CNN has a new version of the audio of the alleged “f***ing coons” comment. One of their experts says he hears “it’s f***ing cold.” I’m still hearing an “S” at the end of the third word, just as I did when I played with the audio myself. Even on their version you can hear “punks” if you listen for it, though the “P” does sound more like a “C.” I wish they’d spent more time on the first word — if we could establish that Zimmerman said either “it’s” or “these,” it would narrow the possibilities of what the third word might be.

I think that between the low quality of the recording, the wind, the fact that telephones transmit a narrow range of audio frequencies, the difficulty of removing background noise without also affecting how the voice sounds, and the human mind’s ability to fill in missing information and hear whatever we want to hear, we might never have a clear picture of what was said.

Also, Reuters has a story about how events unfolded for Martin’s family. It lays to rest the speculation that has been floating around that Martin wasn’t actually carrying Skittles and iced tea.

Finally, the site Wagist has an interesting analysis of the timeline.

Hat tip to the blogger Half Sigma.