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Other Topics => Completely Off-Topic => Topic started by: Holly on August 21, 2003, 04:10:30 pm
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i just started the class today... and it seems interesting! for those of you who dont know what it means it's crime scene investigation. like the science of finding out how someone died and who did it.
anyways... i need suggestions:
we have to read 2 books having to do with Forensic science. anyone know of any good ones? like a couple she listed are: Cruel and Unusual and From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell...
and then we have to watch 6 TV show episodes of shows about Forensics like CSI, Medical Detectives... any other good shows?
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i probably couldn't take that class i would get lost or throw up, which ever came first.
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CSI:Crime Scene Investigation" is good!! and on now. I love Vegas!! Four more days ;)
Other shows I love:
"The New Dectives"
"Secrets of Forensic Science"
"Cold Case Files"
"Medical Detectives"
most of those shows are on the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel or A&E
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Patricia Cornwell is amazing.
If you're going to read her books though, you'll have to start with Postmortem. Another good author is Kathy Reichs (hers are more about forensic anthropology). I think her first book is Deja Dead.
All the shows Let recommended are awesome.
Also old school episodes of the X-Files. Scully was a forensic scientist.
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i probably couldn't take that class i would get lost or throw up, which ever came first.
yeah... it probably isnt a good class if you cant handle that kinda thing... but i think i'll be alright. we have to watch a lot of video, but the teacher will warn us if its going to be really gory and wont make us watch.
CSI:Crime Scene Investigation" is good!! and on now. I love Vegas!! Four more days ;)
Other shows I love:
"The New Dectives"
"Secrets of Forensic Science"
"Cold Case Files"
"Medical Detectives"
most of those shows are on the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel or A&E
thanks Let!!! ive watched a couple episodes of CSI. forensics hasnt really interested me in the past... but i thought it sounded like a cool class (it was either that, Anatomy or Astrology. and i cant disect animals or see the dead body they have to visit. and studying stars just seems boring to me).
i was actually just watching TV and channel surfing and i came across "Secrets of Forensic Science" so i watched it! it was pretty interesting, like how they used a cat to prove a case. the cat hair was found on the owners jacket at the crime scene!
ooo... Vegas! have fun :wink:
Patricia Cornwell is amazing.
If you're going to read her books though, you'll have to start with <i>Postmortem</i>. Another good author is Kathy Reichs (hers are more about forensic anthropology). I think her first book is <i>Deja Dead</i>.
All the shows Let recommended are awesome.
Also old school episodes of the X-Files. Scully was a forensic scientist.
thanks Tricia!! i'll read "Postmortem" then if i find it! it's actually on the list of books that my teacher gave us... but i dont know anything about the authors or the books so i'd have no idea what to pick! lol, thanks for the suggestion!!! :)
the full list of books she gave us is:
Patricia Cornwell
Black Notice
Postmortem
Body of Evidence
All That Remains
Cruel and Unusual
The Body Farm
From Potter's Field
Cause of Death
Hornet's Nest
Unnatural Exposure
Point of Origin
Kathy Reichs
Deja Dead
Death Du Jour
Deadly Decisions
Fatal Voyage
Aaron Elkins
Dead Men's Hearts
Make No Bones
Icy Clutches
Old Bones
Muder in the Queen's Armes
The Dark Place
Fellowship of Fear
she said we could choose other books tho... as long as theyre about Forensics[/b]
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I've never read anything by Aaron Elkins...so I have no idea
I've read all the Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. The only PC I would tell you not to read is Hornet's Nest. It's boring and really doesn't follow the forensics as much as the others. Like I said above, those two authors are great, but I do recommend starting with the beginning of the series. It makes it that much easier to follow the action. ;)
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I've never read anything by Aaron Elkins...so I have no idea
I've read all the Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. The only PC I would tell you not to read is Hornet's Nest. It's boring and really doesn't follow the forensics as much as the others. Like I said above, those two authors are great, but I do recommend starting with the beginning of the series. It makes it that much easier to follow the action. ;)
ok! thanks Tricia! i'll start at the beginning. what is Kathy Reich's first one?
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Yup Forensics is pretty cool , but is one hard subject to study!!!
take it from meeeee!! lol
I don't really watch any of those shows, and it is funny bc all our professors hate those shows haha..
danny
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those who can't teach!! :wink: :razz:
Yeah, Holly, you would be surprised at what they can do.
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Hmmm...Kathy Reichs...let me check *goes to look up*
Deja Dead...geez...our book site is slow. *kicks*
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you people that read annoy me.
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o_O
I work in a bookstore...of course I read
LMAO
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i dont think the forensics introduction i'm taking should be too hard... everyone last year said the class is easy atleast, lol. which is why i'm taking it as a 2nd science, Physic's should be the tough subject for me this year... but in that class we get to go to Six Flags as a field trip! so thats a perk! :)
my fun classes will be forensics and film studies, the rest... not fun, lol.
and i dont like to read... lol, but i have to! just this semester i have to read like a dozen books for all my classes combined... *dies*
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I think Forensics is interesting. Quite scary and disturbing though.
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o_O
I work in a bookstore...of course I read
LMAO
if i worked in a bookstore, i wouldn't read unless i had too...
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i got Postmortem today! i'll probably start it soon
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My dad does computer forensics (he's a Special Agent DOL-OIG, Labor Racketeering) (that's the guys who get the mob for those of you who don't know) anyway forensics really isn't his job but his agency is so small, he's really become the specialist at it. And he doesn't work with murder scenes but anyway . . .
And please don't sing "Secret Agent Man" I get that enough when people find out what dad does
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I knew your Dad was one of those specal service guys! I don't know how, though. Have you mentioned it, before? I don't know (evidently yu HAVE, but) . . . Anyway I hate that song.
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*blinks* I did? Okay well then I did. It's not supposed to be the MOST public thing, but yeah, it's no secret. People know. Anyway . . .
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Okay then
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I went on a fieldtrip with my forensics class today!
We went to the crime lab! the Los Angeles Scientific Investigative Department!
It was really interesting! First they showed us a slide show of blood splatter analysis. We focused on this one murder (with graphic pictures). He explained to us that the eye-witness acount and the blood splatter (to back up her story) helped them see exactly what happened!
The step-dad was sitting on the couch and the step-son wanted a cigarette. The SD said no... so the SS came back with a MACHETE!! (damn, makes me think twice about refusing someone a cigarette). He went over and started hacking at the SD (while the sister watched). The dad tried to get up and run, but he fell over on the living room floor. The SS continued hacking at him (an estimate of over 50 times in the head!). From the far away pictures it looked like he had been decapitated, but then we saw the close up to see that the head was so sliced up, it was mush. The SS then went upstairs, cut a cockroach in half, changed clothes and shoes and laid down on the couch to take a nap (but he still had blood splatter on his face), where the cops arrested him.
Another story was of this upcoming rapper who took a bunch of pcp. He killed this one girl, ate part of her face, and ripped her lungs out. Then he walked around the neighborhood naked where he was arrested.
These were 2 very stupid murderers!
We then went on a tour of the crime lab… We saw the warehouse where they keep the evidence! They had a lot of it in boxes just piled on shelves because they have to keep it for a certain amount of time (until the detective says) , even after the crime is solved. And then the unsolved crime evidence was in a gated off area. Then there were these HUGE walk in freezers that were like bigger than my house. That’s where they keep all the body fluid evidence. We got to go inside one, where the rape kits were, and there are A LOT! They now have to keep rape kits forever, so that’s probably why there were so many. We didn’t stay in there for longer than 5 secs though, because it was -2 degrees fareignheit! Then we got to go around and see all the laboratories and hear explanations!
They have a:
Sereology/DNA unit
Trace Analysis Unit
Firearms Analysis Unit
Questioned Documents (we got to see pieced together premeditated murder letters and stuff. One listed all the reasons to kill their father/husband)
Forensic Photography
Forensic Accident Investigation Team
Narcotics Analysis Unit (he said this is the busiest department)
Toxicology Unit
Blood Alcohol Unit
Surveyor
Special testing unit
Hazardous Chemical Team
Composite Artist (damn, these guys are good!)
Polygraph Section
Latent Prints Section
Chemical Processing detail
Photography section
We got to hear about each of them! We also heard another story which was kinda interesting! They found a skeleton buried in cement foundation. They poured latex in it, and came out with a face mask of what the person looked like, and a hand, which they were able to get fingerprints off and identify the person! She was buried 13 years before by her landlord and had been missing ever since.
Anyways… yeah, it was really interesting! But not something I’d want to do! I just enjoy learning about it!
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lucky you, that sounds so kewl. when i was in forensics class the forensics people brought their truck or whatever to our school, but it was pretty dumb, we didn't see anything much.