Erick Peralta's Blog: May 2014

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Good Idea/Bad Idea: Use a Stun Gun...

On a hunch, crime scene investigator Richard Warrington, now retired, found a new way to fight crime with a stun gun: lifting prints. Warrington's hack involves placing a sheet of sun-blocking film over a freshly dusted print. He attaches the loose end of a wired probe to one outer contact of a stun gun. While holding the wire's probe one quarter inch above the film, he turns on the gun and slowly guides the electricity-shooting probe around the perimeter of the film, electrostatically charging it. Then Warrington turns off the gun, waits 10 to 15 seconds, and glides a foam brush across the film's surface to attract a reverse image of the print for forensic analysis.

For two decades, survivalist forums and even some doctors have recommended shocking snake and spider bite wounds to neutralize venom. Science says this idea bites: You're most likely to get burned--and remain poisoned.

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/good-ideabad-idea-use-stun-gun?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=1&con=good-ideabad-idea-use-a-stun-gun-to

"Social Media Advice for Career-minded Students. 10 Things to Consider."

This article is about advice about what to do when it comes to how to best use Facebook, Twitter, and other digital platforms. The main message as reported in the Staten Island Advance: "Think before you post, tweet...and curse." I completely agree with this because nowadays individuals literally post whatever they feel with no filter. Don't get me wrong, you should be able to express yourself freely but there's a proper manner instead of using vulgar language or hurting someone's feelings.

Invention Awards 2014: Seal Combat Wounds in 15 Seconds

When bullets or shrapnel strike a soldier, standard first aid calls for stuffing gauze as deep as five inches into a wound and applying pressure. If bleeding hasn't stopped after three minutes, the old gauze is pulled out---and the new gauze shoved in.
There's room for improvement. Military doctors estimate that, during the most violent years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, blood loss killed about 90 percent of the wounded that might have otherwise survived with better emergency care. To save more lives, a group of veterans, scientists, and engineers known as RevMedx has created a pocket-sized device called XStat: a faster, more effective way to plug wounds. The polycarbonate syringe slides deep into a wound, such as a bullet track. When a user pushes down on the handle, it deposits dozens of pill-size sponges that expand to stem bleeding. Meanwhile, a substance in the sponge fights infection while clotting blood.
http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/invention-awards-2014-seal-combat-wounds-15-seconds?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=1&con=invention-awards-2014-seal-combat-wounds-in-15-seconds