Did Mythbusters' Cannonball Attack San Francisco?

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A cannonball incident during filming of Mythbusters on December 6th resulted in a projectile veering off course and causing significant damage in a residential area, including penetrating a home and hitting a parked minivan. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The discussion highlights concerns about the show's safety protocols, questioning the decision to conduct such experiments near populated areas. While some participants express admiration for the show's ability to engage the public in scientific inquiry, others criticize its lack of rigorous scientific methodology and the potential risks involved in their stunts. The incident has raised questions about the competency of the show's planning and safety measures, with some arguing that it was a freak accident, while others believe it reflects a concerning level of negligence. Overall, the incident has sparked a debate about the balance between entertainment and safety in experimental shows like Mythbusters.
  • #31
Mythbusters are an invented people. They lob missiles into San Francisco.
 
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  • #32
The path of the http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/cannonball-mythbusters-show-crashes-calif-home-amp-lands-minivan-article-1.988169 was incredible.
It aimed the projectile at huge containers of water meant to absorb the impact on the grounds of the sheriff's bomb disposal range.

But the ball somehow missed its mark, took an unforeseen bounce off a safety berm and barreled into the quiet Tassajara Creek neighborhood of Dublin about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

That's where the projectile turned into a suburban pinball, bouncing off a sidewalk, blasting through a front door, barreling up some stairs and careening through a bedroom where a man, woman and child were reportedly sleeping.

The cannonball then punched through the home's exterior stucco wall, sailed across a six-lane thoroughfare, ricocheted off the roof of another home and finally crashed through the window of a parked, empty Toyota Sienna minivan, where it came to rest.
 
  • #33
AlephZero said:
Hindsight is the only exact science known to man, but from what I've read here (I haven't seen the show) the populated area was NOT within firing range if they had aimed straight, and all their previous experience on the test range was that not aiming straight was not an issue.

I admit I take the "insiders view" on this. I don't stay awake at nights worrying that if something goes wrong with the stuff I do for a living, hundreds of innocent unsuspecting people might get killed. If and when that happens (and sometmes it does happen) we don't go into a group hug to make ourselves feel better, or take a year out for therapeutic stress counselling. We just get our heads down and figure out how to reduce the chance of it happening again...

A good part of my job involves anticipating the potential for death and injury. I'm not anti-Mythbusters, but this was a stupid mistake and seriously calls into question the competency of those planning their stunts.

I couldn't sleep at night if I didn't worry about these things [in a preventive sense]. As with people like the mythbusters, it is a part of the job.
 
  • #34
Chi Meson said:
...

Anyone who has seen the episode where they showed the bullet fired from a handgun hitting the ground at the same time, in the same place, ans a dropped bullet will understand. Blowing things up is NOT the majority of what they do. Big explosions are more fun, and more memorable, and are "better TV," but the show is beyond that.

Not only do they stress the importance of data to support your conclusions, they are ingenious at building contraptions. I have been really impressed by some of the rigs they build to get data or to replicate a myth that a majority of people accept because of an email they receive.

As for safety, 'tis true, the lawyers, are all about not being sued, about not letting things like this happen. My point is that they are not yahoos on Youtube. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that this was a freak accident. I hope they get to keep their pants.

Well said.
 
  • #35
Ivan Seeking said:
A good part of my job involves anticipating the potential for death and injury. I'm not anti-Mythbusters, but this was a stupid mistake and seriously calls into question the competency of those planning their stunts.

I couldn't sleep at night if I didn't worry about these things [in a preventive sense]. As with people like the mythbusters, it is a part of the job.

I'm not disagreeing that the placement was a bad idea, but it's tough (impossible) to catch everything. A major part of my job was the safety of others, both practically (preparing equipment to be worked on) and just talking about potential problems (process hazard analyses where you question every piece of equipment). It can be hard to question EVERYTHING. How far back do you go? If you need a firing range and find one available, do you automatically think to question it's validity? Most people will skip that step. "It's here, so it must be right." This tendency is exaggerated when put under pressure, say from time constraints. "We need to shoot this cannon. Well go get it done!" It's not an excuse, but a reality. Examining the event after the fact makes it seem much easier. You already have the problems in front of you.

Safety will always cycle. Regardless of who and what you have in place (I can only speculate on their personnel) there will be a certain amount of complacency. With great people, procedures, and redundancies it will typically take longer to happen, more precise failures in a sequence to occur, or be less severe. There will always be an event to put you back on track.
 
  • #36
Just read a comment following a news story:
House Busted. Myth Confirmed
heh heh...eh.