jeffw@midas.WR.TEK.COM (Jeff Winslow) (01/03/91)
New Year's Eve brought the usual assortment of firecrackers, skyrockets, M-80s (I guess - bright and LOUD), and so forth. As I was enjoying the show (and giving thanks I live a good mile away from the jokers with the M-80s), I was startled by a green flash from a nearby substation. This thing was BRIGHT - so bright it effectively washed out all other lights for dozens of blocks on either side. The flash itself appeared to be about a half a city block wide. There were two of them, about 10 seconds apart. And funny thing - a lot of people's lights went out. :-) Anyway, at the time I assumed some fool had thrown a wire rope into the substation, or something like. But later I wondered - with so much powdered metal in many pyro formulas, and particulate matter (conductive metal oxides?) left after their explosion, is it possible that a skyrocket of some sort exploding among the wires would alter the conductivity of air enough to let such an arc happen? I still think the cable explanation, or something similar, is most likely. It was quite a climax for the New Year's Eve "display"! Jeff Winslow
eacj@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Julian Vrieslander) (01/10/91)
In article <4655@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> jeffw@midas.WR.TEK.COM (Jeff Winslow) writes: > >New Year's Eve brought the usual assortment of firecrackers, skyrockets, >M-80s (I guess - bright and LOUD), and so forth. As I was enjoying the show >(and giving thanks I live a good mile away from the jokers with the M-80s), >I was startled by a green flash from a nearby substation. This thing was >BRIGHT - so bright it effectively washed out all other lights for dozens of >blocks on either side. The flash itself appeared to be about a half a city >block wide. There were two of them, about 10 seconds apart. And funny thing - >a lot of people's lights went out. :-) Anyway, at the time I assumed some I was in Miami during New Year's Eve. The locals there have gone way beyond M-80's. At midnight, they have this quaint custom of going outside and firing thier automatic and semi-automatic weapons into the sky. It sounds like a revolution in a banana republic. There have been reports of damage to cars and houses (I have not heard of human injuries yet). It would not surprise me a bit if one of these yahoos were to shoot up some power lines or a transformer. -- Julian Vrieslander Neurobiology & Behavior, W250 Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853 INTERNET: eacj@theory.tn.cornell.edu BITNET: eacj@crnlthry UUCP: ..cornell!batcomputer!eacj
hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) (01/10/91)
In article <1991Jan9.200754.8857@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> eacj@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Julian Vrieslander) writes: >In article <4655@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> jeffw@midas.WR.TEK.COM (Jeff Winslow) writes: >>New Year's Eve brought the usual assortment of firecrackers, skyrockets, >>M-80s (I guess - bright and LOUD), and so forth. As I was enjoying the show >>(and giving thanks I live a good mile away from the jokers with the M-80s), >>I was startled by a green flash from a nearby substation. This thing was >>BRIGHT - so bright it effectively washed out all other lights for dozens of >>blocks on either side. The flash itself appeared to be about a half a city >>block wide. There were two of them, about 10 seconds apart. And funny thing - >>a lot of people's lights went out. :-) Anyway, at the time I assumed some I saw something like this last summer during a storm. Wasn't particularly dark, plenty of daylight, but the blue flash from this substation was quite amazing. This happened as we were driving past the substation, on a somewhat remote rural road. It looked like a Star Trek style explosion, the substation was about 50 feet from the road but the "flash" appeared to be a glowing blue cloud that reached well across the other side of the road. Only lasted for a second or so. A semi w/trailer was driving the opposite direction when it happened, I think he was just approaching when the flash occurred. We saw him pull off the road as we drove away. -- -- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan Flame all you want - we'll take more.
amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) (01/13/91)
<1991Jan11.234809.19061@cs.ucla.edu> loving@lanai.cs.ucla.edu <1991Jan9.200754.8857@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> eacj@batcomputer.tn.cornell >>I was in Miami during New Year's Eve. The locals there have gone way beyond >>M-80's. At midnight, they have this quaint custom of going outside >>thier automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the sky. > only 1 legal fully automatic weapon has been used in a crime since 1935 >National Firearms Act (which stiffly regulates the ownership of such weapons) >I seriously doubt that you heard much automatic weapons fire, but Idon't doubt >that you heard weapons fire, and quite possibly semi-automatic weapons fire. >I just doubt that anyone who legally owned a full auto would be shooting it in >town and risk a serious misdemeanor and I doubt that anyone who illegally owns >a full auto (a federal felony already) will be advertising it on New Years... Mike, get a grip, take some guacamole dip and call your analyist. Illegal full auto weapons are available in every major city in the country. I have het several people who have gone to the big house for peddling them. A cache of them were just recovered in northern florida by LEO. Portions of southern florida & miami have become a haven for law breaking scum. They would think little about getting caught with or shooting a full auto. This tradition of weapons fire is a age old one of spanish/south american descent. I recall a section on cnn saying the number of people accidently shot in something like bueno aerias (sp) last year, and it was rather scary (just on that day...). The accompying audio did sound like a full blown war. However, I'd agree that MOST of the shots did come from (generally/usuall/ kinda/sorta) law abiding citizens/resident aliens and originated from either semi-auto or full manual weapons. The great number and density of firing makes the sound and generates the fear of automatic weapons. People who use guns to commit crime should be utterly destroyed, and would simplye use another weapon if available. The simple fact that a certain is illegal will not stop or even persuade a criminal from using it, simply because it's illgeal, after all they are already (committed) to breaking laws by commiting crimes in the first place. Focus at the root of the evil, which is the criminal act, not the weapon used to support a act, and punish the guilty appropriatrly. As mike so clearly points out, only a tiny fraction of legal weapons are used for illegal purposes al -- Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE
terryb@cs.fau.edu (terry bohning) (01/14/91)
What the hell is this doing in sci.electronics? amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) writes: > <1991Jan11.234809.19061@cs.ucla.edu> loving@lanai.cs.ucla.edu > <1991Jan9.200754.8857@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> eacj@batcomputer.tn.cornell > >>I was in Miami during New Year's Eve. The locals there have gone way beyon > >>M-80's. At midnight, they have this quaint custom of going outside > >>thier automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the sky. > > only 1 legal fully automatic weapon has been used in a crime since 1935 > >National Firearms Act (which stiffly regulates the ownership of such weapons > >I seriously doubt that you heard much automatic weapons fire, but Idon't dou > >that you heard weapons fire, and quite possibly semi-automatic weapons fire. > >I just doubt that anyone who legally owned a full auto would be shooting it > >town and risk a serious misdemeanor and I doubt that anyone who illegally ow > >a full auto (a federal felony already) will be advertising it on New Years.. > > Mike, get a grip, take some guacamole dip and call your analyist. Illegal > full auto weapons are available in every major city in the country. I have > het several people who have gone to the big house for peddling them. A cache > of them were just recovered in northern florida by LEO. Portions of southern > florida & miami have become a haven for law breaking scum. They would think > little about getting caught with or shooting a full auto. This tradition > of weapons fire is a age old one of spanish/south american descent. > I recall a section on cnn saying the number of people accidently shot in > something like bueno aerias (sp) last year, and it was rather scary (just > on that day...). The accompying audio did sound like a full blown war. > However, I'd agree that MOST of the shots did come from (generally/usuall/ > kinda/sorta) law abiding citizens/resident aliens and originated from either > semi-auto or full manual weapons. The great number and density of firing > makes the sound and generates the fear of automatic weapons. > People who use guns to commit crime should be utterly destroyed, and would > simplye use another weapon if available. The simple fact that a certain is > illegal will not stop or even persuade a criminal from using it, simply > because it's illgeal, after all they are already (committed) to breaking > laws by commiting crimes in the first place. Focus at the root of the > evil, which is the criminal act, not the weapon used to support a act, and > punish the guilty appropriatrly. As mike so clearly points out, only a tiny > fraction of legal weapons are used for illegal purposes > al > > > > > > > > -- > Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University > InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu > Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE