is really not a compliment for Fenix IMHO. Mythbusters is such a low-level junk that I would not want to have my product featured there.

Kiessling said:

That is really not a compliment for Fenix IMHO. Mythbusters is such a low-level junk that I would not want to have my product featured there.

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This is offtopic, so perhaps we can discuss it elsewhere... but why so harsh? I am a very picky TV watcher, and a scientist by trade... yet I enjoy Mythbusters a lot. It's just... fun... in a geeky sort of way.

$13 for Lithium batteries?!?!?

Obviously he doesn't know how to use the internet... or how to look for a bargain.

MSax

Man, I thought Mythbusters was a good show! :thinking:

Kiessling said:

That is really not a compliment for Fenix IMHO. Mythbusters is such a low-level junk that I would not want to have my product featured there.

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wha huh...?!
low level junk? oo:

meuge said:

but why so harsh? I am a very picky TV watcher, and a scientist by trade... yet I enjoy Mythbusters a lot. It's just... fun... in a geeky sort of way.

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Well... for starters, have you stopped to think about the bias in their "scientific method"? Seems to be a completely different version from the one we use in real research.

OTOH, I totally agree with you and take it as pure geeky entertainment, even if I roll my eyes at some of their "definite" proofs, testing protocols, and unsubstantiated conclusions. It's fun to see others blow up and break things I could only dream of doing myself.

greenLED said:

Well... for starters, have you stopped to think about the bias in their "scientific method"? Seems to be a completely different version from the one we use in real research.

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I apply willing suspension of disbelief to their methods. In 90% of their myths, 5 minutes of research and 1 minute of calculations would have yielded the answer without any experiments.

greenLED said:

OTOH, I totally agree with you and take it as pure geeky entertainment, even if I roll my eyes at some of their "definite" proofs, testing protocols, and unsubstantiated conclusions. It's fun to see others blow up and break things I could only dream of doing myself.

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Exactly. It's a good-natured show, that just feels upbeat, happy, and fun. I can count the number of similarly-spirited programs on one hand... which is why 80% of the time (I watch probably less than 6 hours of TV per week) my TV is tuned to "Mythbusters" or "Dirty Jobs".

I think the beginning of the series was better than it is now. Back then I could actually turn the show on and say "Hey, I always wondered if that myth was real or not..." but now it seems like they're grabbing at thin air for more 'myths' to bust. Half the time it seems like they get one e-mail from someone that says they heard this and that, and if it sounds interesting enough they try it. Sometimes it's good entertainment, but other times its rather boring.

Kiessling said:

That is really not a compliment for Fenix IMHO. Mythbusters is such a low-level junk that I would not want to have my product featured there.

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Comon' now, its entertainment television...what where you expecting Physics 101?? Its a good show, and it fulfills its intended purpose..to entertain. But back to the topic , a 1 watt?? Please someone give this man a Cree light..

Hey, where else are you going to see someone blow the tar out of a fish in a barrel with a Cadillac-mounted mini-gun? That was awesome. Dumb but huge fun.

What bugs me the most about MythBusters is their "let's do whatever it takes to make things happen", and then declare something busted regardless of whether the circumstances they forced would be impossible to encounter in the real world.

Don't get me wrong, I don't actually think that's completely bad to do (hey, it wouldn't be entertaining otherwise and I'd be watching something else) , it's just that people then go around saying "this" and "that" can happen when the reality would dictate otherwise.

meuge said:

...my TV is tuned to "Mythbusters" or "Dirty Jobs".

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You gotta add Alton Brown's "Good Eats" - makes me hungry just to think about it. Plus, he's also a gear junky who likes knives and bikes - doesn't get better than that.

The Cree is also binned at 1W! :nana:

I think the show is ego-driven, insubstantial and has nothing to do with its title. It is just long-winded and takes forever to arrive at a boring or insignificant conclusion. It is a waste of time. It isn't even funny.

Sorry for the OT rant, but the impulse was stronger than I thought. It has been cooking for quite some time in me it seems.

bernie

Nearly every single firearms myth they have attempted to explore has resulted in being 'busted,' yet outcry on their fan forums lead them to retest nearly every 'busted' myth.

The result? Generally, the original results were overturned.

And likewise... while I am a scientist by trade, I cannot suspend my disbelief. What they do is a misservice to the scientific community by attempting to follow under false pretenses. Their blatant lack of consistent (or authentic) setups and conditions gives them even less credibility.

I was going to post an interview I saw with the Easter Bunny where he menitoned he used a SF A2, but I'm sure somebody would tell me he doesn't exist so I'll keep quiet.

Katdaddy said:

I was going to post an interview I saw with the Easter Bunny where he menitoned he used a SF A2, but I'm sure somebody would tell me he doesn't exist so I'll keep quiet.

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Well... that Easter Bunny deal is just something he does on weekends. His real job is with Energizer.

About the show, I think most people with a brain can figure out that many of the tests they perform doesn't completely represent the actual situation they are trying to simulate, thus, the tests doesn't really prove anything. Still, it's a bloody good show. It's fun, and I like the atmoshpere. And where else will you see somebody use an actual black powder cannon to simulate an attack on a pirate ship etc. Or somebody harassing a skunk, in the name of science.

oops

That was not a Cadillac. That was a GMC Yukon that had a Dillon Aero M134D minigun mounted to it in a custom turret.

http://72.215.196.56/sgyee/dillon_q/dillonaeroq_model.jpg

Videos:
http://72.215.196.56/sgyee/dillon_q/dillon_q_car.wmv

Footage of the attached video was shot in the Scottsdale Airpark area where Dillon Precision and Dillon Aero is housed, along with trails north of Scottsdale for some of the helicopter shots.

-Steve

MikeLip said:

Hey, where else are you going to see someone blow the tar out of a fish in a barrel with a Cadillac-mounted mini-gun? That was awesome. Dumb but huge fun.

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