In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention provides a lightweight, maneuverable, thin-walled, transparent apparatus for use with a heavy-duty vacuum system for quickly and easily collecting and storing large volumes of bulky debris, thereby reducing the time needed for cleanup. At the beginning of a telephone call, a pre-configured initial amount of attenuation is placed in the echo path of a communications connection that includes an echo canceller. The methods of the present invention are useful in whole genome analysis.