Q. I am having trouble finding comprehensive statistics regarding drug use that go back a number of years. Any sources of information would be greatly appreciated.
A. The two surveys that cover this are Monitoring the Future and the Household Survey on Drug Abuse. An internet search will turn up various links to them. You will probably not find extensive stats that predate the Internet age.
Before you look for them, you should understand that there are a number of problems with the surveys.
The first is that people are not likely to answer a question honestly when someone asks them if they have recently engaged in criminal activity.
The second is that it depends on what you mean by increased or decreased. Drug use goes through various cycles and use of one drug may go up while another goes down.
The third is the time frame in which you ask. Again, drug use goes in cycles so you can expect to see rises in the use of some drugs for a while, with later falls in the same use. Depending on which years you pick, you would get an entirely different answer.
You should also note that when people attempt to answer this question it is often because they have a political agenda so they will pick whatever numbers suit their political point. If the numbers don't suit their political point, then government officials are prone to just make up numbers to suit them.
If you look at the really long term there is an interesting picture. Prior to 1914, all of these drugs were legal and sold over the counter in the US without restrictions. Kids could buy the drugs as easily as they buy aspirin today and heroin was even included in baby colic remedies. Even under those conditions the rates of addiction were not substantially different than they are today.
If you want to understand the subject, the best place to start is the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm This book details the history of the laws and describes the biggest single cause of drug epidemics. It is the one book to read it you read only one.
Before you look for them, you should understand that there are a number of problems with the surveys.
The first is that people are not likely to answer a question honestly when someone asks them if they have recently engaged in criminal activity.
The second is that it depends on what you mean by increased or decreased. Drug use goes through various cycles and use of one drug may go up while another goes down.
The third is the time frame in which you ask. Again, drug use goes in cycles so you can expect to see rises in the use of some drugs for a while, with later falls in the same use. Depending on which years you pick, you would get an entirely different answer.
You should also note that when people attempt to answer this question it is often because they have a political agenda so they will pick whatever numbers suit their political point. If the numbers don't suit their political point, then government officials are prone to just make up numbers to suit them.
If you look at the really long term there is an interesting picture. Prior to 1914, all of these drugs were legal and sold over the counter in the US without restrictions. Kids could buy the drugs as easily as they buy aspirin today and heroin was even included in baby colic remedies. Even under those conditions the rates of addiction were not substantially different than they are today.
If you want to understand the subject, the best place to start is the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm This book details the history of the laws and describes the biggest single cause of drug epidemics. It is the one book to read it you read only one.
has anyone used the Respisense clip on baby monitor?
Q. I asked this last night but no one had used or knew about this type of monitor. It clips on the baby's diaper and is supposedly more reliable and easier to use than the sensors that go on top of or under the crib mattress. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Here is the website: http://www.respisense.com/en/index.php
"Respisense monitors the breathing efforts of a baby. If the breathing effort stops, slows down too much, or becomes too shallow, the built-in stimulator the Tummy Tickle will gently stir baby to breathe, failing which a loud alarm will alert the nearest adult. Respisense monitors are particularly suitable for babies at home, but can be used almost anywhere. No other baby monitor allows the freedom of movement that Respisense does. The award-winning and patented invention is so compact and light that it can be used wherever your baby may fall asleep."
Here is the website: http://www.respisense.com/en/index.php
"Respisense monitors the breathing efforts of a baby. If the breathing effort stops, slows down too much, or becomes too shallow, the built-in stimulator the Tummy Tickle will gently stir baby to breathe, failing which a loud alarm will alert the nearest adult. Respisense monitors are particularly suitable for babies at home, but can be used almost anywhere. No other baby monitor allows the freedom of movement that Respisense does. The award-winning and patented invention is so compact and light that it can be used wherever your baby may fall asleep."
A. after my older twin died from SIDS, we had my younger son on a monitor. it was annoyingly loud, and he was always fine, they set it wrong at the hospital.
if your baby isn't at risk for SIDS (newer research links it to a damaging of ear sensors for CO2 at birth, which fits the bill in my son's case) and if you take the precautions, its not worth the money or the worry.
but if your diaper wrapping techniques are tight, and you want to have nightmares involving beeping horribleness, and if you believe your child is at risk for breathing difficulties, by all means use it. you might try punching the name of the product in combination with 'reviews' or consumer feed back into your favorite search engine.
if your baby isn't at risk for SIDS (newer research links it to a damaging of ear sensors for CO2 at birth, which fits the bill in my son's case) and if you take the precautions, its not worth the money or the worry.
but if your diaper wrapping techniques are tight, and you want to have nightmares involving beeping horribleness, and if you believe your child is at risk for breathing difficulties, by all means use it. you might try punching the name of the product in combination with 'reviews' or consumer feed back into your favorite search engine.
Looking for a video camera with good audio... any suggestions?
Q. I have a piano recital coming up, and I need a suggestion for a fairly cheap camera with good audio recording capabilities, as the last camera we used recorded the sound absolutely horribly ( i assume it was because the camera was made to only capture the human voice's spectrum ).
I just want something that can capture the full span of sound that a piano can emit without hisses or cracking noises- or if there is no such camera, share some ideas for best recording the event (e.g. maybe a suggested external mic or whatever)... I have one month. Thanks :)
I just want something that can capture the full span of sound that a piano can emit without hisses or cracking noises- or if there is no such camera, share some ideas for best recording the event (e.g. maybe a suggested external mic or whatever)... I have one month. Thanks :)
A. Camcorder microphones aren't usually professional level, but they aren't bad, either. What they are is poorly located to get audiophile level recording. Way too far away far away from the source of the sound, they'll pick up noise and chatter from close to the camera. If you're filming at the 3-6 foot range, most camcorder audio will work fine. Farther away requires more effort. Bottom line is that proper microphone placement is critical for good recordings.
Depending on the stage setup (if any) at the recital, see if one of the following options is feasible:
1) If the piano is miked into a PA/speaker system, recording the line output of that device onto a CD or other recorder gives some of the clearest possible sound. If you leave your camcorder running continuously during the performance, it's fairly easy to sync the CD audio to your digital video in any of the movie editors and get top notch audio and video. Leave your camcorder running so you only have to sync one spot, not at every scene. Once synced, you can then cut out boring sections of the video. (~$0 expense if they have a CD recording system already in place)
2) If the piano isn't miked, you can use a digital audio recorder. The good ones aren't cheap, but you'll get baby monitor quality sound if you go cheap. Place the recorder in a good location near the piano (test before the recital if at all possible). These small devices are unobtrusive, and can get quality recordings if placed properly. You could use this recording to supplement/replace your existing camera's audio as described above ~ $150 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG/Tascam_DR_07_DR_07_Portable_Digital_Audio.html)
3) You can buy a camcorder with an external microphone jack and get a wireless mic system or a shotgun mic (think teleaudio to match your telephoto zoom). Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for on this. Decent ones start at $75 and you still have to figure out where to position the microphone. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=15708&N=4290441573+4293345063&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C0
Shotgun microphones (the zoom version of a microphone) are very directional in it's pickup pattern, removing much of the side noise captured by built in microphones. $60+ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3646-REG/Azden_ECZ_990_ECZ_990_Super_Cardioid_Shotgun.html
Unless your existing videocamera has an external mic jack, you'll have to factor in the additional cost of a new camera with a microphone input. External microphone jacks have been removed from the feature list of most consumer camcorders. HD cameras with the external microphone jack tend to be ~ $800-$1000
Depending on the stage setup (if any) at the recital, see if one of the following options is feasible:
1) If the piano is miked into a PA/speaker system, recording the line output of that device onto a CD or other recorder gives some of the clearest possible sound. If you leave your camcorder running continuously during the performance, it's fairly easy to sync the CD audio to your digital video in any of the movie editors and get top notch audio and video. Leave your camcorder running so you only have to sync one spot, not at every scene. Once synced, you can then cut out boring sections of the video. (~$0 expense if they have a CD recording system already in place)
2) If the piano isn't miked, you can use a digital audio recorder. The good ones aren't cheap, but you'll get baby monitor quality sound if you go cheap. Place the recorder in a good location near the piano (test before the recital if at all possible). These small devices are unobtrusive, and can get quality recordings if placed properly. You could use this recording to supplement/replace your existing camera's audio as described above ~ $150 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG/Tascam_DR_07_DR_07_Portable_Digital_Audio.html)
3) You can buy a camcorder with an external microphone jack and get a wireless mic system or a shotgun mic (think teleaudio to match your telephoto zoom). Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for on this. Decent ones start at $75 and you still have to figure out where to position the microphone. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=15708&N=4290441573+4293345063&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C0
Shotgun microphones (the zoom version of a microphone) are very directional in it's pickup pattern, removing much of the side noise captured by built in microphones. $60+ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3646-REG/Azden_ECZ_990_ECZ_990_Super_Cardioid_Shotgun.html
Unless your existing videocamera has an external mic jack, you'll have to factor in the additional cost of a new camera with a microphone input. External microphone jacks have been removed from the feature list of most consumer camcorders. HD cameras with the external microphone jack tend to be ~ $800-$1000
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Title Post: Have illicit drug addiction/usage rates increased or decreased over the years?
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