Monday, October 20, 2008

Storm Chasers - Discovery Channel

Last night was the premier of Storm Chasers on The Discovery Channel. Now that I am rolling with HD, I was pretty happy to be able to watch this show in High Def.

It seemed like more of the same from last year's show, which is fine. I enjoy it. But one big addition this year is Reed Timmer's chasing group also in the mix. The footage from their adventure was pretty crazy and entertaining. I do want to know if the windshield getting busted was funny because Reed is rich, or because he knew Discovery was paying for it...

The image is of the TIV-2, or Tornado Intercept Vehicle, and is courtesy of Geekologie. It has a 360 degree turret for filming, flaps that go down to prevent winds from getting under the vehicle and lifting it, 2" thick glass, and full steel plate armor. The vehicle weighs around 16000 lbs. The purpose of such a beast is simple...drive into a tornado and film it. Oh..and live.

It's an interesting show to watch, as long as you understand it's not something that should be attempted or encouraged.