Importance of proper reporting: couple killed, news can't get the story right

I miss the point of posting this…

Kind of have to agree with Joel (the 3D printing nerd) that A) this was not due to a 3D printer at all, and B) part of this falls on the ridiculous description of the GF as a 3D laser printer since (not to rehash) it is in fact not a printer of any type. Then the second story that came out which showed a ultimaker and a wanhoo and cited the “3D printing releases particulates and possible carcinogens” article is a stupid equation. It’s like an article about some person who dies in a car fire, then citing an article that shows that cars contribute to global warming; both true, and while both share terms, unrelated in this context…

9 Likes

And all this info completely misses the point that the article clearly states that none of the 3D printing or cutting equipment in the apartment was even operated that night.

5 Likes

That’s not too surprising. Those folks never seem to do any kind of research and form opinions based on the Tweet or viral story of the moment. It’s getting hard to find any kind of informed reporting.

1 Like

i admit i did find it striking that this article mentioned the deaths from CO, when the first article about it said that an investigatory team had explicitly ruled out CO as a cause of death.

which, fine, people make mistakes. but it should’ve been addressed in the follow-up. unfortunate writing.

6 Likes

A fitting paralel to this and the GF. A co-worker at the time of the Prius issue said he knew it didn’t happen because he owned a Prius, and “wild acceleration” - unintentional or otherwise - was not one of its capabilities. :slight_smile:

I

16 Likes

Ingestion of sodium nitrite would be too slow for effective treatment of cyanide poisoning. The front line antidote was amyl nitrite inhalation followed by intravenous sodium nitrite. A former colleague worked with hydrogen cyanide in his lab and they kept amyl nitrite ampules available in case of accidental exposure. A brief search indicated that the preferred treatment is now Hydroxocobalamin which is a form of vitamin B12.

7 Likes

Why? Is the story specifically anti-Glowforge? - Rich

1 Like

Not even a little bit. They mention “a laser 3-D printer.” Which isn’t even a thing that exists on our planet. Sounds cool though… I’m guessing it’d create cohesive photons in mid air. Pretty awesome.

5 Likes

Yeah, and considering you have to get up into the gamma range before photons have enough energy to transmute into quanta, guessing he had to upgrade his electrical service!

Slowest 3D build ever, printing with subatomic particles.

6 Likes

Yeah, but the results would be stunning… even at low res. :wink:

6 Likes

A little more about the couple themselves in this article from 3ders.org.

Sources disagree on role of 3D printer in tragic death of Berkeley couple

Sad and tragic to lose such talented people.

1 Like

Even though it’s bunk, it is a good reminder to make sure to vent properly. I like the name of the person who posted this with that article following. Weird world we live in now. I was just on a long drive back home last night and reminiscing with the wife about long road trips we used to take back before cellphones and how crazy that seems now. Now we have search engines, 24/7 news, and everything we do is being monitored so we can have custom content delivered into our eyeballs.
anyway, hope everyone has a pleasant day.

5 Likes

idk… these are pretty cool. They basically spray metal particles at the laser and they melt onto the previous layer… so laser 3d printing :wink:

but i really doubt this is what was running in their house… :wink:

9 Likes

I happily stand corrected! That thing looks crazy/awesome!

5 Likes

The first comment on that 3Ders.org piece seems plausible:
I would speculate that they made their own laser sintering 3D printer or something and used a home-made CO2 laser and had a canister of C02 that leaked.

That could explain the ‘3D laser printer’ terminology. Quite possibly used inadvertently by a person who did not deliberately associated that phrase with the GF.

I’ve always found that description by GF misplaced and somewhat misleading (“cutbait”?)

2 Likes

Which would not contain enough CO2 to displace the oxygen in a house nor would it explain signs of CO poisoning (which are actually pretty apparent).

3 Likes

Well, at least some stories are starting to rescind some of the earlier statements and the previous stories (better)… but they’re still being speculative and focused on the laser cutter http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/01/28/carbon-monoxide-laser-cutter-may-caused-mysterious-deaths-berkeley-home/

Glowforge seems to disagree with you :wink:

3 Likes

That’s just marketing at its worst. They know what they’re selling… and it’s not a “3D laser printer.” But let’s definitely not go down this road again. Dude, don’t get me started on how mad they made me with that ridiculous line a year and a half ago. With their BS about “Well, people just kept calling it that so we started to market it that way.” No. They jumped on the 3D Printer bandwagon. We’re not morons… we know the difference between cut, etch, and print. I know where my laser printer is. I know where my laser cutter/etcher will be. I will never once confuse the two.

All of that said, the removable head could make their statement true. I’m excited to see!

6 Likes