Podcast - Adam Savage Project
Touring Australia and New Zealand – 9/16/2014
Adam’s back from down under, and shares tales of the distant lands of Australia and New Zealand.
Comments (50)
Adam’s back from down under, and shares tales of the distant lands of Australia and New Zealand.
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And now I am excited for the drive home, can’t wait to listen. Welcome back!
We’ll welcome any of the tested crew to do an Australian Road trip. I’m sure Aussie Members would help out! Glad you enjoyed it Adam, we like it here, just don’t tell too many people 🙂
The whole exuberant concert and performance response is definitely more pronounced in the USA.
I couldn’t believe my ears when someone told me people cheered in a movie theatre.
Hey Adam’s R2-D2 is standing! R2 Builder’s club member here and still curious to hear about your build, . I just weathered mine with some reference to the Tested weathering video of the microscope box. Espresso worked awesome! I highly recommend it and it was worth the $2 or $3 from the local coffee shop! It gave me some nice grime. Now it looks like R2 spent some time on Tatooine.
For anyone who has flown through Dallas recently knows what I am talking about but I would have to say flying through DFW is my most hated airport. The terminals are laid out around a large traffic circle or gear design where each gear tooth is a walkway to a terminal. While the design makes sense transfusing between plans can both be a pain, confusing, and really tiring if you have to RUN from one side of the gear face to the other.
Portland’s airport (PDX) is small, but it is my favorite.
people cheer in movie theatres? that’s suicidal over here, and we don’t carry guns everywhere.
seriously though, how uncivilised & impolite is that? from a very basic courtesy point of view, someone else in the theatre might enjoy the movie without interjections (not entirely unlikely!) therefore everyone shuts up, period.
I read it purely based off the mention in Adam’s blog post. It was awesome! Just starting the podcast now but it’s going to be made into a movie with Matt Damon apparently.
The WETA complex is in Camperdown. In fact it’s pretty much taken over the entire suburb of Miramar.
So: WETA-cast, Martian-book-cast, and GOTG-spoilercast… I knew there was a reason this was my favorite cast of the site!
I read The Martian after it was mentioned in an earlier Tested podcast. I couldn’t put that book down. So fantastic. It looks like they are adapting it into a film with non other than Ridley Scott at the helm.
So far as I know it isn’t so much that Australian/RotW cars are small, but that Americans love huge cars 😉
Good stuff, as ever!
Edited for worst grammar crime of all time. Hope no-one noticed.
Welcome back, Adam!
I can’t wait to see (and hear) what tales are in a future Wetacast..
Fantastic R2-D2 you’ve got there! Love the weathering job too.
I, for one, am totally jealous.. 😊
Thank you! It has been a really fun project and the first thing I’ve ever built like this.
I for one did miss Adam’s daily updates on his family’s adventures down under. (But I understand how that might interfere with actually having a holiday!) So I was glad to hear that an awesome time was had by all. Looking forward to hearing some more!
Trying to imagine what Jamie’s trip involved. Perhaps seeking out dangerous wildlife and wrestling it? Also, something involved a boat with wheels.
After reading about The Martian on ‘s blog post, I immediately downloaded the Audiobook and listened to it. IT WAS FANTASTIC. It’s not the author who reads it, but he voice actor did an amazing job. Loved it.
Next time Adam travels to the North Island of New Zealand, he needs to take one of the coastal highways between Welly and Auckland that’s SH3 (the one grew up travelling on all the time and my parents own a farm on in Taranaki) and SH2 & SH35
They aren’t coastal the whole way but if you want there are roads that follow the coast off those highways
And yeah, 2 lanes is all you get in New Zealand
I think we are so chilled just cos we have so much space here 🙂
Fried cauliflower? Deep fried broccoli is great!
, Your description of Asian Cuisine down under seems analogous to Mexican Cuisine here on the West Coast. I recently flew home to Chicago and the Mexican Cuisine there, while good, simply does not compare to out here.
And now that I think about it, that may be why I don’t find In ‘N’ Out to be that good, because burgers, and beef in general, in Chicago is unbeatable. Being that it used to be the center of the meat packing industry and all.
Any chance you guys can post the names of the dishes Adam was speaking of?
That was a great podcast. Thanks, guys! I bought The Martian after Andy Weirs talk at google; http://youtu.be/gMfuLtjgzA8 definitely worth a watch.
I’m thinking that sound is a planer…
Welcome home, Adam. Thrilled to hear you enjoyed Australia & New Zealand so much.
Of course we knew you would.
I bought a copy of The Martian too. My wife read it after me because I was raving about it so much. Is Ridley Scott really about to start making a film of it?
agreed!
one of them at least is Bánh xèo.
thanks so much for the link. I’m stunned Weir modelled the orbital dynamics via code he created.
people who talk in theatres deserve a “special hell”
Any news on Adam’s poster for original premium members by the way?
Glad to hear you enjoyed your time, Adam!
I attended the Behind the Myths show in Auckland that started in the afternoon, and I was called up to help with the four person chair walk trick where we did jazzhands, and later I asked in your Q&A what your favourite build was besides Lead Balloon (I was wearing the shirt with Tory’s Caution: Science in Progress design). The show was an absolute joy, and it was fantastic to see you, Jamie and the BTM crew put on performances and demonstrations. Being a huge MythBusters fan who owns every episode, it was far more than I had hoped to shake your hand and help with the experiment.
Can’t wait to see future stuff from MB and Tested!
Adam, you said everyone down here in Australia seems really happy, and I guess we do have a lot to be happy about: healthcare, lots of space, tight firearm laws so there’s very low murder rates (comparatively).
But here’s the thing: I find that surprising, because our country’s morale is at an all time low with the current Abbott government, supporting big business – to the point of there are or were plans to log Tasmania’s beautiful and ancient old growth forest, and destroying one of the natural wonders of the world – the Great Barrier Reef with dredging. Both sins, that in my book, are unforgivable. Forestry Tasmania and the Greens were both very happy with the plan they already had in place, born after years and years of back and forth and negotiations.
Our Prime Minister is consistently embarrassing us with his archaic, sexist and overly religious approach to politics on the world stage. Australia is the laughing stock of the scientific community now, because the Abbott government has repealed the carbon tax, and similarly scrapped other environmental protections put in place by previous governments because, apparently, he doesn’t think our environment is important enough to worry about, and he denies global warming is a ‘thing’. You know, despite all the evidence saying otherwise. Antarctica melting is a pretty big clue there.
He’s gutted the budget of the CSIRO, who were doing very important and relevant scientific work and experiments on the world stage, and really demonstrating that Australia has a lot to off the science community.
His government’s tough stance on young Australians mean that pretty soon we’ll have a rapid rise in homeless, destitute youth because they can’t get welfare anymore – their popular rebuttal of “they should just get a job” demonstrates how out of touch they are – there has to be jobs to “get”, and now that they have deregulated University prices, the market will be even more flooded because people can’t afford to go to University anymore, which will, in turn, create skill shortages.
I mean I could go on for days, but it’s just too depressing what our government is doing to our great country. Despite what we’re all going through, you still think we’re a happy people. It warms my heart to think that we can all still smile when morale is so low – can you imagine what we’d be like if none of this was going on?
Voting in Australia is compulsory for everyone over 18, I always felt like it was a chore to go vote, but I can assure you – next voting day will be one I look forward to.
Great Podcast guys. Its interesting to get a feel of Australia from a visitor. Yeah we dont yahoo all that much in concerts or shows. I was at the Adelaide show, took my Dad and my Step Son. Adam and Jamie were kind enough to choose my stepson to go onstage for the table experiment. I was so stoked for him and he was shaking at the end of it. One of the best nights us three blokes had 🙂
Since I see a little bit of show and tell here I thought I might show off my Dr Grordborts ManMelter 3600ZX. One of the earlier pieces but totally awesome and beautifully detailed. Would love to learn the metal working skills required to make things like this. Sorry phone pics.
Love your work mate.
it was good wasnt it! Wish I was called up on stage.
It was good to meet Adam and Jamie at the all-too-brief Meet And Greet session after the Auckland show. Pretty sure the group could have kept talking for hours once we got warmed up, but alas the limit was five questions (I was lucky to get one in early about CGI vs Practical Effects).
It was good hear more details about the trip to New Zealand here on the podcast, since that would have been the topics of my follow-up questions. Look forward to hearing more about Adam’s visit to Weta Workshop, since I’m pretty sure Adam would have gotten access to a lot of the stuff that isn’t on the general public tour. I’d be keen to hear Jamie’s views too (and more of Jamie in general on the site, although I know he’s not necessarily the podcasting type).
Hey Man, Yeah Abbott and his cronies are completely fucking us. He got rid of the Science Minister and put in a Sports Minister FFS!
While I agree with what you say there I think here in Tested we should keep it apolitical. I don’t come here and see American politics. I’d assume they wouldn’t want to see our politics either. And I’m pretty sure that Adam and Jamie got a pretty good feel of the political climate while here.
Thanks for posting that! Way cool! Had no idea his writings were THAT precise.
awesome, thanks much!
Damn, we really should have invited you to come check out our workshop while you were visiting Melbourne. I suspect you might dig it: http://www.creaturetechnology.com
Next time you’re down, eh.
Exactly, that’s just incredibly rude if you ask me.
I’ve never heard cheering here in SF and I go to a fair bit of movies.
People sometimes laugh out loud if it is a comedy and in some cases there have been a yell/catchphrase or two (Godzilla comes to mind, a guy had clearly practiced a very good facsimile of the roar) but those usually happen before the movie itself starts. I’ve usually found those types of fangasms pretty entertaining.
Just to fill you in on crossing Australia. If you take the main east – west highway across (between Perth and wherever) the biggest distance between petrol stations is 192 km or 119 miles. The road was only completely sealed in 1976 and I’m sure you would have needed a jerry can back then. (info from https://au.totaltravel.yahoo.com/listing/1045322/australia/sa/eyre/streakybay/ceduna/eyre-hwy-nullarbor-plai/) Over the years roadhouses have filled in the gaps. Another note is that it has a section of dead straight road that is 146.6 km, 91.1 miles long. I drove it back and forth in 2000 and it was a fantastic drive.
And thanks for the tip on the book The Martian. I heard Adam talk about it on Dr Karl’s podcast when in Australia and have since listened to the audiobook. It is one awesome book and very well read.
yes, antics before/after are something entirely different. they don’t disturb anyone watching the film, to begin with, and can be damn entertaining. 🙂 good to hear a bit of perspective that, at the very least, this barbaric custom is not universal.
& agreed.
You teases! So many podcasts to look forward to. Nice work
Forgot to add this picture of mine taken a couple of hundred kilometres north of Perth. One of those long truck you were talking about.
Listening to these podcasts is a bitter-sweet experience for me. It’s great because it makes me feel like I’m just hanging out with Adam, Will, and Norm, but it also pains me to know that I will never hang out with Adam, Will, and Norm.
Yes! Awesome, thank you ! Nearly every 10 seconds of Adam’s description of his experience abroad I would say ‘Canada, Canada, yup that’s Canada too’. 😉
btw guys, if you fancy some tasty Tim Horton’s K-Cups, or any other Canadian treats let me know.
Oh, also, forgot to comment on the podcast.
Now I don’t often curse, even on the interwebs, but I have to say: that podcast was amazetits! Best podcast yet(and that’s saying something).
About the The Martian audio book – Told you it was great!
Not that I actually believe you guys read all the comments, much less trust them (that would probably not be a good idea).
Don’t know if they’re still doing it, but when I bought The Martian for Kindle, I was able to also buy the audiobook version for like $2 more.
Spent 6 months with the US Navy down in Christchurch, NZ, resupplying Operation Deep Freeze (Antarctic Mission). I can’t say enough good about New Zealanders and the country (or the mission, too bad it was turned over to AF reserves).
Wife flew in and we did some touring in March (antipodal summer). We were in a B&B in Te Anau the night before a Milford Sound tour (one of the 8 natural wonders of the world) when the lady proprietress came in all worried and upset.
“There’s been a murder,” she says.
“That’s terrible, here?”
“no, in Auckland.” (over 2000 miles north the next island up.)
Turns out it was the first murder of the year for the entire country and it was –horrors!– a full two weeks earlier than the first murder of the year before. NZ is just that kind of place. The entire island was scandalized.
If you ever go back, there is amazing trout fishing all over, but particularly in Dunedin. And if you can recite a bit of Robbie Burns, you’ll never buy your own pint.
Or visit the Fox Glacier, the only place in the world where a glacier empties into a rain forest. It’s magical.
I always secretly admired the sailors who found Kiwi girls to marry while on that short tour. They always had the option of retiring to NZ later on and many have.
I’ve been hearing about evidence-based science funding in Australia. Which is pretty much an oxymoronic term, funding science tracks that you know will work and not funding basic science at all.
It is, after all, the basic science successes and failures that allow the leaps forward in intuition that often lead to the next new and completely unexpected field (and knowing what’s been tried and has failed and why is as important as a success). And that doesn’t account for the crossovers of useless discoveries in one field that revolutionize another.
Very short-sighted. All I can say is we’re slowly working through the beginning of the end of that kind of foolishness here in the states.
Really glad you enjoyed your time down under Adam… not to burst your bubble but we do have some bad apples down here too but my favourite experience was when we went to visit my cousin who lives in a more rural part of Victoria and she was driving us somewhere and waved to someone walking down the street, that person waved back prompting one of the children to ask “do you know that person”, her response was “no, that’s just what we do here.”
I’m curious if you tried any of our Pizza though… I know US pizza’s seem to have minimal toppings… we load up and I’d love to have a comparative review.
I frequently tell my children that the strongest benefit of multiculturalism is the food!
Finally, next time you are down this way you may want to do a walk through William Rickets Sanctuary.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges/Activities-and-attractions/Nature-and-wildlife/National-parks-and-reserves/William-Ricketts-Sanctuary.aspx
speaking of out-of-touch you forgot to mention Malcom Turnbul inventing the internet 🙂
I know I’m late to the podcast, but some may find it useful. Speaking of food in Australia I keep returning to Tasmania, everything is so fresh and full of flavor. For any Tested members visiting Hobart go visit Jack Greens in Salamanca, and order the Pulled Pork Burger.