you wanna see stupid, check this out

[kevin gilmore]

edited just slightly to remove some names.

I received the following memo from the Office of Research Safety. Please note that hazardous materials regulations have been strengthened in recent years (particularly since 9/11) and there are SERIOUS consequences for ignoring them. Fines for transporting unlabeled hazardous materials start at $15,000 and there are provisions in the regulations for criminal penalties.

Date: 4/3/2006

To: Department of Chemistry

From: Office for Research Safety

RE: Hazardous materials on public transportation

A recent report has caused some distress in our office. A student was observed on the Purple Line with a four liter dewar and box of supplies from a laboratory. The dewar was clearly labeled as being owned by a faculty member within the Department of Chemistry. It is not known if the dewar was empty or if it contained liquid nitrogen. Needless to say, this caused some concern to other passengers on the train, one of whom also happened to be a Northwestern University student.

For those not in chicago the purple line is one of the public transportation elevated trains.

Now here is my comment. I know the student involved. I know the professor involved. The N2 container was in fact filled.

This is not the first time this has happened. In fact about 2 years ago some idiot student put a filled 10 liter container in the back

of his car....

[tkam]

Yeah thats pretty stupid, not only by transporting something like that but to do it on Public Transportation is just a very stupid and bad idea.

[hungrych]

What if he spilled it?

[kevin gilmore]

What if he spilled it?

Someone gets hurt real bad. Shattered bones, lots of permanently dead flesh...

editted to fix quote tag

[eric343]

Yeeow.

What on earth did he need a dewar full of LN2 at home for?

[TheSloth]

To freeze stuff! I used to love freezing tomatoes - my parents are medical doctors and had a supply at their surgery.

[ojnihs]

So are you at Northwestern University? I'm a junior there and it'd be interesting to meet you sometime. I think a few of us are trying to get together sometime.

[hungrych]

So are you at Northwestern University? I'm a junior there and it'd be interesting to meet you sometime. I think a few of us are trying to get together sometime.

Keep him away from your hornet though...

[ojnihs]

Keep him away from your hornet though...

Hornet? What Hornet? I don't even have an amp!

*quickly hides his hornet*

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeeow.

What on earth did he need a dewar full of LN2 at home for?

Cryonic treatment of cables, tubes, etc.?

[kevin gilmore]

I've already x-rayed a hornet. Really don't need to see another one.

Unless its one of the new "mellow" sounding ones. Not sure what

parts my good friend ray has switched to for that alternate sound.

I go thru about 500 litres of N2 a week. Would not even think of

trying to take some home. But if i did, i would borrow someone's

pickup truck, and use a sealed dewar that is tied down real well.

[hungrych]

I've already x-rayed a hornet. Really don't need to see another one.

Unless its one of the new "mellow" sounding ones. Not sure what

parts my good friend ray has switched to for that alternate sound.

I go thru about 500 litres of N2 a week. Would not even think of

trying to take some home. But if i did, i would borrow someone's

pickup truck, and use a sealed dewar that is tied down real well.

Oh, I thought you might just want to smash it or something.

[PFKMan23]

I've already x-rayed a hornet. Really don't need to see another one.

Unless its one of the new "mellow" sounding ones. Not sure what

parts my good friend ray has switched to for that alternate sound.

I go thru about 500 litres of N2 a week. Would not even think of

trying to take some home. But if i did, i would borrow someone's

pickup truck, and use a sealed dewar that is tied down real well.

Unless this is something that he's doing and not announcing officially on Head Fi, there is no "mellower" sounding HOrnet. A while back he was saying he might do that, but then again a day later he said the sound signature would stay how it is and caning it would be caving into a few displeased individuals or some BS like that.

[kevin gilmore]

I did read somewhere that ray will modify a unit if you ask him too. Not sure now where i saw that.

Hey, great idea.... cryo some hornets. Soak em for a week. That should align all the oxygen free

copper traces

A new business for ray...

[PFKMan23]

I did read somewhere that ray will modify a unit if you ask him too. Not sure now where i saw that.

A couple months back I remeber reading that, but as I said he scrapped the diea, well, unless he resurrected it in stealth mode.... *shrugs*

[Edwood]

Wow, LN2 carried around like laundry detergent? Nice.

Was hoping there was a "Darwin Award" nominee here.

-Ed

[eric343]

Kevin,

Wouldn't the danger be from insufficient ventilation? According to my calculations, 40L of ln2 would cover a 2.5m x 20m subway car floor to a depth of 0.8mm, which is enough to just about cool the soles of your shoes.

Evaporation would be very quick, though. How many liters of n2 from a liter of ln2 at STP?

[kevin gilmore]

This particular idiot was holding (and i do mean holding) an open top glass dewar on their lap with a stryofoam plug.

a sudden train stop and the person in front of them is likely to get most of that spilled on them.

By the way, this particular idiot also likes to wear roller blades. Don't know if they were also wearing them on the

train or not. This particular person has been caught numerous times roller blading inside the building. And most

of the time can't stop and run into things.

I'm really not kidding about this. This particular student is in a whole bunch of trouble and is likely to get kicked

out of the university and have their visa pulled.

[eric343]

WTF?

[Dusty Chalk]

Is it possible he was stealing it? What does anyone need that much stuff for home use for? Super-cooling a computer?

[tkam]

I'm really not kidding about this. This particular student is in a whole bunch of trouble and is likely to get kicked

out of the university and have their visa pulled.

I'm happy to see the University is taking some serious action on this. Sounds like this kid needs whacked in the head, but getting booted from school and losing his visa should teach him a pretty good lesson. What he did was completely wrong and as you say could have led to some serious injuries. Hopefully he'll learn something from this.

[kevin gilmore]

If i told you what this moron was actually doing with the N2 you would not believe it. I still don't believe it.

In any case if they don't toss him out the door he will have his Ph.d and be gone in 6 months anyway.

And i'll finally be rid of this jerk.

Northwestern University is a private institution and as such is more liable in stupidass cases like this.

Suing a public college however is just like suing the goverment and really ends up coming out of the

national buget.

So the moral of the story is if you are going to do something massively stupid, do it at a public college

And if you think this person is going to learn anything from this you would be very wrong.

[kevin gilmore]

I have to leave it at that. Until the issue is resolved one way or the other...

I do have a picture of the idiot holding the thing on the train.

(which is why this all happened as its been going on quite a long time)

Give it a few months... sorry....

[hirsch]

Reminds me of a story of my own. Back when I was an undergrad at Johns Hopkins, a lab had a "prodigy" freshman transport a radioactive isotope between the Hospital and the Homewood campus. The guy was 14 years old. He also carried the isotope in a beaker in a brown paper bag, on a public bus, and managed to spill it on his trousers while on the bus. Never made a ripple at the time...but radiation safety regs have progressed a long way since then.

[aerius]

He also carried the isotope in a beaker in a brown paper bag, on a public bus, and managed to spill it on his trousers while on the bus.

I wonder if he's able to have kids...