I like they way the Mythbusters show captures a bit of the old-fashioned "let's find out" in the garage, with materials at hand. I very much appreciate their (possibly network-mandated but I doubt it) attitude toward safety-- goggles, etc. So hard to get someone to remember their eye protection when insanely excited about an upcoming explosion. Grown up kids, doing it right. I liked the "guy demonstrating that the window can't be broken but falls out the skyscraper to his death" demonstration, the way they controlled for speed, with the human-powered trolley, and weight, with the sandbags, and actually pressurized the window, and did manage to break it. Carefully thought-out and altogether something I wish I had a garage to do similar things in.
If they are at TAM4 I am there. I could easily convince some buddies to come, too, the ones that are fans of the garage-tinkering and very intelligent, but don't tend to worry too much about broader issues. Could hook them.