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CSI Miami throws science out the window, again



 
 
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  #11  
Old October 30th 07, 08:33 PM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Rich[_1_]
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Posts: 751
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

On Oct 30, 4:07 pm, "Mac Breck" wrote:
wrote in ...
In rec.arts.tv Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:17:07 -0700, Larry Bud


wrote:

A pretty good job? I mean, I like the show. Pretty graphics, cool
special effects, but science? No way.


I disagree. I rarely see serious scientific errors on CSI (Las

Vegas). I
think they do a remarkable job. They use the right techniques, and

they

Well, in one early (possibly first) season episode I saw CSI (LV) get

the
function of a GFCI totally wrong, and the murder plot depended on


that.

They also got the acceleration due to gravity confused with terminal
velocity (IIRC. Can't find my tape of the ep., and don't have S2 on DVD
yet.) in #26 "Overload".


I had a physics teacher that told us if a 1" ball bearing were dropped
off the Empire State building it would go 7 feet into the ground. He
didn't understand the concept of terminal velocity.

  #12  
Old October 30th 07, 08:49 PM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Rick Evans[_2_]
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Posts: 44
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

"RichA" wrote in message
ups.com...
I love it. SNIP predictable Rich rant


You watch a T & A show for science? Sheesh!

--

Rick Evans
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lon -71° 04' 35.3"
Lat +42° 11' 06.7"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Webcam Astroimaging
http://mysite.verizon.net/hiltonevan...troimaging.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------
ChemPen Chemical Structure Software
http://www.chempensoftware.com

  #13  
Old October 30th 07, 09:03 PM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
[email protected]
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Posts: 2
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

In rec.arts.tv Mac Breck wrote:
wrote in message ...
Well, in one early (possibly first) season episode I saw CSI (LV) get

the
function of a GFCI totally wrong, and the murder plot depended on

that.


Well, everybody screws up now and then. The key is to have more than
one science check and not to screw up all the time. The original CSI is
pretty good, but not perfect.


It would not have bothered me nearly so much if the whole plot
of the main murder mystery didn't hinge on it. That's really
the only reason I remember it at all. I agree, original CSI is
pretty good most of the time, that one just hit me over the head.


Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

  #14  
Old October 30th 07, 09:07 PM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Mac Breck
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Posts: 21
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

wrote in message ...
In rec.arts.tv Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:17:07 -0700, Larry Bud


wrote:


A pretty good job? I mean, I like the show. Pretty graphics, cool
special effects, but science? No way.


I disagree. I rarely see serious scientific errors on CSI (Las

Vegas). I
think they do a remarkable job. They use the right techniques, and

they

Well, in one early (possibly first) season episode I saw CSI (LV) get

the
function of a GFCI totally wrong, and the murder plot depended on

that.

They also got the acceleration due to gravity confused with terminal
velocity (IIRC. Can't find my tape of the ep., and don't have S2 on DVD
yet.) in #26 "Overload". In fact, they spent time on it and had Grissom
(the supposed expert) explain it. Brain fart among the writers and
tech. experts. It was as blatant as the time in "Lethal Weapon" when
Riggs explained he had a special bullet to kill himself with, one
"...with a hollow point", and a showed a massive closeup of an 9mm FMJ
round (ball ammo., clearly NOT a hollowpoint).


In other words, what they depicted as happening could not have

happened
in the way they described. I don't know how well they handle the lab
stuff, I know electrical things much better, but my wife is a chemist
and she always drools over the equipment they use. I've never heard
her complain about the science techniques.


Well, everybody screws up now and then. The key is to have more than
one science check and not to screw up all the time. The original CSI is
pretty good, but not perfect.

--
Mac Breck (KoshN)
-------------------------------
"Babylon 5: Crusade" (1999)
Durkani: It doesn't matter if they believe us. Sooner or later the
truth's going to come out. The truth is...
Kendarr: Out of fashion.


  #15  
Old October 30th 07, 10:45 PM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Mason Barge
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Posts: 1
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again


"Rich" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 30, 4:07 pm, "Mac Breck" wrote:
wrote in ...
In rec.arts.tv Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:17:07 -0700, Larry Bud


wrote:

A pretty good job? I mean, I like the show. Pretty graphics, cool
special effects, but science? No way.


I disagree. I rarely see serious scientific errors on CSI (Las

Vegas). I
think they do a remarkable job. They use the right techniques, and

they

Well, in one early (possibly first) season episode I saw CSI (LV) get

the
function of a GFCI totally wrong, and the murder plot depended on


that.

They also got the acceleration due to gravity confused with terminal
velocity (IIRC. Can't find my tape of the ep., and don't have S2 on DVD
yet.) in #26 "Overload".


I had a physics teacher that told us if a 1" ball bearing were dropped
off the Empire State building it would go 7 feet into the ground. He
didn't understand the concept of terminal velocity.


I used to hear the same sort of rumors about a penny dropped edge-first. In
truth, it might bend the penny, although I don't think a steel ball bearing
would be damaged.

Don't doubt, however, that a bullet fired into the air, especially at an
angle, can kill someone. Hmm, possibly even the ball bearing could do it;
it'd sure smart like hell. I'm guessing 200 fps plus. And what, 120 grams?
(Anyone know the density of steel off the "top of your head"?hahhaha)


  #16  
Old October 31st 07, 12:36 AM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur,alt.tv.csi
Thanatos
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Posts: 8
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

In article ,
Chris L Peterson wrote:

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:17:07 -0700, Larry Bud
wrote:

A pretty good job? I mean, I like the show. Pretty graphics, cool
special effects, but science? No way.


I disagree. I rarely see serious scientific errors on CSI (Las Vegas).


Are you kidding me? They've done the "infinite zoom" thing repeatedly on
the Vegas show, just like the other two CSI shows, where they take some
grainy security camera footage and zoom in to read a clothing label or a
note in a person's hand or some other ridiculous thing.

And the Las Vegas Crime Lab seems to have a database for everything. I
about fell off my couch laughing one night when Stokes took a sofa upon
which a body was found and ran it through their "furniture database",
which not only instantly told him the exact make and model of the sofa,
but the exact store it was sold out of, when it was sold, and to whom.

But the real inaccuracies in the Vegas show (as well as the NY and Miami
shows) comes not in the science but in the law. The 4th, 5th and 6th
Amendments to the Constitution apparently do not exist in the world of
CSI.

They use the right techniques, and they
use the right equipment.


Not really. For example, they put all their evidence in see-through
plastic bags. That's not a good way to, for example, preserve
fingerprint evidence:

The use of clear envelopes because plastic can have
an adverse affect on the future development of latent
prints on items of evidence. The introduction of
excessive heat and humidity and the friction of evidence
against the clear plastic can have an adverse affect
on latent print development. Light, which permeates the
clear plastic, can also result in the degradation of
latent prints. Additionally, the American Society of
Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation
Board requires that latent print evidence be stored
in paper envelopes (as is the generally accepted method).
  #17  
Old October 31st 07, 12:38 AM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Thanatos
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

In article ,
"Mason Barge" wrote:

Don't doubt, however, that a bullet fired into the air,
especially at an angle, can kill someone.


That's actually how extreme long-distance snipers hit their targets. For
all intents and purposes, they lob the round in an arc, like a
high-velocity mortar, and the bullet comes down on the subject from
above rather than hitting him straight-on.
  #18  
Old October 31st 07, 12:52 AM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Richard Evans
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

Thanatos wrote:

In article ,
"Mason Barge" wrote:

Don't doubt, however, that a bullet fired into the air,
especially at an angle, can kill someone.


That's actually how extreme long-distance snipers hit their targets. For
all intents and purposes, they lob the round in an arc, like a
high-velocity mortar, and the bullet comes down on the subject from
above rather than hitting him straight-on.


That's how *any* marksman hits a target. Gravity starts to drag on a
bullet fired from a gun the instant the bullet leaves the barrel. A
bullet fired dead level and a bullet dropped at the same instant hit
the ground at the same time. All bullets follow some sort of arc to
hit a target.
  #19  
Old October 31st 07, 06:11 AM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Anim8rFSK
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Posts: 77
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again

I want to know how BoaVista can tell that wolf boy's DNA is 'mutating'
from a single sample.

And why did they just let wolf boy GO, when they had him for stealing
the contents of the dead guy's briefcase?

Who was the online chick ordering dinner for? And why didn't anybody
ask the delivery guy how often he brought her dinner for 2?

How did the wolf hair get into the wound?

How come Eric just handled the murder weapon with his bare hands?

Gotta love the conflicting instructions the cops give to the vampire*

"Stop and turn around!"
"Put your hands over your head!"
"I'm not going to tell you a second time -- get down on the ground!"

um, you didn't tell him a FIRST time, H.

*and how come nobody ever mentioned they had a vampire killing a
werewolf?

--
Jitterbug phone works! (Third time's a charm!)
  #20  
Old October 31st 07, 06:20 AM posted to rec.arts.tv,sci.astro.amateur
Richard Evans
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Posts: 2
Default CSI Miami throws science out the window, again


Fred Ziffle wrote:

"Mythbusters" did a show on that. Turns out, a bullet shot straight up
leaves the barrel at (fatally) muzzle velocity, then slows down (duh),
and accelerates downward until it reaches terminal velocity (which can
hurt, but is fatal only under very unfortunate coincdences of body
alignment to the falling bullet).


IIRC, the difference was that the bullet shot straight up reached it's
highest point and stopped before starting down. Once it started down,
it was in freefall and started to tumble, losing it's rotational spin.
By the time it fell to earth it was relatively harmless. A bullet shot
in an arc, however, retained its spin and much of its velocity, with
potentially deadly results.
 




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