Enthusiasm is often contagious. Or do I mean infectious? Whichever it is, we caught the “Discovery” tv show called “Mythbusters” some time ago and I found the enthusiasm of the two hosts really compelling. Besides, it was fun.

Boys like things to go boom. They like to make sure they are part of MAKING things go boom. While realizing I’m a highly intelligent woman who doesn’t make blanket statements about gender roles, well hell, it’s true, isn’t it? Not that women don’t like it, or that all men like it but it’s really a happy guy thing, to make big things into little things by making them explode. It’s what made Bill Nye the Science Guy so popular here in Seattle and led hi to a fabulous life of wealth and fame. 9ok, so um….welll) Which is a lot of the basis of what Mythbusters does.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s an attempt to get to the bottom of a spate of urban myths. No, not all of them involve explosions (Stu would probably say here, no, just the fun ones.) But they’ve looked into stories like: answering your cell phone while filling the gas tank will make you explode. Or that breast implants can’t take high pressure. That ice bullets would be the perfect untraceable assassin’s weapon. But mostly, it’s whether things that allegedly blow up really blow up.

Some of the myths are so silly – do you get wetter walking or running through the rain. Are goldfish bored or dumb? Finding needles in haystacks. Ah, science!

And sometimes they find that it’s not a myth, but often they find that guess what, it’s nonsense. Okay, so interesting. But honestly, the reason I watch is that whoever came up with this show found the perfect people to be on it. I’m super delighted they’ve expanded their team to include some women – the show they did on how to foil (er, sorry) radar detectors was a hoot, but it’s really all about Jamie and Adam.

There are some ‘pop culture” quizzes out there that try to determine your personality by asking “Lucy or Ethel? Betty or Veronica? Paul or John?” And I think that it’s very telling to find out from Mythbuster watchers “Jamie or Adam? I mean the irrepressible Adam Savage v the imperturbable Jamie Hyneman. They’re perfect offsets. For each other. Adam plays the goofball, the “oh BOY we’re gonna blow things UP!” enthusiast. He’s also a really creative guy – how many people do you know who have been given dolphin spines who then turn them into stands for their copy of the Oxford English Dictionary?

They’ve got model-making backgrounds, have done commercial work, design work, special effects, you name it. (yes of COURSE Adam’s worked at ILM.) (see adamsavage.com for a great way to spend/waste some time. He’s SO goofy. But in a good way.)

Jamie, the beret wearing, mustachioed, deadpan “now let’s not die here” and Adam’s enthustaistic, “oh BOY, isn’t this GREAT we never really have to grow UP!” endearing puppy enthusiasm makes it work.

So I’m debating about buying a tee-shirt. I’m awfully taken with “Cute for Science!” as a shirt logo but it’s also tempting to get “Holy crap! Run!” or “Failure is always an option” (once again, Café Press comes through!)

Oh yeah, and it always “Spock” “Artemus Gordon” and “Ilya Kuryakin” in my world. So of course my vote has to be for Jamie, who actually has several patents to his name. Brainy guys are my downfall.