Jamie Hyneman
| Jamie Hyneman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | James Franklin Hyneman September 25, 1956 Marshall, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Indiana University |
| Occupation | MythBusters co-host, M5 Industries CEO |
| Years active | 1986-present |
| Spouse | Eileen Walsh (1989-present) |
| Website | |
| www.m5industries.com | |
James Franklin "Jamie" Hyneman (born September 25, 1956)[1] is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed. He is known among Robot Wars devotees for his robot entry, Blendo, which, for a time, was deemed too dangerous for entry in the competition. He is one of the designers of the aerial robotic camera system Wavecam, used in sports and entertainment events.[2] On May 16, 2010, he delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctorate of Engineering, from Villanova University.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Early life, education, and early career
Hyneman was born in Marshall, Michigan and raised in Columbus, Indiana. Describing his early life, Hyneman said "I was a problematic kid, to be sure. I left home when I was 14 and hitchhiked all over the country."[4]
He earned a degree in Russian linguistics from Indiana University.[5] He also received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Villanova University. On 25 November 2011, Hyneman was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Twente (Enschede, Netherlands) for his role in the popularization of science and technology.[6]
A variety of careers fill his resume, including scuba diver, wilderness survival expert, boat captain, linguist, pet shop owner, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and chef. He apparently has a mild case of acrophobia (fear of heights), as mentioned in the "Hammer Drop" episode segment of Mythbusters.
[edit] Personal life
He has been married to Eileen Walsh, a science teacher at Encinal High School, since 1989.[7] They met while he owned a sailboat diving charter business in the Virgin Islands.[8] Hyneman identifies strongly with skeptics and atheists.[9]
[edit] MythBusters
A distinctive part of his appearance is his dark beret, white long-sleeve button up shirt over a black t-shirt, no-rim glasses, and, occasionally, sunglasses. This, along with his walrus-style moustache and deep voice, are constant subjects for jokes by co-host Adam Savage and other team members. A sign hanging in his workshop reading "Clean Up or Die", visible in several episodes, expresses his desire to keep the shop clean and tidy.
Hyneman's demeanor on MythBusters is calm, logical and no-nonsense, in stark contrast to Savage's more animated, impulsive and energetic persona.[10] Hyneman is often exasperated by Savage's antics and he sometimes argues with him about the best approach to take. The two often have very different ideas for performing experiments and building devices. Hyneman's ideas tend to be more simplified than his co-host's, and he has a philosophy of reducing a solution to its most basic form, wherever possible. This difference has led to numerous competitions between the two presenters when testing myths, such as testing the Goldfish Memory myth and Hoverboard myth.
His notable achievements in commercials include the can-spitting vending machine seen in 7 Up commercials, and his patented two-wheeled football shoe from Nike Lab commercials.[11]
Hyneman has been dr.h.c. Jamie Hyneman since November 25, 2011 when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Twente on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. He was awarded his honorary doctorate together with Adam Savage for their work in popularizing science.[12]
In the "AC on vs. Windows Down" myth, Hyneman revealed a food that he invented (and commonly eats) known as "the 444," a smoothie-like concoction of 4 fruit, 4 vegetable, and 4 grain servings. Despite skepticism by the rest of the crew, Hyneman described the 444's taste as "quite pleasant."
[edit] Other appearances
The two army-junk sellers in The Darwin Awards are portrayed by Savage and Hyneman. They appear during the story of the rocket-car, which they effectively reproduced in the series' pilot episode.[13]
He attended the annual skeptics' conference called The Amaz!ng Meeting in 2006.[14]
Hyneman made a cameo appearance along with Savage on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on the May 1, 2008 episode "The Theory of Everything",[15] where they play inspectors each giving thumbs-up after seeing a shirt soaked in pepper spray catch fire when shot by a taser. They would go on to test this myth and prove it confirmed with certain types of pepper spray.
He and MythBusters co-host Savage will appear as judges on the game show Unchained Reaction premiering in March 2012.[16]
[edit] References
- ^ The Editors of Chase's (2009). Chase's calendar of events 2009. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 472. ISBN 9780071599566. http://books.google.com/books?id=WoV51PohNjwC&pg=PA472&dq=%22Jamie+Hyneman%22+AND+%221956%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&ei=EYa7TfKJOKrg0QGU5JjMBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Jamie%20Hyneman%22%20AND%20%221956%22%20-wikipedia&f=false.
- ^ "'MythBusters' make surprise appearance at SolidWorks World 2006". SolidWorks. January 23, 2005. http://www.solidworks.com/sw/news/245_article2004_27_ENU_HTML.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "Mythbusters Co-Host Jamie Hyneman to Deliver Villanova University's 2010 Commencement Address". Villanova University. April 22, 2010. http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2010/0422.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Dwyer, John Stephen (May 5, 2010). "The men behind the MythBusters". Blast Magazine. http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/tv/2010/05/the-men-behind-the-mythbusters/. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Zimmerman, Keith; Zimmerman, Kent (2004). Mythbusters: The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All Time. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. p. 27. ISBN 9781416909293.
- ^ UT awards honorary doctorates to MythBusters, two leading scientists and a business pioneer - website of the University of Twente
- ^ "MythBusters Behind The Scenes Interview". Discovery UK. http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/mythbusters/behind-the-scenes/interview/.[dead link]
- ^ "Adam Savage Interview - Part 1". The Sneeze. August 23, 2005. http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000408.php. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ On December 12, 2006, in an interview on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, Hyneman said, "[A]ctually I'm pretty adamant about, you know, the whole God thing and it seems that skeptics are by and large atheists or something approaching that, which I strongly identify with. So it turned out to be a good thing and I have become enthusiastically part of it."
- ^ Strauss, Gary (January 16, 2008). "'MythBusters' is the stuff of legends, tall tales". USA Today (USA Today). http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-01-15-mythbusters_N.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ US patent 6458008, Jamie Hyneman, "Remote Control Device with Gyroscopic Stabilization and Directional Control", issued 2002-10-01
- ^ Eredoctoraten voor Mythbusters Aandrijftechniek, July 1, 2011.
- ^ "The Darwin Awards (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darwin_awards/. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ http://www.randi.org/amazingmeeting/tam4/guests.htm
- ^ "CSI: The Theory of Everything Cast List". tv.com. CBS Interactive. http://www.tv.com/csi/the-theory-of-everything/episode/1190007/cast.html?tag=episode_header;cast. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Hibberd, James (2012-01-20). "'MythBusters' hosts launching new show". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/20/mythbusters-unchained-reaction/. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
[edit] External links
- Jamie Hyneman's M5 Industries
- Jamie Hyneman's Patent for Remote control device with gyroscopic stabilization and directional control
- Jamie Hyneman at the Internet Movie Database
- Wavecam aerial robotic camera
- Jamie Hyneman biography from the Discovery Channel
|
||||||||
