Talk:List of problems solved by MacGyver

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article has been through an deletion debate, the result was to keep the article. HighInBC (Need help? Ask me) 21:13, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] How to Handle Verification?

How should we handle marking MacGyverisms as plausible or implausible? The Wikipedia rule is apparently not to link to Users in the article. This makes sense, because I know Wikipedia wants to be printable with just the articles, and having user names violates that. So we can't have people sign their assertions. But what do we do? We can't have a fact finding mission for each MacGyverism :) So perhaps whoever writes up the MacGyverism just puts up their opinion and if there is debate, we debate it here on talk? Or is it inherently too POV to put on Wikipedia? --Aphex3 02:39, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

I think it's a good idea to debate it in the talk section. Don't know if it's a good idea or not - but I was thinking that if someone has a 'proof', they first post it here. After an arbitrary ammount of time passes in which debate can take place, they put "plausible" or "implausible" at the appropriate point in the article and put a citation number next to it that can link to the discussion on the talk page. Just a thought. --Theeph 23:39, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Original research is not allowed in articles. If you have/can find an external source saying something about the plausibility of a MacGyverism, however, it would be good to link/summarize them. Frencheigh 09:59, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Hmm... I see what you're saying, but in The Reliable Source guidelines it seems to say that opinion held by a person or group is fine to cite as long as it can be verified that the person or group does hold that opinion. It is original research if cited as fact, but if cited as opinion, and linked to the discussion page as proof of the opinion - that seems to obey the rules. I think opinion is appropriate in this situation given the inventiveness of MacGyver, and the unlikelihood of finding a reliable secondary source that *could* verify his crazy stunts. --Theeph 10:34, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
From WP:NOR: ...has not been published already by a reputable source. It is inappropriate to cite a wikipedia talk page in wikipedia because it presupposes the reliability of wikipedia, which is what we're trying to establish :] See also Note: Wikipedia articles can't be used as sources. at WP:CITE.
Ah, right. I see that to include opinion attached to "plausible" or "implausible" would be attempting to verify it as fact, in the context of the article. That is, saying: "Yes, this is possible because we agreed to it on the talk page" is not the right way to do things. Good point.--Theeph 00:58, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How to Writeup a MacGyverism

The important elements of writing a MacGyverism are:

  • In bold: The task performed (e.g. built bomb)
  • In bold: The materials used (e.g. matches, dental floss, toothpick.)
  • What he was trying to accomplish in the plot (e.g. distract the bad guys)
  • What process he used to accomplish the task (e.g. tied floss to toothpick, lit match, etc)
  • What tags to attach (see notes below)

Additional elements of a MacGyverism can be:

  • If the MacGyverism seems plausible in real life.
  • What time index in the show the event happened.

[edit] Tags

The point of assigning tags is to help people who want to skim the list look for MacGyverisms on topics they are interested in. It's possible that a MacGyverism will use more than one tag. E.g. if MacGyver blows up a building using refracted light aimed at a volatile liquid, that would be covered by the tags Bomb and Optics.

Science Uncategorized

Optics Optics --Theeph 07:20, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

Chemistry Chemistry

Physics Physics (we could use a better icon)

Bombs Bombs

Good sources for icons are:

Please add tags as needed.

ElectronicsThere seem to be a lot of fancy electronics topics in the article. Perhaps an Electronics category. I'll start adding it to the article until someone has an objection. --Theeph 23:49, 16 April 2006 (UTC)


New icons

Made some more like the optics one. If they could be better, or different just tell me. --Theeph 07:43, 12 April 2006 (UTC) Image:MacG_Bomb.jpg Image:MacG_Physics.jpg

You guys should just remove the icons--they look stupid, amature and redundant. I don't think most readers of this article are so illiterate that they need a picture to understand what category of science each item fits into.

[edit] Which MacGvyerisms to Writeup

I personally think it makes sense to log anything that demonstrates a sophisticated knowledge of science is appropriate. There are times when MacGyver does clever things (such as throwing a rope to safely cross a pressure sensitive floor), but these don't demonstrate any particular aptitude that a common person probably wouldn't have. So in cases where he does fancy talking, fast running, sleight of hand, etc, I think they can be skipped. --Aphex3 02:39, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unfiled MacGyverisms

Please sort these if you know where they are from!

  • MacGyver has a pregnant woman with him who is being pursued by her husband who wants to murder her. He grabs some obstacles to impede the malicious people chasing the pregnant woman. Mac drives his jeep into a facility and gets it stuck. Meanwhile, get gets some woodboards to drive back up onto the warehouse floor, puts it in 4WD and eventually climbs up successfully.


I am sure there was an episode in whcih he scrapes the pips off of an old playing card because "in the old days" the cards were made of some sort of material whcih is combustible and he uses those scrapings along with something else (a button?) to make an explosive. Does this sound familiar?


I seem to remember MacGyver doing something with a (very much prized) pair of hockey tickets and some bubble gum, does anyone know what that was?

[edit] Specific MacGyverism Debates

Please at least note the episode number along with your comments.

[edit] The Human Factor (2x01)

  • Sodium Metal in gelatin capsule. Possibly plausible. Sodium metal is so reactive that it combusts even with the small amount of oxygen in air which is why it is usually stored in oil. If the sodium metal that he takes out of the bottle to put in the gel cap is covered with oil, it could explain why it doesn't blow up in his face. Still it is a dodgy thing to be playing with but this is Macgyver though.
  • Lasers: Implausible - such powerful lasers would destroy the floor, among other things, and would not be stable in a hallway. --(Aphex3)
  • Magnets: Back in the 1980s I took apart a couple of old phones to remove the magnets. They sure definitely were strong enough to stick to metallic surfaces when being thrown - did that a couple of times :-) --This was unsigned by 80.135.216.200, 10 February 2006

[edit] The Wish Child (2x04)

  • Setting fire to a fuse with focused light - Plausable. I've started campfires etc with sunlight in the same fashion described.--Theeph 09:22, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Jack of Lies (2x06)

  • Charging a battery with wine - plausible. I've charged my car battery by filling it full of water. The sediment from the evaporated acid combined with the water after a moment, and the reaction resumed. The pH of wine is generally between 3.3 and 3.7 (1). Water's pH is about 7. So even if it was a young red Mac used, it would still be 30 times the acidity used to refresh my died battery - probably a good thing.--Theeph 09:22, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Phoenix Under Siege (2x11)

  • "New York lock" - Is that a colloquialism? Because I've never heard of a new york lock, and there's no wiki entry for one. --Wmil 17:45, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikibooks proposal

Result: Voted down, 1-3.

I think it cannot stay in Wikipedia, because it contains original research and POV, and also doesn't satisfy inclusion criteria (see Wikipedia:Centralized discussion/Television episodes). But I like it, and I honestly think it should go to Wikibooks. Samohyl Jan 12:30, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

This should be a... textbook? What, for MacGyver class? I'm not sure I understand. And yeah, the most egregious POV/OR is in the parenthetical comments and "unverified"s, at the very least those need to go. Frencheigh 18:46, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
Well, it's not textbook, but on wikibooks there is a cookbook and many howto's and guides how to play various computer games, so I guess there would be a place for a more complete guide (and synopsis) of some TV series. Or do you have any better idea? Samohyl Jan 02:46, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
A list of problems solved is no more original research that a plot synopsis. I see no reason to move it off of WP. Cburnett 04:37, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
I agree, I don't think this can count as a book. Since it's been about a month and a half I'm going to close the vote and say no go. --Aphex3 02:39, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Best article ever.

'nuff said. :) Shogun 06:24, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

Agree!!! -Ravedave 20:12, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
Also agree! --Macnbc 19:57, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
me too! added it to Wikipedia:Unusual articles --Astrokey44 10:45, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Better classification system needed

I think we need a better classification system. At least, let's use some sort of a scale to indicate whether or not the macgyverism actually works. 1- Will not work, made up. 2- Could theoretically work, but only under ideal labratory conditions. 3- Theory could actually work in real life, under ideal conditions. 4- General Idea would work, with some minor changes/assumptions. 5) Will work, as shown. 12.110.196.19 04:51, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Swedish student essay

I heard about a Swedish student (at gymnasium or university) that wrote an essay about all MacGyver's task, and concluded that most of it were possible during the right conditions, but that everything wasn't plausible. Funny trivia if I could find it. 惑乱 分からん 20:14, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

[1] [2] (Rebecka Öfverholm), a female gymnasium student. 惑乱 分からん 20:22, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../l/i/s/Talk%7EList_of_problems_solved_by_MacGyver_acba.html"