If you have any example files you want to see demonstrated, please send them to stephen@striae.org at least three days before the event.

These webinars will be live streamed to LinkedIn Events, YouTube, and Facebook, but only the attendees who have registered below and attend via Riverside will be able to ask questions and interact with me.

Striae | A Firearms Examiner's Comparison Companion Striae is a specialized, cloud-native platform designed to streamline forensic firearms identification by providing an intuitive environment for digital comparison image annotation, authenticated confirmations, and automated report generation.

On the first Wednesday of May, June, July and (1st Tuesday) August, I will be hosting a live webinar introducing Striae. The first part will be pre-recorded but as I go through each section, I will answer questions and have a live demo on screen.

Register here:
striae.org#webinar

Episode 2 of Striae Origins drops on Friday morning. In this upcoming episode, I detail the evolution of Striae's architecture from a sketch on a piece of paper to a working, cloud-native application running on Cloudflare's edge.

ledger.stephenjlu.com/p/striae-ori...

My trusty TI-85 graphing calculator, well-used manual, the rand function, and marketing materials for the GraphLink cable.

Photos are related to Episode 1 of Striae Origins

open.substack.com/pub/stephenj...

Introducing Designated Reviewers: The Last Line of Defense (And No, You Can't Pick Yourself) | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

Now, you can assign Tom Kirkman to be your designated reviewer (if you're lucky enough to have him working at your lab!).

join.striae.org/posts/introd...

#striae

Data at Rest, Out of Reach: How Striae Protects Your Case Data and Files | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

How Striae Protects Your Case Data and Files

When you upload evidence, annotate a case, or generate a report in Striae, you're trusting us with sensitive information. That trust has always shaped how we planned Striae's architecture and charted its development.

join.striae.org/posts/data-a...

Striae Export Encryption: What You Need to Know | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

Striae v5.0.0: We've just released military-grade encryption for all case exports, confirmations, and archives. Only you and your authorized reviewers can access your sensitive forensic data. Learn more about our commitment to confidentiality and security.

#striae #encryption

The Latest for Striae: Smarter Case Archival and Richer Annotation Details | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

Archive, UI, and Annotation Updates Are Live

Recent Striae updates make casework clearer and more reliable with a stronger archival workflow, cleaner notes and case management, and richer class characteristic details for bullets, cartridge cases, and shotshells.

join.striae.org/posts/latest...

A quick update on Striae

Learn more at striae.org

#striae

🔬 Striae v4.1.0 is live.
This release focuses on something we've been working on for a while: customized reports. Custom PDF reports now support variable layouts selected automatically based on your verified account and Striae membership tier.

join.striae.org/posts/striae...

I've updated Striae's white paper to soften its tone (I was a little harsh in the previous version), update technical details, and provide a few more source links.
#striae #whitepaper

Striae v4.0.0 is another major infrastructure milestone.
We migrated to a same-origin API gateway with edge token verification and advanced our domain move from `app.striae.org` to `striae.app`.

Read the details:
join.striae.org/posts/striae...

#striae

Evolution of Striae: Announcing the React Router Migration and v3.2.x Stability | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

We recently performed a significant infrastructure migration for Striae, which improves security, stability, and performance. It's also a big step in future-proofing our platform. Read all the technical details here:
join.striae.org/posts/evolut...

#striae

Striae v3.0.0: Closing a Confirmation Integrity Bypass With Signed Manifests | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

Striae v3.0.0 is now live. This is a security‑priority release that closes a high‑severity confirmation integrity bypass in our digital confirmation workflow.

Striae v2.2.0: A New Era for Our Platform and Website | Striae Get more from Striae on Patreon

Striae just hit a major milestone: v2.2.0 is live, with stronger security, full account lifecycle management, and MFA phone updates. Plus, we’ve launched our brand new website with a secure contact form, support tickets, and bug reporting at striae.org.

Release v2.1.0 · striae-org/striae Striae Release Notes - v2.1.0 Release Date: March 6, 2026 Period: March 5 - March 6, 2026 Total Commits: 37 (non-merge; auth action path iteration, MFA/email verification synchronization, turnstile...

Striae v2.1.0 released! This update delivers true account lifecycle completeness with backend Firebase Authentication deletion, ensuring user accounts are fully removed from both authentication databases and data stores. Plus: hardened auth workflows and deployment hygiene improvements.

Burnout Resilience with Kayla M. Sweet Burnout is more than “a busy week,” and in this episode Kayla Sweet and I unpack what it really is, what it looks like, and how to recover in a sustainable way.​​

I am in the process of revitalizing a few of the podcast episodes I released back in 2024 on my revamped Substack. The first one to be re-released is my conversation with Kayla Sweet-Smith about burnout resilience. Check it out here!

open.substack.com/pub/stephenj...

Discover how the California Association of Criminalists went from print newsletters to a modern, searchable web hub for forensic science history, ethics, and practice—25 years in the making.​

Read the full article here: ledger.stephenjlu.com/a-brief-hist...

Horizontal still life painting showing a single red and white tulip in a plain glass vase, a human skull in full front view, and an hourglass tightly grouped on a narrow, white ledge against a dark, empty background, with strong side lighting emphasizing the smooth glass, delicate flower, and bone texture to underscore the vanitas theme of life, death, and passing time. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philippe_de_Champaigne_Still-Life_with_a_Skull.JPG

Contemporary vanitas‑style photograph on a dark granite countertop, showing a bright turquoise flower pot with a green houseplant on the left, a central skull model made entirely of ammunition cartridges, and a tall glass hourglass on the right with sand mostly settled in the upper bulb, all set against a pale hexagonal tile backsplash to echo the themes of life, death, and passing time.

My photographic version of Vanitas by Philippe de Champaigne, using items I've acquired throughout my life.

Gratitude to
Plant: Jessica and Mike Palermo
Skull: Craft & Trade Fair in Los Angeles
Hourglass: Victoria Hutson

Upon nearing the 25th year after the attacks, I look back at how 9/11 has changed my life

ledger.stephenjlu.com/twenty-five-...

Register your agency domain directly on our homepage to unlock access for your entire team. Once your domain is registered, every examiner in your agency can seamlessly access the platform using their work email.

Striae | Welcome to Striae A Firearms Examiner's Comparison Companion

I'm excited to announce that Striae's Release Candidate is now available! This milestone marks the completion of all major planned features and functionality, bringing Striae one step closer to the official January launch.

**Confirmations, Audit Trails, and Review Accounts, Oh My!**
Almost There: Striae's Release Candidate is on the Horizon!

Read whole post: blog.striae.org/confirmation...

As we approach our January release, we’re excited to introduce a major update that streamlines collaboration in forensic firearms analysis. Building on our recent case export feature, Striae now supports case import and review—empowering examiners to seamlessly work together across agencies or teams

We're excited to announce the release of Striae v0.9.15.1-beta, featuring two new significant features in preparation for candidate release on October 1st: Interactive Box Annotation System and Self-Service Account Deletion.

Striae | Access the Striae Demo Account Complete the form to access the Striae demo account.

How to access the demo:
- Go to www.striae.org/demo
- Enter your email address (work only)
- Receive the credentials to login
- When promoted, click Send MFA code and enter the provided code

Striae is proud to be a member of the Open Invention Network, the world's largest patent non-aggression community. The OIN is a collaborative defense platform that enables freedom of action in Linux and other open source technologies by creating a patent-free zone for innovation.

This documentation is designed for future maintainability, consistent development, and easy review—making it simpler for contributors to get involved and for the project to evolve, grow, and adapt to individual agency requirements.