07:35 – I finished the group on impression analysis yesterday and got started on the group on gunshot and explosive residues analysis. I had intended to include with the kit tiny specimens of firearms propellants (smokeless powder, black powder, Pyrodex) and explosives (dynamite, RDX, PETN, and so on). By “tiny”, I mean specimens of maybe 50 mg. Call it a tenth the size of an aspirin tablet. I was surprised to find that it’s illegal to mail these things. Not just under the Small Quantity Exemption, but period.
Fortunately, I checked the SQE rules. Until now, all of the hazardous materials I’ve been including the kits has fallen under paragraph 334.2(a) or 334.2(b), which qualify up to 30 mL or 30 g of material, respectively, for shipping under SQE. Paragraph 334.2(c) exempts “1 g (0.04 oz) or less for Division 6.1 (Packing Group I) materials”. I wasn’t sure what was included in Class 6 until I looked it up. It turns out to be “Toxic substances and infectious substances”. Alas, explosives (including firearms propellants) are in Class 1, for which there is no SQE (or ORM-D) waiver. That means it’s simply illegal to mail Class 1 materials, no matter how small the quantity. So I’ll have to fall back on telling readers to get their own specimens, which actually isn’t as difficult as it seems at first glance.
Barbara and I have started watching the shortened season three of Crossing Jordan on Netflix streaming. (The actress who plays Jordan was pregnant, which resulted in a season of only 13 episodes.) Fortunately, I happened to notice a post on a forum that mentioned that NBC had run season three not just out of order, but *really* out of order. So, instead of watching the episodes in the order they were broadcast, which is the order that Netflix streaming has them in, we’re watching them in the order they were intended to be broadcast:
1. episode #13
2. episode #7
3. episode #3
4. episode #1
5. episode #12
6. episode #2
7. episode #4
8. episode #9
9. episode #5
10. episode #6
11. episode #11
12. episode #8
13. episode #10
Can you burn the propellants and then ship the residue? The residue is no longer an explosive, so it wouldn’t be class 1.
Chuck you seem to be audio guru on this place so I have a question for you. I will be traveling some in the coming months and am in the process of ripping some Mission Impossible episodes and putting them on my Ipad so I can watch them on the plane. I missed most of the early series because we effectively did not have TV on the farm. All that we got to watch was Ed Sullivan and that was in B&W. The 1968 and 1969 MI series I completely missed. The process is going well.
The question comes regarding headphones. I have some Bose noise cancelling headphones and really like them. They have served me well but are bulky. I am looking for an alternative in the ear bud category. What are your recommendations?
I could, and I may do that if I have to, but part of the point of the labs is to produce specimens (rocks, etc.) that are contaminated with explosives residues.
Are you going to cover any computer forensics in the book? It’s perhaps too specialized, but maybe some links to resources might be appropriate.
Probably not. There was a time when I knew quite a bit about computer forensics, but that’s long ago.
Since when was smokeless gun powder classified as an explosive? The powder just burns very quickly. I order smokeless gun powder once or twice a year, sent directly to my home. This is through UPS an incurs a hefty hazmat free and cannot be shipped with other items. I also order primers in bulk which are explosive via the same process incurring the same hazmat fees and higher shipping cost. The USPS is out of control, they need to die.
Steve
Oh, I could ship kits with the explosives included, but it’s not worth paying a hazmat surcharge to do so.
I believe the last time I ordered smokeless powder the hazmat charge was in the neighborhood of $25.00 probably higher now, certainly would increase the cost of your kits. Oh and the hazmat material has to be shipped separate from any non-hazmat material.
Steve
I’m thinking of making a list of the guys I want on my fire/assault team in the coming conflagrations, and right now my short list includes our elf-murdering host, of course, but also Mssrs. steve in colorado and SteveF, couple of bloodthirsty felonious pirate types if ever I seen one.
Feel free to email me with your mil-spec skillz, you other potential volunteers. (and what did your bunkie tell ya about volunteering?)
Speaking of death and destruction, I passed a bad accident this AM during my commute; crushed and twisted and smoking metal and tires and glass all over the place, what had once been a trailer carrying a motorcycle pretty nearly unrecognizable, a car on its roof in the median, and around two-dozen fire trucks, ambulances and cop cars, with people standing around in the road (this is an interstate) and wandering shell-shocked. Also traffic backed up the southbound lane for three or four miles, and apparently they just shut it all down for five hours today, and that is a stretch with no exits for fifteen miles.
Apparently a northbound guy lost control of his car and veered off across the median into the southbound lane (this is all during AM rush hour, natch) and went head-on into a big pickup truck pulling the trailer and motorcycle. First guy probably doing 70 or more, and truck driver likewise. Three dead; the first driver, his female passenger and a baby in a car seat. Adults not belted in and baby seat improperly installed. Truck driver skated with minor injuries.
Couple of hours later another moron who was gawking and apparently hoping to spot body parts or whole cadavers amidst the smoking wreckage, piled into the vehicle in front of him.
OFD being an ex-cop, etc, etc., and driver now for forty-two years, without a single accident, trained to drive in Massachusetts, with further mil-spec training, and also advanced cop car training, sez the most likely cause was excessive speed and bozo who could not control his vehicle. Also stupid, like his adult passenger, in not wearing belts, although I doubt that would have saved them in this case. Almost all accidents are caused by operator error, period.
People here routinely pass me like I am standing still, and I am doing 70-75 in a 65. They don’t put their lights on when it is dark or there is lousy weather; directional signals are apparently optional; they gab incessantly on their damn cells, no matter the weather, road conditions or other traffic, and basically, they suck. One must have one’s wits about one these days on the highways and byways of this noble land of Happy Motoring, and I, for one, am going to start taking very aggressive defensive measures in the traffic. Also gonna start driving my gas-guzzling Dodge Ram 2500 Magnum more often. With the gun rack.
Nah, you probably don’t want me. As I keep telling my wife, I’m a meek, mild, shy, unassuming, polite kind of guy. I can’t shoot for shit anymore, either. The last time I had my .45 Colt Combat Commander out on a date, I missed 3 out of 10 rounds on a stop sign size target only 150 yards out. Granted, that was rapid fire, but even so. Colonel Cooper is probably spinning in his grave.
You need more practice.
OFD wrote:
“I’m thinking of making a list of the guys I want on my fire/assault team in the coming conflagrations…”
Count me in. I haven’t handled a gun in over 40 years but I can bring some vicious attack dogs. In their and my spare time we can hunt cats, anarchists and other miscreants.
We’ll accept Greg’s informal membership application with the idea that maybe we will see just how vicious these attack dogs are when confronted by certain cats. Anarchists I can take or leave, so be my guest. I feel like us fallen creatures need at least a teeny-tiny bit of gummint to organize stuff a little here and there. But probably about as much as Robert wants.
I note also here that Robert failed to indicate if on that date he mentioned he was at any kind of lawful firing range. And seven .45 ACP rounds outta ten at 150 yards ain’t too shabby, for that size target and rapid fire. I bet that would make a bugger keep his head down some and think twice or thrice about advancing further. I gather everyone here knows that most lethal shootings are at a vastly shorter range? And buggers still miss each other?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, OFD, but I’m not really suited to be on a team.* I’d be perfectly happy to be in a loose association of like-minded individuals.**
As for shooting, I’m getting to be a crap shot. It comes down to bad eyes, a number of damaged and improperly healed joints, and not enough practice. (No ranges nearby. One of the drawbacks of living in an urban area in sucktastic New York.) Not that it matters much. Outside of the military, I’ve never fired at someone, not even a warning shot. (Not that I’m the kind to fire warning shots, but, you know. If.) The few times I’ve drawn a pistol on someone, the range was six feet and under. Shotgun ranges were slightly longer, but still point blank. I’m not worried. My reaction time is still much better than most and I no longer actively look for trouble (got a preschooler who depends on me) so odds are I’ll get out of whatever trouble happens to find me.
As for driving: Yah. Human
errordumbshittedness accounts for probably 90% of accidents. I don’t know what to do about it other than kill off the stupid people. But, you know, that seems to be my solution to an awful lot of life’s little problems. I think that indicates that stupid people cause an awful lot of problems and get on my nerves.* When you’ve been let down a couple times by your teammates in a deadly situation, it tends to make you rather jaundiced toward the idea of teamwork and toward humanity in general. More jaundiced than before, that is.
** Does anyone besides me remember late 2001, in which we heard many chin-pulling pronouncements that the War on Terror was going to be a long, hard slog because al Qaeda was a loose association of philosophically aligned small groups rather than a hierarchical organization. There was therefore no leader to be killed or captured and therefore no quick victory. That would seem to contrast with the government cheerleading as various aQ leaders were killed.
I’d join but my shooting was confined to pellet gun and skeet. I did get Rifle and Shotgun Shooting merit badge in Scouts.
I might be able to be a backup pyrotechnician – I may or may not know someone from the inside out that has made black powder, contact explosives, rocket fuel, rockets, and napalm.
(As an aside, several of my coworkers are getting hassled by TSA if they get residue checked at airports, since they have been working at a plant that has made several missiles for the USAF, and makes many of the government certified pyro activation devices.)
Well, in all fairness to myself, I’d probably have missed zero out of ten if I’d been using a pistol with high muzzle velocity. The .45 ACP has a rainbow trajectory. Depending on loading, you have to hold over by 4 to 8 feet at 150 yards. If I’d been using something like a TC in .223 that’s point-blank out to about 200 yards, I wouldn’t have missed any. Of course, rapid fire is pretty hard with the TC.
“Of course, rapid fire is pretty hard with the TC.”
Indeed, sir, indeed. Maybe fitting some kind of revolving drum to it…
“…I’m not really suited to be on a team.* I’d be perfectly happy to be in a loose association of like-minded individuals.**
I am on a team now, but we are far-flung about the compass points, some down in the tropics of your Vampire State. But like-minded individuals to be sure.
“…contrast with the government cheerleading…”
Thus hath it been always. Lotsa gummint or general officer cheerleading but the facts on the ground do not compute. I remember even further back, when talk was bruited about in connection with some kind of fucking light at the end of the tunnel and suchlike.
“… several of my coworkers are getting hassled by TSA if they get residue checked at airports, since they have been working at a plant that has made several missiles for the USAF, and makes many of the government certified pyro activation devices.)”
That figures. The Testicle Squashing Authority busting on legit gummint workers, little kids, and old ladies in wheelchairs. But they couldn’t catch a damn cold. Useless. Pyrotechnics Backup Operator it is, sir. I’m sure you’ll do a bang-up job of it, too.
@Ray
I still have not found anything that beats the Philips SHE 2550 earbuds. Have never seen them for sale in the US, however. Don’t know how to explain that. However, in an airplane, fidelity is going to be pretty much indiscernible, so any set of earbuds that has good clarity for voice would suffice.
My experience with headphones–of all varieties–is that sound quality varies wildly within the same company. For instance, the SHE 2550 is a cheap set of earbuds, and I tried much more expensive offerings by the same manufacturer, Philips, which were absolutely terrible by comparison–and I tried ones that cost over 5 times as much as the 2550’s. Koss headphone quality varies so widely, that I am not sure why anyone buys them; most of their offerings that I have tried sound just awful.
So unfortunately, I do not have a recommendation for a pair of earbuds available in the US. If you are flying outside of the US, then look for the Philips SHE 2550’s (check Saturn in Germany). They are cheap and good. I have tried things from Sennheiser to Sony to Skullcandy, but have found nothing even equal to the 2550’s. If I ever come across something as good or better, I will post it here.
Btw I see that Amazon does have a reseller in NY peddling the 2550’s for $17.99. Just so you know, I paid about €7 for mine in Germany, which would be under $10. That was more than 3 years back, however, so I suppose inflation could have taken its toll.
Btw I see that Amazon does have a reseller in NY peddling the 2550′s for $17.99.
I see them as selling for $7.10 with free shipping.
But they ship from Hong Kong. Which still begs the question is how anything can ship from Hong Kong to the U.S. and then the final destination and still make money on the product. In Hong Kong the ear phones must be selling for $0.10.
That’s insane! Here is a copy and paste from my screen:
QUOTE
Price + Shipping
$17.99
+ $4.99shipping
Condition
New
Seller Information
Seller: cysoosoo
Seller Rating:80% positive. (5 total ratings)
In Stock. Ships from NY, United States.
Domestic shipping rates and return policy.
New
/QUOTE
I see what both of you are seeing. It’s just different vendors. When I entered “Philips SHE 2550” into the search box on the Amazon.com home page, it returned two items. One of them was the one Chuck is seeing. The second included two resellers, one at $7.10 with free shipping from Hong Kong, and the other for $7.28 plus $7.95 shipping.
My selections show only a vendor in NY; nothing about Hong Kong. Weird. Really weird. I have felt recently that Amazon has been messing with me. I just bought an item direct from an Indiana outfit whose prices were $20 lower than the cheapest on Amazon on a bundle of audio stuff I needed. I am beginning to really, really distrust Amazon. At least 4 times in the recent past, the price of an item has gone up within minutes to hours after I first checked it. If they think that is motivation for me to buy from them, they have that very, very wrong.
For $7.95 and no shipping–if that is an option on your connection with Amazon–I advise everyone to buy one of those and give it a try. Those are the best earbuds I have ever tried (I am not going to try the $200 Shure ones). And you cannot beat that price. Not much lost if you don’t like them.
The only complaint I have had from family, is that Jeri’s ears were shaped a little differently than most, and they kept falling out of her ears. She finally bought a pair that had a hook that wrapped around the top of the ear.
For $7.95 and no shipping–if that is an option on your connection with Amazon–I advise everyone to buy one of those and give it a try.
I just ordered a set for $7.10 which included shipping. There is no sales tax charged yet but that will change in a year or so because Amazon has a distribution center in TN. They won’t be here for about 25 days but I am in no rush.
I opened up a set of Sony (full ear coverage) earphones that have not been used in about 5 years. To my dismay the ear pads are sticky. The pads stuck to each other. I placed them on a table overnight and they stuck to the table leaving residue when I pulled them up. I destroyed the headphones. Why can’t they may make the earpads last?
Koss seemed to have good earpad on the PRO 4A headphones. I have no idea what I did with my set. Downside is they were heavy. For now the BOSE seem to be OK. I just don’t want to carry them on a trip.
Although I did have one flight where I just took the headphones, no music or videos, not even the cable (it unplugs from the phones). Just turned the headphones on. To my surprise at the end of the flight I did not have the airline headache. Next flight I will use the earbuds and if the headache returns I will abandon the buds and return to using the BOSE. The noise cancelling is excellent and eliminating the constant roar may be worthwhile.
Those are the best earbuds I have ever tried
Have you tried the earphones that actually stick into your ear with a seal that looks like what they use on noise reducing earplugs? I am curious if those might be a viable alternative.
I made some of those by hand, cutting open some Etymotic ear plugs, and attaching them to some Koss “The Plug” ear pieces.
Sounded awful. Very boomy in the voice range and all the highs dampened out. Classical orchestras sounded like they were coming in on an overseas telephone line. Those cost me about $80 to construct, and it was a complete waste of time and money. It WAS comfortable, though. No amount of equalization could make that contraption sound good.
The Koss Pro4A was used a lot by DJ’s in radio stations. Never had a pair of Koss cans that did not squeeze my head so tightly that it felt like I was in a vise. After the experience with the Koss/Etymotic hybrid, I am a Koss loss. They had earbuds that nearly everyone raved about some 8 or more years ago, but you know what? They quit making the damned things, and inventories were out before I could ever get one. Koss is a bumbling, stumbling, stupid company, IMO, and if they make money, it has got to be purely by accident.
Those rubber cups fail on most headphones. People even complain about the popular Sony V series ‘melting’ after just moderate use. Lots of problems with headphones, and few answers, it seems.
I’m a bit late on the headphone discussion, but…
Besides Amazon, the Philips SHE2550 are available on Ebay too.
I have a pair of collapsible on (not in) the ear open-air headphones that I like, Sennheiser model PX 100. I wasn’t able to comparison shop for them, but I did as much research as I could. They seem to have been supplanted by the PX 100-II. If nothing else the change to a single cable sounds like a clear improvement.