CSI – IMPOSSIBLE TO ESCAPE February 11, 2008
Posted by arun in TV shows, biology, chemistry, entertainment, math, physics, science, technology.Tags: crime, crime scene investigation, CSI, DNA, drama, evidence, finger print, gil grissom, investigation, las vegas, mac taylor, new york, scene, suspect, technology, thriller, tv-show
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CSI, Crime Scene Investigation, as many of you might already know, is one of the best featured TV-shows 
of its genre, Crime/Drama/Thriller. It comes in three flavors, CSI – Las Vegas, New York and Miami. I have seen only a couple of episodes in Miami, up-to-date on Las Vegas and catching up on New York. Las Vegas was the first and arguably the best, this bias may be because I saw it first. Usually the show consists of a team of 5-6 CSIs. The distinction that sets this show apart is its uniqueness in handling crime scenes by relying only on evidence. Gil Grissom, the head in Las Vegas and Mac Taylor in New York, whose characters are understood to be complex but personable with distinguished intuitiveness and acumen, and immaculate rationality. They don’t connive to violations of law nor do they truckle to threats. In this 1 hour featured show, it doesn’t always result in solving 1 or more crimes within the period. At times, it gets personal putting the lives of CSIs themselves into jeopardy.
The CSI characters each are developed in an unique and exquisite manner with each having their own issues, dark periods, test of endurance, flash backs etc… The show uses state of the art technology in addition to intricate attention to details, in particular, it has a keen inclination towards microscopic particles, fibres and glasses. It deals with numerous fields covering almost all aspects of science and arts which begs the question regarding the voluminous and universal knowledge the CSI team possesses. The show also uses a lot of technical expressions (a result from an analysis or experiment) which remains gobbledygook to one with limited or no knowledge in that field. One thing, if I understood from this show is that, a dead body speaks more than the one alive! 
From the multitude of episodes, you will be caught no matter how intelligently you plan the crime. Why? Because you have no freaking clue of how many things are unique!! There is no perfect crime!
But at times, clues in context to technology related to electronics/computers which is my area of expertise relatively in opposition to say, biology, I find them ridiculous and funny (not always). For exam
ple, in CSI – New York, Season 03, Episode 02, a man is found dead in a jewelry store which is robbed by 3 women clad in same outfit and hard to distinguish between. On analyzing the crime scene (where all the glasses are broken and jewels are looted), they come to know that, the broken glasses doesn’t have any stress marks indicating directionality (when you strike a glass, the broken glass shows a pattern denoting the direction of impact). From a witness in the crime scene who claimed that a dog barked just before the glass shattered, they discover that they used a “frequency device”. Now comes the funny part.
CSI(1): how could one do that?
CSI(2) A sine wave generator. It is a program that manipulates sound. You download the output to a mp3 player and you are ready.
CSI(1): ahan! Check all web sites. Anyone who deals with this kind of software. Cross check with the name “Beth”.CSI(2): (after some other scenes) The name you gave was good. A women by the name of Beth Lawson bought a sine wave generator program last month from an online distributor. It turns out there was no forwarding address in the package she ordered. The delivery man explained her as “one hot blondie” and she studies “physics” in college.
CSI(1): Beth was studying physics, Natalie was studying engineering…?!!
CSI(2): yes, both indulging in homicide!
I know! People from engineering background, I need not even explain this. You are already ROTFL. The concept is very true, using high frequency vibration, you could break a glass. But, for a student studying in engineering and physics, writing their own code of a sine wave “program” will take less than 10 seconds rather than placing an online order!! OMG! cracking the case with an online order for a sine wave program purchased by engineering students… it must be a real dull college.
There may be some similar technicalities in other fields too. Otherwise, the show is wondrous, one of a kind. Awe striking graphics & animation, good continuity, the reality in posing the dead bodies, the action, car chases, bomb blasts, internal story line, very little provocative content, character development, technology etc… are inexplicable. Also the details they analyze including finger prints, DNA, blood spatter, fibre particles, glass particles, even sand, paints, acids and drug tests, bugs, weapons including guns for their mm calibers and other instruments resulting in death by stabbing. Anything and everything on the Earth is analyzed!! Its therefore impossible to escape… BEWARE!
WINTER AND SODIUM ACETATE – KITH AND KIN: HAND WARMERS January 8, 2008
Posted by arun in chemistry, science, technology.Tags: chemistry, clothing, global warming, hand warmers, heat device, jackets, nucleation, science, sodium acetate, supercooling, sweaters, technology, winter
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Global warming has certainly become a much debatable topic, though the debate itself is what has partially led to the awareness in spite of its uncertainty. The inconclusiveness also has resulted in innumerous (constructive?) antagonism amongst various researchers, each of who possess a charismatic charm in convincing us with their theories corroborated with evidence and more than enough evidence to denigrate others’ results that they confabulated or concocted those. The denouement of this long perpetuating argument should be arrived sooner or later.
The number of seasons a region or country experiences is seemingly declining in the Southern India. A few years back, I could say we had at least 3 seasons; summer, very brief winter and rainy. But the situation now seems to give the impression that at least Chennai has only summer season throughout the year having become impotent of the other seasons, a blunt non-statistical inference though. However, in Germany, its already around -4 to -12 degree Celsius and counting. What is the funny but rather irritating consequence (I am not discussing Global warming)? It takes about 10 minutes to gear up with every piece of clothing you have, including thermal wears, t-shirt, another t-shirt, a sweater, jean, ear-bands or khullahs, neck-scarf(??) , gloves and finally a jacket minimum. This is similar to that of funny olden day Tamil Heroes getting loaded with shiny leather jackets, armors, hand grenades, machine guns bla bla… near the climax of the movie to slay the Villain and free the heroine after which they live happily ever after (Even Arnold Schwarzenegger movies!!). And what is even more irritating is, due to the presence of heaters inside the building (which is indispensable) some of the clothes have to be taken off to stop sweating.
Also sometimes the gloves aren’t that protective and you still require more warmth. It was not long before I came across this simple but intriguing heat device. It was some sort of a liquid along with what seemed like a switch. On pressing the switch, the liquid undergoes an immediate transition to solid phase and in the process generates heat, an exothermic reaction. My ignorance lead to a sense of bafflement over such a sophisticated and ingenious method of generating heat. How? This is where Sodium acetate, CH3COO-Na+ comes into picture. I quote from Wikipedia rather than trying to rephrase it. Awesome!
Sodium acetate is also used in consumer heating pads or hand warmers and is also used in “hot ice”. When sodium acetate trihydrate crystals (melting point 58 °C) are heated to around 100 °C, they melt. When this melt cools, it gives a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate in water. This solution is capable of supercooling to room temperature, well below its melting point, without forming crystals. By clicking on a metal disc in the heating pad, a nucleation center is formed which causes the solution to crystallize into solid sodium acetate trihydrate again. The bond-forming process of crystallization is exothermic, hence heat is emitted. The latent heat of fusion is about 264–289 kJ/kg (Source).
Also, I came across this video which should give a better understanding. (Courtesy and credits)
AQUAREGIA’S HISTORY December 30, 2007
Posted by arun in chemistry, science, thoughts.Tags: chemistry, history, science
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While watching an episode of CSI the terms nitric acid and hydrochloric acid came as a part of the “investigation”. I was trying to recollect the name “aqua regia” which is a mixture of both these added in the volumetric ratio of 1:3, it dissolves Gold and Platinum. Of course I could not recollect the name and so I had to resort to my online enchiridion, Wikipedia where I came to know about the meticulous Hungarian scientist George de Hevesy, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1943. I have pasted the content. I hope at least a few of you could appreciate it.
“When Germany invaded Denmark in World War II, the Hungarian chemist George de Hevesy dissolved the gold Nobel Prizes of Max von Laue and James Franck into aqua regia to prevent the Nazis from stealing them. He placed the resulting solution on a shelf in his laboratory at the Niels Bohr Institute. It was subsequently ignored by the Nazis who thought the jar-one of perhaps hundreds on the shelving-contained common chemicals. After the war, de Hevesy returned to find the solution undisturbed and precipitated the gold out of the acid. The gold was returned to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation presented new medals to Laue and Franck.”
Now this makes me wonder, how much of resources would we have saved if we hadn’t been generous ass(es) back then to let the surreptitious plan of the British put into action. Even now, we get back our own legend’s sword, the Tiger of Mysore, the Legend Tipu Sultan’s sword from London in auction for crores!! Unfortunately, amidst gold, we had enough Diamonds looted!!! Who knew how to dissolve it?? For all we know, in the next few years, some other honorable Indian’s langotti (olden day underwear), no disrespect implied, could be laid in some auction for millions!! It’s ironic how History is equally educative and preposterous. I hope not we go widdershins for our sake!!
