I am Jamie Hyneman, co-host of MythBusters

Would you be willing to take part in that one-way ticket to Mars? FOR SCIENCE!

Yes.

Although everyone else does, do you personally think you look like a walrus?

God, I hope not.

Hi Jamie, big fan here. I've heard on the show that the legal team sometimes gives you and Adam a hard time about what kinds of testing you can't do because it might be too dangerous. Was there any particular time you got the green light to do something and then afterwards you were like "I can't believe they let us do that"? Conversely was there any time that they would not allow you to do something that you thought was pretty harmless? Thanks!

Hi, At this point we know we have to look after ourselves. 11 years of doing this shit and barely escaping intact- we have learned a thing or two. That is why we work with the bomb squad when it comes to explosives and even then we check everything ourselves as well. Insurance adjusters and safety consultants pick up the obvious stuff, but we are pretty much only dealing with the stuff on the periphery, where unexpected things happen. So we back off on things all the time.

Thanks you for being here Jamie! My favorite episodes of the Mythbusters tend to focus on some kind of build. It's fun and encouraging to see you all overcome your crazy engineering challenges. Will Mythbusters be showing more of the build process in the future?

A good example of a recent episode doing this is the Star Wars special with the Tauntaun build. However, it seems like many episodes lately focus more on showing other stuff (booms, fluff, etc) than the building and problem solving process. Thanks again!

In fact, yes, we are.

We know you’re an inventor and that you love to build “weird shit”, so what has been your favorite thing to build, either on the show or off it? And did you ever get to build something with the giant magnets you talked about last year?

I have not done anything with those giant magnets. You should check out Correlated Magnetics. http://www.correlatedmagnetics.com/

Well, now you blew something up today. it's their server

Ooops.

What is that brown vest you always wear? Did you make that?

It's goat. I did make it but I did not kill and eat the goat first.

Given a relatively level playing field, IE Water deep enough for a shark to maneuver proficiently, yet shallow enough for a bear to stand and fight with his characteristic dexterity... Who would win in a fight between a bear and a shark? Why?

^{....Can you please do an episode on this?}

A horse sized duck..

Hi Jamie!

My family donated our speed boat to Mythbusters in 2009. You used it on "Dive to Survive" among other myths.

How is the boat? (it's a white and blue Sea Ray) Do you still have it? Thank you for taking that boat ride with my dad and I. I remember you told me you have a degree in Russian! And thank you for the tour of M5!

pic from M5!

edit: picture from the "blueprint room"

No, we gave it to one of our staff.

Hi Jamie! how much animosity, if any, is there between you and Adam? Do you ever hang out outside of shooting the show?

Since this seems to be coming up quite a bit here, for the record, Adam and I have done quite well by each other and have learned to have respect. We don't hang out, we don't like each other, but see that as an asset rather than a problem. There is no dishonesty, no meanness, no game playing, no emotion. Just get the job done. We both feel the other brings a lot to the game.

Could you ever do an episode focused purely on potatoes?

Hmmm. That's interesting.

Did you ever have a moment on the show where you were really giddy about something but had to act all cool, like the straight man you're supposed to be in contrast to Adam's character?

No, I don't get giddy.

Bullshit. You were pretty damn giddy when the dump truck plowed through the lines of cars.

edit: Damn! I called bullshit on one of my heroes, the one and only Jamie Hyneman, and not only did he respond, he agreed. My week has peaked.

OK, you got me.

Hi!

Hi.

1. Your wife is one of the best science teachers I have ever had.
2. what is your favorite myth?
3. what do you think of this picture?
4. I am mechanical engineering university freshman and I really want to work with you guys. Do you think M5 industries have internship opportunities for this summer?

I'm also an engineering freshman! I asked roughly the same thing somewhere down the line. Please respond! It would be awesome to work with you guys.

No, it is too dangerous to have interns.

Hi Jamie,

If I were you right now, I'd be overwhelmed trying to sort through all of these questions (~850 in 30 minutes.) I've also read about how you've been involved in a lot of different pursuits over the years. How do you keep from getting overwhelmed by an ever-increasing flow of information coming at you and keep cool enough to run a tv show, among so many other pursuits?

Its hard to keep up with stuff, and I have trouble with it. It's all surreal to me; I am someone who doesn't socialize much, talk much, don't care to be on camera, and I don't do well handling more than one thing at a time. And yet my job for the last 11 years has been to do exactly those things. Go figure

Which co-host would you choose to be your companion in the zombie apocalypse and why?

I wouldn't choose a co host. My companion would be my double barreled, over under, belt fed full auto 12 guage shotgun with the belts crossing over each other as they go through the gun. One ammo case of deer slugs, one with buck shot, strapped to my back. Fucking zombies.

Hey Jamie, What is your favorite tool/piece of tech that you use every day? Thanks!

The toilet. I mean, they are really underrated, you know? I am grateful every day when I have to use one- can you think of another tool that you get really upset about when you don't have it when you need it?

Jamie, big fan of the show!

What is your favourite thing you have built on the show?

I don't have a favorite, but the dump truck with the cow catcher plowing through a line of cars -aired on Jan. 11 was right up there.

You and Adam have been RC-ing full sized cars since literally day one of Mythbusters. Why didn't you RC the truck for the recent "Traffic Ram" myth?

(Hopefully this still gets answered, I got it in early, but apparently the AMA was in the wrong sub before)

We deemed the truck safe enough to actually be in there. Also, radio controlling a truck with 12 gears is difficult.

How was your day?

Excellent, thanks.

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On my list right now is racing spiders - I have the design pretty complete, and a person will be able to ride them. They have 120 hp and will go as fast as motorcycles. I generally don't waste my time with projects that would require an infinite budget. I do fantasize about taking up extreme sports when I get old; I figure I'll mount a lawn chair on the tip of a large rocket, sit on it with a parachute...you go up, you float back down. Or not. You wanna die in your bed?

[deleted]

No.

Will you fight me?

How big are you? Can I use a baseball bat?

I've named my vagina Jamie Hymen, tho to be honest, I'll never be able to achieve your incredible mustache.

My mustache is actually prehensile.

Who pressured you into doing this AMA?

Like I said, Magnets, bitches!

Hi Jaime! I just wanted to say that I am a huge fan. I have heard you are a big reader and like science fiction. I am wanting to get into the genre so I was wondering if you had science fiction books you would recommend reading?

I like Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, Master and Margherita by Blugakov, Much of Lem.... So much good stuff out there. I haven't read any sci fi really since starting Mythbusters because science and tech that is not fictional is so much to keep up with and just as fascinating.

Hi Jamie, I'm a giant fan of Mythbusters and was very happy to see your recent tour in San Francisco!

What more do you think can be done to introduce building/engineering/science in general to girls? Do you believe Mythbusters is doing as much as you want in terms of being engaging to them?

Thanks for your question, wintersage. Here's your video answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2NiBiqhzo8

Scotch or bourbon?

Bourbon. Definitely. Bourbon is for real men.

Waffles or pancakes?

Pancakes.

Hi from BC,

what ever happened to Blendo ?

Blendo is still around and went on the Behind the Myths tour with me and Adam.

As a person who associates with the freethought/atheism movement's how has this affected you and how do you feel about living so close to the scientology HQ

I am not aware of any scientology HQ nearby. Atheism or Agnosticism or whatever movement doesn't affect me at all. I don't believe in anything. There are only probabilities, and the probability of a diety or some shit is pretty fucking low IMHO.

Jamie, I saw you in NYC at the Beacon Theatre a few months ago when you did you live show with Adam. I was the one 20-something amongst the sea of kids and their parents. I had a tremendous amount of fun, you guys did a great job, so thank you! That paintball gun was insane, can you tell me how you built it?

It's all plywood except for the guns, and it's mounted on a trailer from Harbor Freight.

for the Myth where you tested the ancient Torpedo, your hydro-forming techinique was literally amazing, i was speechless, especially after watching your attempts to use a jackhammer to forge it. Brilliant Eureka-moments like that are why i continue to watch you show after a decade.

Was the idea of hydro-forming something that you discovered while researching the problem, or was this something you just pulled from your scientific bag of tricks? how long did it take to create the form, and how many mistakes did they have to edit out (be honest) before your shell-making started to work that perfectly?

Thank you so much for that question. That kind of experimentation is what I enjoy most on the show. I had seen a YouTube video of hydro-forming a much smaller thing simply by inflating it with water and so decided to try it. The process was pretty much exactly as t happened on the show. There was not much editing required.

Did testing the Oculus Rift goggles make you want to get into gaming?

No, but it was interesting testing it: http://www.tested.com/tech/455063-jamie-hyneman-tests-oculus-rift-virtual-reality-goggles/

Hi, Jamie!

First of all, I'd like to say thank you for doing this. I love MythBusters, and i think you do a great job on it.

In Adam's AMA, he said you have a very dark sense of humor. Here on Reddit, the darkest of jokes are welcomed and appreciated. What is the darkest joke you know of?

You don't want to know what that joke is.

Hi, and greetings from snowy Finland. Just wanted (as car enthusiast) to ask what cars you own? What is favorite one? What is one you would like to own but not possible?

I drive a Prius- would drive any car that does not use much fuel. Cars are tools as far as I am concerned. I like tools that work well and last. I would want one I designed and built myself. It would fly, not use much fuel, never break down.

Hey, Jamie. Just want to share some love about the show and tell you how grateful I am about the fact that you guys are so unPC about it. Guns, animal carcasses, explosives- you guys push the limit and it freaking rocks. Never stop.

Fuck yeah! (thanks)

Do you ever do any programming for the robots you build, or does part of your team handle it? I'm a programmer, and would love to know.

They’re mostly puppeted. They’re rarely programmed. It’s more fun that way.

What happens to the pig carcasses you guys use after you're finished shooting canon balls at them or blowing them up?

We eat them. 250 degrees overnight, and the meat falls off the bone.

Are you an ass or a tit man?

Are you kidding me? I want it all.

Is there anything left that you'd like to be certified to do that you can't do right now?

I don't know. I need more magnets, though.

Hi Jamie!

What's one myth you've always wanted to test but couldn't, due to financial/legal/safety/etc reasons?

Thanks, H04X. Here's a video answer to your question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1LMWCHQiNI

No question, i just want to let you know that i love mythbusters. Carry on. :)

Thank you.

After somebody uses the transporter in Star Trek, are they the same person, or does reconstituting them out of different molecules mean they're a different person and the original version ceases to exist?

Yes.

I want to try a stunt, I want to know if you fell from 10,000 feet without a parachute into water, is there any way you can land to sustain minimal injury? And how deep does the water need to be?

Flap my arms really, really fast

Do you prefer cats or dogs Jamie? BTW thanks for doing another AMA!

https://twitter.com/JamieNoTweet/status/400778001031254016/photo/1

What is the most extreme thing, whether you killed an animal or bungee jumped naked, that you have done outside of mythbusters?

I don't know if it is the most extreme, but it was up there: we bungee jumped for apples a couple of months ago. Adam barfed after a couple of runs so I had to do it, and I don't like heights. Awful. OH, that was for Mythbusters... Uh, I have been through two hurricanes on a boat in the Caribbean (not at the same time).

Hey jamie! huge fan here! Could you just say hi to me? that would make my whole week!

You are my favorite mythbuster by the way :D

Hi!