I Like Him As An Actor

Val Kilmer has succumbed.

Wikipedia says pneumonia.

I watch one of his earliest movies, "Real Genius" fairly regularly.

Quote Of The Day

"Uh oh!"

-G. A. Custer

Crowned

Got my tooth, temporarily, fixed.

I needed a new crown on the bottom, aft-most molar on the starboard side.

This tooth has been a bane for years.

It was the first tooth I'd ever needed a filling in.

The first tooth I'd lost a filling from.

The only tooth that needed a second filling.

Now.

The only tooth in my skull that's needed a crown.

The temp crown is mounted while the permanent version is being fabricated.

Should be installed in two weeks.

Despite the panic attacks, the dentist and his assistant were awesome!

He warned that, sometimes, once they started they'd find a root-canal would be needed.

We didn't end up there, but I told him that if we needed a root-canal on that tooth we'd revert to the Spanish and say, "extraction!"

He started to object and I said, this damned tooth has caused enough BS and this is its last chance!

Asking The Important Questions

Should Northrop-Grumman win the F/A-XX bid...

What cat name should be applied? 

I like Bobcat because the stealthy thing will almost certainly be tailless.

Speaking Of Itty Bitty Ribbons

The Clint Eastwood film "Heartbreak Ridge" has an interesting scene.

When he first arrives at his new duty station Gunny Highway bumps into his future LT.

LT Ring looks at his ribbons and gives a little exclamation.

It's subtle.

It's the sort of thing I've seen in person.

My 1SG was a medal of honor recipient and it was always fun seeing the reaction from people who'd forgotten where they'd put him.

My most amusing day was when top was all pissed off at something with me in tow and he blasted past CG 1st Infantry without saluting.

CG bellowed out, "First sergeant!  Wasn't there supposed to be a salute there?"

Top looked at him and replied, "It's OK, Sir, I don't really mind."

While CG was turning purple, his Aide-de-Campe reminded him of whom he was speaking...

That three star snapped to attention and gave the sharpest salute I think I've ever seen.

Top just returned the salute and said, "Carry on, Sir."

Yeah

Watching the last season of Cobra Kai and they discover a chest in Mr Miyagi's old house where they find he had a dark past.

Um...

I could have told them that from the first movie.

Staff Sargent Miyagi is a Medal of Honor recipient from the 442nd.

There's no happy, bright, shiny path to that itty bitty ribbon.

For Fuck's Sake

The company we're insured through did not change.

The member ID number did not change.

The group ID number did not change.

The persons covered by the policy did not change.

So why did my dentist think the policy was inactive?

Because the date start date changed from 01Jan24 to 01Jan25.

It's really odd that this tripped them up because they managed to automatically update this every year for the past five.

But not this year.

Not when I have a cracked tooth to look at.

No Dentist For You!

I am sure glad my cracked tooth doesn't hurt because I cannot see my dentist.

They can get me in today, but the fucking insurance that The Lovely Harvey pays for every paycheck apparently doesn't show as active in the system.

She called HR two hours ago and they have not replied yet, so I had to cancel my appointment.

This isn't something that should be difficult, but her HR department routinely fails to get it taken care of.  We went through the same shit with her health insurance over her knee and a recent eye appointment.

Crunch

That crunching was not a bit of eggshell missed in the making of hard boiled eggs in the chicken salad.

It was a point off the back of a molar.

Happily, no pain!

Sadly, the dentist doesn't open until 0800.

The same bottom rear molar that I had filled in a few years ago.

Fair Winds Anjin-san

Richard Chamberlain has shuffled off the mortal coil at 90.

I enjoyed his work in more than one instance.

Most especially in the Shogun miniseries.

Contractual Obligation

There is, often, a deliberate disconnect between what marketing says and what the contract stipulates.

If you signed the contract based on the marketing and didn't read the contract, that's on you.

If you trusted someone with marketing and contracts that don't match, it's completely on you.

When the other party adheres to the contract rather than the marketing hype; you were not betrayed.  You were duped.

You are among the many born every minute.

But since the contract was available for you to read, submit to your lawyers, develop counter proposals, do your own marketing...  Fuck you.

Wuhan Flu Redo

Back when COVID first started going around, me and The Boy (and Marv) all clearly had it.

I never got vaccinated, I figure that catching and surviving a disease being the surest form of immunization I'd be fine.

I have been.

I know several people who took the jab and are on their fourth or fifth round of being sick with Wu Ping Cough.

It's like the jab not only doesn't prevent you from catching it, it also keeps you from building an immunity from surviving it.

That's not how vaccines are supposed to work!

I Like Big GURPS And I Cannot Lie

I keep sticking my nose into RPG debates abotu which rule set is best.

Being a passionate advocate for GURPS, it's the rule set that I think is best.

I'm the first to admit that I haven't played a different system since...  1995?

And that was AD&D 2e.  I didn't have much fun because I was forced into the Cleric job.  I'd never made a cleric before.  Then I wasn't familiar with Forgotten Realms.  I wasn't familiar with the campaign.  AND I was only there to demonstrate to another player that they could be replaced.

Not a recipe for fun.

But picking a system and sticking to it doesn't mean that I didn't learn and play others.

I played every edition of D&D from the OG boxed set to AD&D 2e.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1e.

Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing in at least three settings.  Stormbringer being the one we used these rules for the most.

What became the Megaversal system with Palladium fantasy and Robotech.

Top Secret in two editions.

Champions in more than one edition.

Boot Hill.

Gamma World.

Star Frontiers.

Traveller LBB.

Twilight: 2000 1e.

Ghostbusters.

Teenagers from Outerspace (TFOS).

Toon.

FASA's Star Trek RPG.

2300 AD.

Mega Traveller.

You know what I found?

You can play, with one exception, any of those settings with GURPS.  The only sets of those rules that were better than GURPS was Champions and TFOS.  At least with GURP 3e.  4e is at least as good as Champions now.  Only Toon completely failed with GURPS.

The great thing about it was that once we learned the rules we didn't need to learn new rules for a new setting.

The bad thing was keeping the players out of the parts we weren't going to use.  That's a headache.

But nothing about my passion should make you feel bad about using a different system and having fun.

I've had fun with almost every one of the above listed systems.  The GM makes or breaks the game.  Your fellow players make or break the game.

But I am sick of people shitting on GURPS because they had a bad experience.  *A* bad experience doesn't mean the system sucks.

My bad experience with AD&D 2e had nothing to with the rules.  My conversion of my Wemic cleric from those rules to GURPS came with reading the 2e rules and Forgotten Realms setting.  I think it was a very streamlined experience from OG AD&D.  I think I would use those rules to play D&D if I were to use a D&D ruleset.

I've no experience with later editions, though I've heard positive reports.

It is clear, though, that later editions are emphatically, not the D&D I played once upon a time.

New races.  New classes.

A Warning

While everyone focuses on the weaponry; the truly impressive and frightening thing about the US military is this:

We can put a fully stocked, fully staffed, ready to begin sales, Burger King anywhere on the planet in 48 hours.

Think hard about the implications.

From A Treatise

I was reading about dueling and found a translation from the Italian:

"He runs his mouth as if he could hold a sword."

That, is a burn.

Now With Better Cameras

If you remember this post from a couple years ago...

A different channel has revisited it.

It goes without saying, do not stand in front of 75mm cannon unless you're Superman.

Update:  The PAK 40 firing an APCBC PzGr39 round does 6dx10(2) pi++ with follow-up of 3d cr ex.  APCR PzGr 40 should do 6dx12(2) pi++.  They don't mention what they're firing...

But 6dx12 pi++ from a mild steel solid will, on average, do 252 points of damage which will be doubled in a torso hit for 504.  60 gets you to auto death and 110 gets you to unresurrectable.  This GURPS!

The headshot is 6dx18 pi++.  378 on average. -2 for skull DR.  x4 for brain.  1,504 delivered.  Dead right there, not coming back.  This GURPS!

It Wasn't Like AAA Came And Got 'Em

 

FTL Speeds

In case I never calculated it before:

Jump 1 is 170.1c

Jump 2 is 340.1c

Jump 3 is 510.2c

Jump 4 is 680.3c

Jump 5 is 860.3c

Jump 6 is 1,020.4c

By way of comparison...

Larry Niven's Known Space quantum I hyperdrives are 121.75c.  Quantum II are 420,768c!

Star Trek speeds for the OG TV series were supposedly the cube of the warp factor times the speed of light or:

Warp 1 = 1c

Warp 2 = 8c

Warp 3 = 27c

Warp 4 = 64c

Warp 5 = 125c

Warp 6 = 216c

Warp 7 = 343c

Warp 8 = 512c

Warp 9 = 729c

Warp 10 = 1,000c

This is not consistent and several point in the various shows contradict it.

Ooops!

This is just down the road from me!

Plane flips after emergency landing. 

No injuries, they say.

When I first saw the pics I thought it looked like a very survivable crash.

I Have Fond Memories Of MAD Magazine

 

FB

I'm reading about how Boeing got the contract for the Air Force's F-47A.

Most of the press is saying that it's Boeing's first "clean sheet" fighter design.

That's not true.

The FB was not developed from another design.  Nor was the F2B.  Nor was the P-26A.

The first clean sheet design since the merger with McDonnell-Douglas?  Yes.

The first clean sheet design ever?  No.

I read the story and went looking for the P-26A as the first clean sheet design and was surprised that they'd made two fighters for the Navy before they made the Peashooter for the Army.

Not Suppressing Your 1st Amendment Right

I am not saying you cannot say that.

I am not trying to forbid you from saying that.

I am making fun of you for saying that.

Things You Can't Do Anymore

In 1984 or 1985 the motorcycle gang club my dad was a member of decided to do a winter road trip to Mexico.

We started in Minneapolis.

In WINTER.

If you rode the whole way, you got a special patch!

Since I already had all the winter gear from riding three-wheelers in the snow, I opted to ride the whole way.

I, foolishly, left my patch jacket with my dad when I moved back to Iowa. 

However, this story is not about that!

This is 500 bikers descending on Mexico in January for three weeks.

Actually, it's not a story.

It's mentioning that I climbed the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan.

That is no longer allowed.

I can understand why.

Still, it's neat to be able to say I did something like that.

It also occurs to me that seeing both the Teotihuacan site and several Egyptian pyramids (though from a distance) makes me a bit unusual.

The trip to Egypt was taxpayer funded and the whole battalion got to go play in the desert with our tanks.  The exercise was cancelled because of a terrorist threat, so it was really camping in the desert with tanks rather than a real joint exercise.

The ride on the ship across the Med was fun.

Grecian Formula

This is an M1951 web gear compatible Greek M1 Garand ammo pouch.

It is 2 lb. 11.5 oz. with four 8-round en bloc clips and 8.4 oz. empty.

There are M1951 style grenade loop and retainers (as shown with my fetching dummy grenades).

The clips need to be inserted as shown!  If they are both nose down or nose up, it's very difficult to get them out with the pouch loose in your hand, and would be impossible with it attached to your web gear.

 

If you have the outside clip nose up, the back of the inside clip snags on the hem of the mouth.

A decent means of carrying 32 rounds for your Garand and, I assume two pouches were given each soldier for a total of 72 shots.  Less than the 104 carried in the WW2 pouches, but all of them are more readily accessible in the Greek method.  Three pouches and a canteen would balance OK to tie the capacity of the old 1923 belt.

By way of comparison the M1956 Universal Small Arms Ammunition Pouch is 12.5 oz. empty and 2 lb. 15.7 oz. loaded with two 20-round FAL magazines.  With a basic load of two pouches and one mag in the gun we have 100 rounds on tap for just a 1/4 lb. more on your belt and a pound more in your arms. 

Loading a field dressing and four 20-round M16 magazines loaded with 28 rounds each is 3 lb. 6.6 oz.  Two pouches and 18 more in the M16A1 gives 162 rounds.  For about 3 lb. more on your belt and almost the same less in your hands.

A Soviet pigskin ammo pouch for a Mosin Nagant carries 30 rounds on 5-round clips for 2 lb. 4.4 oz. (6.6 oz. empty) and you get a much lower rate of fire for not a lot of weight savings.

Daytona Spring Fling 2025

The Beast and the car formerly known as Biscayne SS.

My buddy JT rode with me and we met with Adam.  Adam is whom I sold the Biscayne SS to and from whom I bought The Beast.

Attendance was, I am told, down from last year.  They suspect that was because of the admission going from $40 to $60 per show car.

There were still some interesting cars:

'62 Biscayne with a 409 and three on the floor!

I took this shot because I loved the color.  It did not photograph well.

'70 Mercury Cyclone.  A friend of mine had three of them and all met bad ends.

Dodge Custom with lots of subtle changes.  Including a 6.2 Hemi™.

Just room for your ass and a can of gas!

Motivated seller.

This car, also, didn't photograph well.  It looks black until the sun hits at the right angle then it's a dark bronze.  Epic Mercury Moterrey!

Mandatory General Lee.  Required by law at any car show with more than 20 cars south ot the Mason-Dixon line.

 

Update:  

There were many fake Camaros at the event.

 Just as all Chevelles are SS's, all real Camaros are SS/RS/Z28 Yenko Pacecar Convertibles.

Don't be fooled by kit cars.

I Don't Remember It Being This Complicated

My dad and I dropped a 250 into a '47 pick-up and it didn't seem as complicated as this to get the electrical system updated to 12v in 1984.

 We replaced the entire starter and alternator without rebuilding anything.

Are parts to do the conversion in one step no longer common?

How Did I Miss This!

Feeling It

Both knees and my left hip don't appreciate the activity of messing with the wheels and cleaning the car.

Luckily, there's self-medication!

Beer!

Doesn't dent the neuropathy in my shins, but it does help with arthritis. 

It's as close to exercise as I can manage and a lot of it is completely off my legs anyways.

I have a little roller stool instead of "rice paddy prone" for lifting the wheels back on and the behind-the-bumper work was sitting on the cold, hard concrete floor of the garage.

Cleaning the car needed more standing up, but I could brace off the walls and such.

Ready To Roll

The Beast is not getting smaller as she ages.  I started washing at about 4:30 pm and am just getting done waxing at 8:00pm.  The pic is from before I started waxing.

I took a few breaks, had dinner and helped the neighbors hang a blind in there too.

I don't wax her every wash.  McGuire's TechWax2 is pretty resilient stuff, I get 6 months easy before it stops beading.

Adam's Wheel and Polish's Wheel and Tire Cleaner is the shit!  Spray it on the rims and brake caliper, let it sit for a minute and hit it with some high pressure water and VIOLA! them rims and calipers be CLEAN!  Best wheel cleaner I've ever used.  Thanks to Marv for finding and trying it out.

Now I am ready to leave in the wee hours for the Daytona Totally-Not-Spring-Fling-Because-That's-Trademarked-By-Somebody-Else Turkey Rod Run Spring Car Show!

We still call it the Spring Fling and have to remember Turkey Rod Run to find the show information...

I have not gone to this show in 10 years.  Last time I took The Precious.  The Biscayne SS went several times too.

 

A Duel!

I hearby challenge President Donald J Trump to a duel!

Between whatever 150/40/5 point GURPS 4e character he dares bring to the table and a character of my own creation of the same points!

Winner gets to brag about it.  If I win I'm framing his character sheet and hanging it on my wall!

I will supply dice, snacks and beer.

Our seconds can decide the TL and weapons allowed to the characters.  They will also decide if dropping all 150 points into a single skill is allowed.

I'd argue against it, a well rounded and complete character will make for a more interesting game.

I'd say it was a duel to the death, but I doubt there's any physical risk past a paper cut and an imaginary character really isn't alive so it can't die.  Also, The US Secret Service gets REALLY touchy about even joking about killing the president.

I'm not even threatening him.

Though it might be hilarious to see what the Secret Service does about having the president visit the home of a gun owner to play a couple hours of GURPS.  Prolly insist we meet someplace a bit easier to secure.