The ribbons on your uniform tell a story.
Make sure you want to tell that story before you post the pic of yourself in uniform.
When the tale of your ribbons says, "I graduated basic," you might want to reconsider touting your military service.
Click here to submit $0.00 US for a lifetime subscription
Posts
All Comments
31 December 2016
30 December 2016
The Military
People who're in the Army say, "I was in the Army."
People who're in the Navy say, "I was in the Navy."
People who're in the Marines say, "I am a Marine."
People who're in the Air Force say, "I was in the military."
That's what we call an indicator.
People who're in the Navy say, "I was in the Navy."
People who're in the Marines say, "I am a Marine."
People who're in the Air Force say, "I was in the military."
That's what we call an indicator.
29 December 2016
Because I'm A Fashion Victim
Magazine segregation!
20 rounders are separate, but equal...
Wait, wrong kind of segregation.
This is about keeping the wrong ammo out of the wrong gun.
Because I have 1:12, 1:9 and 1:7 twist guns and have both M855 and M193 ammo for them, I needed a simple means of keeping them apart.
This is because M855 fired down a 1:12 tube just doesn't stabilize. It kinda goes in the general direction of the target, but it's not very accurate.
M193 is just fine fired from a 1:7 or 1:9 tube, but has a different zero from M855.
I'd have probably settled on just M193 in the house if it weren't for Sabrina. With her 11.5" 1:9 barrel, she would have lacked punch at carbine distances because the distance the round takes to drop below fragmentation velocity is only about 50 meters.
So I looked into it and found that 69gr Sierra Match Kings would expand nicely all the way to 250m starting with Sabrina's muzzle velocity. That would do.
Turns out that 69gr SMK and M855 zero to the same point! M855 becomes the cheap training ammo for the SMKs!
Yes, that's a lot of overthinking to accommodate a range toy like an XM177E2 clone.
At any rate I've got two different kinds of 5.56 here and some guns that really hate one kind or the other.
My answer, which also aligned with the retro nature of the 1:12 guns, was to put M193 and 55gr ammo in my 20-round magazines and M855 and SMK type ammo into 30-round magazines.
6.8, being a completely different animal, goes into special magazines and gets a band of electrical tape around the base so that I can tell them apart in the dark by feel was well as seeing the band of tape.
This works for me!
I'd have to rethink it if I added .300 Blackout to my mix. Because I think that they should be differentiated by touch and looks, perhaps something like a Lancer or Hexmag just for the .300 to prevent kabooms from misloading.
20 rounders are separate, but equal...
Wait, wrong kind of segregation.
This is about keeping the wrong ammo out of the wrong gun.
Because I have 1:12, 1:9 and 1:7 twist guns and have both M855 and M193 ammo for them, I needed a simple means of keeping them apart.
This is because M855 fired down a 1:12 tube just doesn't stabilize. It kinda goes in the general direction of the target, but it's not very accurate.
M193 is just fine fired from a 1:7 or 1:9 tube, but has a different zero from M855.
I'd have probably settled on just M193 in the house if it weren't for Sabrina. With her 11.5" 1:9 barrel, she would have lacked punch at carbine distances because the distance the round takes to drop below fragmentation velocity is only about 50 meters.
So I looked into it and found that 69gr Sierra Match Kings would expand nicely all the way to 250m starting with Sabrina's muzzle velocity. That would do.
Turns out that 69gr SMK and M855 zero to the same point! M855 becomes the cheap training ammo for the SMKs!
Yes, that's a lot of overthinking to accommodate a range toy like an XM177E2 clone.
At any rate I've got two different kinds of 5.56 here and some guns that really hate one kind or the other.
My answer, which also aligned with the retro nature of the 1:12 guns, was to put M193 and 55gr ammo in my 20-round magazines and M855 and SMK type ammo into 30-round magazines.
6.8, being a completely different animal, goes into special magazines and gets a band of electrical tape around the base so that I can tell them apart in the dark by feel was well as seeing the band of tape.
This works for me!
I'd have to rethink it if I added .300 Blackout to my mix. Because I think that they should be differentiated by touch and looks, perhaps something like a Lancer or Hexmag just for the .300 to prevent kabooms from misloading.
Should I Have Just Bought The SCAR-16?
Something to keep you honest about your low-cost AR.
Make a spreadsheet and list EVERYTHING you've added to the gun.
It's actually an accounting ledger.
Count the things that are present, subtract the things that aren't.
That $400 AR kit and $50 lower sure balloon fast when you start upgrading parts.
People forget that all that Magpul furniture they added later made the gun more expensive. Mirroring the selector? Extra cost. Finger-tip strong hand bolt release? Extra cost.
It adds up. Don't forget shipping and FFL fees! I tend to skip things like optics though...
Since a SCAR 16 is MSRP of $2,995 and can be found on Gunbroker for $2,600 buy it now, even my most expensive AR, Sabrina, at $1,355.08 doesn't touch it, but that one is more expensive by design because of all the collector-expensive vintage parts.
Next most expensive is Dottie at $1,230.53, but she's in 6.8, so not really a good comparison. Add $326 for the optic and $200 for the light.
Kaylee is the closest equivalent to a SCAR 16 here. Just $1,159.66 and that includes a $200 tax-stamp. I could make Kaylee twice for what a SCAR would have run me. Even adding $736 for the optic and $200 for the light I'm still ahead because I would have bought them for a SCAR as well.
But Kaylee is not the $675.37 carbine I first bought either. It also took me nearly 10 years of tinkering, swapping, trading and research to add about $500 to her.
Make a spreadsheet and list EVERYTHING you've added to the gun.
It's actually an accounting ledger.
Count the things that are present, subtract the things that aren't.
That $400 AR kit and $50 lower sure balloon fast when you start upgrading parts.
People forget that all that Magpul furniture they added later made the gun more expensive. Mirroring the selector? Extra cost. Finger-tip strong hand bolt release? Extra cost.
It adds up. Don't forget shipping and FFL fees! I tend to skip things like optics though...
Since a SCAR 16 is MSRP of $2,995 and can be found on Gunbroker for $2,600 buy it now, even my most expensive AR, Sabrina, at $1,355.08 doesn't touch it, but that one is more expensive by design because of all the collector-expensive vintage parts.
Next most expensive is Dottie at $1,230.53, but she's in 6.8, so not really a good comparison. Add $326 for the optic and $200 for the light.
Kaylee is the closest equivalent to a SCAR 16 here. Just $1,159.66 and that includes a $200 tax-stamp. I could make Kaylee twice for what a SCAR would have run me. Even adding $736 for the optic and $200 for the light I'm still ahead because I would have bought them for a SCAR as well.
But Kaylee is not the $675.37 carbine I first bought either. It also took me nearly 10 years of tinkering, swapping, trading and research to add about $500 to her.
It's Fahsion Dahling
Going out of your way to have color matched PMAG's can only result from being a fashion victim.
It's FAHbulous!
Now I need to score Harvey a flat-dark earth PMAG for her Kevina.
Excelsior!
What with celebrities dropping like flies lately, I didn't want to jinx it...
Happy Birthday to Stan Lee!
Ninety freaking four.
Jack Kirby has no comment.
Happy Birthday to Stan Lee!
Ninety freaking four.
Jack Kirby has no comment.
28 December 2016
Everything About Life You Learn In High School
There are cliques of cool kids.
You are either a member, or you are not.
If you are not, you cannot choose to join them. They must choose you.
If you act cool anyway, they will smite you.
Cool kids do not have to explain their actions or justify their existence. That is for little people.
They don't have time for little people.
They may be as rude as they want to little people.
Should a little person have the temerity to disagree, or (God forbid) have the courage to hurt their feelings, it's not really a problem because all of the other cool kids will rally to their defense and offer support.
Cool kids do not apologize for the harm they cause or the mistakes they make. Being sorry is for little people.
The most vicious of the cool kids are those who used to be little people.
You are either a member, or you are not.
If you are not, you cannot choose to join them. They must choose you.
If you act cool anyway, they will smite you.
Cool kids do not have to explain their actions or justify their existence. That is for little people.
They don't have time for little people.
They may be as rude as they want to little people.
Should a little person have the temerity to disagree, or (God forbid) have the courage to hurt their feelings, it's not really a problem because all of the other cool kids will rally to their defense and offer support.
Cool kids do not apologize for the harm they cause or the mistakes they make. Being sorry is for little people.
The most vicious of the cool kids are those who used to be little people.
Fragile
There's days I look forward to getting up.
There's days where I know there's no more oil on the flash-hider because bare metal tastes different.
I'm constantly astonished at how small an event can send me from one extreme to the other.
It's very rarely anything that matters that can shatter a good mood and send me to the doldrums.
Seeing that those things that don't matter send me there actually helps a lot.
They don't matter, so it doesn't matter. Then I feel all better!
It's a coping mechanism.
The Boy matters.
The Lovely Harvey matters.
My friends matter.
Voices on the internet don't matter.
Opinions of dancing monkeys don't matter.
How can I tell the difference? By what effect they have on my life if I ignore them.
If you ignore something that matters, your life gets worse. Like the electric bill.
If you ignore something that doesn't matter, nothing materially changes.
I suddenly Grok my grandparents!
There's days where I know there's no more oil on the flash-hider because bare metal tastes different.
I'm constantly astonished at how small an event can send me from one extreme to the other.
It's very rarely anything that matters that can shatter a good mood and send me to the doldrums.
Seeing that those things that don't matter send me there actually helps a lot.
They don't matter, so it doesn't matter. Then I feel all better!
It's a coping mechanism.
The Boy matters.
The Lovely Harvey matters.
My friends matter.
Voices on the internet don't matter.
Opinions of dancing monkeys don't matter.
How can I tell the difference? By what effect they have on my life if I ignore them.
If you ignore something that matters, your life gets worse. Like the electric bill.
If you ignore something that doesn't matter, nothing materially changes.
I suddenly Grok my grandparents!
Note To Self
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry!
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry.
Don't blog angry!
27 December 2016
Rifles Are Not Pistols
Another sub-set of geegaw are those that make everything one-handed on your rifle.
It takes two hands to run a rifle.
You're far better served learning to operate an unmodified gun one handed and spending the money on ammo to practice with!
Especially practice with your wrong hand!
It takes two hands to run a rifle.
You're far better served learning to operate an unmodified gun one handed and spending the money on ammo to practice with!
Especially practice with your wrong hand!
Doo Dads And Gee Gaws
It is inevitable that a rifle as popular and modular as the AR will bring all manner of creativity to bear on improving and "improving" it.
One thing that people are spending entirely too much time working on is improving the damn charging handle.
There seems to be a general ignorance about how it works.
Did you know it has been ambidextrous since the R601 days?
You put a finger on both sides of the upper and pull. That automatically hits the latch. Notice I did not say which hand to use? This is because either hand will do.
The next issue people seem to have with the charging handle is a complete misunderstanding of what it's primarily for.
It's for opening the action on the rifle with no magazine in it. You pull the bolt to the rear and lock it open. Insert a magazine then hit the bolt release. Weapon is now loaded.
Assuming you have good magazines; 99 out of 100 stoppages can be cleared with two fingers of pressure on that charging handle, with no more effort than pulling it back on an empty gun.
If it's magazine induced, then your most important control is the magazine catch, not the charging handle. You should also throw that piece of shit misfeed device away that very instant, crushing it so that it doesn't haunt anyone else.
Another truth about the AR system is that once you've got good magazines, you're just not going to see much in the way of stoppages.
Really.
If you're really concerned about that rare stoppage where fingers aren't enough, learn the "pogo" technique. In all honesty, if the pogo can't clear it, your gun be broken. You do have a backup, don't you?
One thing that people are spending entirely too much time working on is improving the damn charging handle.
There seems to be a general ignorance about how it works.
Did you know it has been ambidextrous since the R601 days?
You put a finger on both sides of the upper and pull. That automatically hits the latch. Notice I did not say which hand to use? This is because either hand will do.
The next issue people seem to have with the charging handle is a complete misunderstanding of what it's primarily for.
It's for opening the action on the rifle with no magazine in it. You pull the bolt to the rear and lock it open. Insert a magazine then hit the bolt release. Weapon is now loaded.
Assuming you have good magazines; 99 out of 100 stoppages can be cleared with two fingers of pressure on that charging handle, with no more effort than pulling it back on an empty gun.
If it's magazine induced, then your most important control is the magazine catch, not the charging handle. You should also throw that piece of shit misfeed device away that very instant, crushing it so that it doesn't haunt anyone else.
Another truth about the AR system is that once you've got good magazines, you're just not going to see much in the way of stoppages.
Really.
If you're really concerned about that rare stoppage where fingers aren't enough, learn the "pogo" technique. In all honesty, if the pogo can't clear it, your gun be broken. You do have a backup, don't you?
Some Monkeys Dance Better Than Others
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is not someone you expect a stunning performance from.
He was in Mortal Kombat of all things!
But he's been a solid performer for decades.
His character in "The Man In The High Castle", Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi, really delivers; and mostly without speaking a word.
You get the weight of his demons and the pressing needs of his honor to do right this time.
Kudos!
He was in Mortal Kombat of all things!
But he's been a solid performer for decades.
His character in "The Man In The High Castle", Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi, really delivers; and mostly without speaking a word.
You get the weight of his demons and the pressing needs of his honor to do right this time.
Kudos!
CGI Leia Is Coming Here
Because Carrie Fisher has joined Kenny Baker, Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness.
Update:
In the future her part will be played by the CGI Anamotronic from Rogue One.
Update:
In the future her part will be played by the CGI Anamotronic from Rogue One.
Prices On Those Mags
Prices are whatever sale price you can get today.
Amend2 30-round: Brownells $9.95 for black or tan.
ASC USGI Aluminum: 44Mag $10.38.
Amend2 30-round: Brownells $9.95 for black or tan.
ASC USGI Aluminum: 44Mag $10.38.
Brownells USGI Aluminum: Brownells $10.49.
C-Products Defense SS: AIM Surplus $9.95.
CAA MAG, CDMAG, MAG17: CAA Gear Up €20.00 ($20.91).
Daniel Defense DD Magazine 32-round: Brownells $19.00.
D&H Tactical Aluminum: Brownells $12.99.
Elite Tactical Systems Group 30-round: Primary Arms $16.99 with coupler, $14.99 without.
FAB Defense E-Lander: Brownells $17.99
FAB Defense Ultimag: Zahal $23.00.
FN SCAR-16 magazine: Brownells $29.00.
Hera Arms H3: Rainier Arms $12.99 for H3T. CDNN has a Colt branded H3 for $9.99 on sale.
Hexmag: Brownells $11.99.
H&K High Reliability
H&K 5.56mm Polymer: AIM Surplus $18.19.
Lancer AWM: Brownells $15.59 for opaque and smoke, $16.99 for clear.
Magpul D-60 Drum: Brownells $123.45.
Magpul PMAG M2 MOE: Brownells $12.30.
Magpul PMAG Gen M3: Brownells $17.05.
Mission First Tactical MFT Standard Cap.: AIM Surplus $9.95.
MWG IK-510, IK-520: MWG Co. IK-510 $16.75, IK-520 $18.95.
Okay USGI Aluminum (33710): 44Mag $12.50.
ProMag PM-30 Roller-Mag: Midway $12.99.
SureFire MAG5-60 60-round: Brownells $116.10.
SureFire MAG5-100 100-round: Brownells $161.10.
Tango Down ARC 20 and 30-round: Brownells $21.99.
Tapco 30-round: Midway $11.99.
Troy Battlemag: Midway $13.99
X-Products X-15 Drum: Brownells $215 for solid, $309.99 for skeletonized.
C-Products Defense SS: AIM Surplus $9.95.
CAA MAG, CDMAG, MAG17: CAA Gear Up €20.00 ($20.91).
Daniel Defense DD Magazine 32-round: Brownells $19.00.
D&H Tactical Aluminum: Brownells $12.99.
Elite Tactical Systems Group 30-round: Primary Arms $16.99 with coupler, $14.99 without.
FAB Defense E-Lander: Brownells $17.99
FAB Defense Ultimag: Zahal $23.00.
FN SCAR-16 magazine: Brownells $29.00.
Hera Arms H3: Rainier Arms $12.99 for H3T. CDNN has a Colt branded H3 for $9.99 on sale.
Hexmag: Brownells $11.99.
H&K High Reliability
H&K 5.56mm Polymer: AIM Surplus $18.19.
Lancer AWM: Brownells $15.59 for opaque and smoke, $16.99 for clear.
Magpul D-60 Drum: Brownells $123.45.
Magpul PMAG M2 MOE: Brownells $12.30.
Magpul PMAG Gen M3: Brownells $17.05.
Mission First Tactical MFT Standard Cap.: AIM Surplus $9.95.
MWG IK-510, IK-520: MWG Co. IK-510 $16.75, IK-520 $18.95.
Okay USGI Aluminum (33710): 44Mag $12.50.
ProMag PM-30 Roller-Mag: Midway $12.99.
SureFire MAG5-60 60-round: Brownells $116.10.
SureFire MAG5-100 100-round: Brownells $161.10.
Tango Down ARC 20 and 30-round: Brownells $21.99.
Tapco 30-round: Midway $11.99.
Troy Battlemag: Midway $13.99
X-Products X-15 Drum: Brownells $215 for solid, $309.99 for skeletonized.
I Did Not Know That
I was unaware that you could spend 11 minutes saying, "I trust metal more than I trust plastic."
Why do they trust aluminum over polymer in their tediously long YouTube video?
Teh feelz, I guess.
Oh and the metal magazines are cheaper. Which since the vid keeps circling back to that point, I think the real reason he trusts metal is that it's cheaper.
I just love these "scientists" talking about materials engineering.
Tell you what, if metal is blanket better than plastic, why are the handguards, grip and stock on that AR in the background all made from dead dinosaur squeezings?
Now that Orlite is in its grave and Thermold's original melti-mag is dead and gone; nearly every plastic mag you're going to find has feed lips as strong as aluminum made from a polymer where the deformation strength is higher than the yield strength. What that means is it will break before it bends enough to change shape permanently.
You cannot say that about aluminum. Worse, you can't tell if it's bent past functionality just by looking.
There are polymer magazines which use metal inserts to strengthen their feed lips, true. This is not an affirmation that metal is stronger than steel than it's an admission that the maker is using a softer plastic.
I say this as someone who owns, and mostly trusts, USGI aluminum magazines too.
I also say this as someone who has had failures in every type of aluminum USGI magazine too.
The vaunted 20-rounders still have springs in them, and springs are a wear item. Magazines are wear items! I only fixed the 20-rounders because vintage and retro.
The black-follower USGI 30-rounders I have only started failing when the springs got a bit tired. All of them were cured by the application of Magpul's anti-tilt followers.
I've had green-follower magazines crack near the spine at the feed lips.
What does this mean? It means I'm shooting! Magazines are wear items! Just about any of them work when they're new.
The question is: Does a $15 PMAG M3 last 25% longer than a $12 USGI. If yes, then they're roughly equal in value. But if a PMAG lasts twice as long, it's a much better value.
Why do they trust aluminum over polymer in their tediously long YouTube video?
Teh feelz, I guess.
Oh and the metal magazines are cheaper. Which since the vid keeps circling back to that point, I think the real reason he trusts metal is that it's cheaper.
I just love these "scientists" talking about materials engineering.
Tell you what, if metal is blanket better than plastic, why are the handguards, grip and stock on that AR in the background all made from dead dinosaur squeezings?
Now that Orlite is in its grave and Thermold's original melti-mag is dead and gone; nearly every plastic mag you're going to find has feed lips as strong as aluminum made from a polymer where the deformation strength is higher than the yield strength. What that means is it will break before it bends enough to change shape permanently.
You cannot say that about aluminum. Worse, you can't tell if it's bent past functionality just by looking.
There are polymer magazines which use metal inserts to strengthen their feed lips, true. This is not an affirmation that metal is stronger than steel than it's an admission that the maker is using a softer plastic.
I say this as someone who owns, and mostly trusts, USGI aluminum magazines too.
I also say this as someone who has had failures in every type of aluminum USGI magazine too.
The vaunted 20-rounders still have springs in them, and springs are a wear item. Magazines are wear items! I only fixed the 20-rounders because vintage and retro.
The black-follower USGI 30-rounders I have only started failing when the springs got a bit tired. All of them were cured by the application of Magpul's anti-tilt followers.
I've had green-follower magazines crack near the spine at the feed lips.
What does this mean? It means I'm shooting! Magazines are wear items! Just about any of them work when they're new.
The question is: Does a $15 PMAG M3 last 25% longer than a $12 USGI. If yes, then they're roughly equal in value. But if a PMAG lasts twice as long, it's a much better value.
All Plastic Magazines All The Time
I think it's safe to say that the PMAG has proven that it works.
And that it works as well as any mag made for the AR (even if they don't work in Godless European guns).
The current Gen M2 or MOE addressed the few shortcomings of the original PMAG.
The Gen M3 even addresses the Euro gun problem.
This is kind of huge for me.
I dragged my feet ever so long before embracing them. This was unusual for me, since I do tend to like the new and whiz-bang.
I watched for, wow, literally decades as maker after maker tried to make a better 30-rounder only to fail to live up to the reliability of the original Colt 20-rounder.
Now there's four generations of USGI aluminum bodied magazines...
Chris Bartocci made a helpful, if long and dry, video about this very topic.
It almost appears that you can't hardly find a shitty mag anymore. Well, they're still out there, but it's not most of the alternatives anymore.
And that it works as well as any mag made for the AR (even if they don't work in Godless European guns).
The current Gen M2 or MOE addressed the few shortcomings of the original PMAG.
The Gen M3 even addresses the Euro gun problem.
This is kind of huge for me.
I dragged my feet ever so long before embracing them. This was unusual for me, since I do tend to like the new and whiz-bang.
I watched for, wow, literally decades as maker after maker tried to make a better 30-rounder only to fail to live up to the reliability of the original Colt 20-rounder.
Now there's four generations of USGI aluminum bodied magazines...
Chris Bartocci made a helpful, if long and dry, video about this very topic.
It almost appears that you can't hardly find a shitty mag anymore. Well, they're still out there, but it's not most of the alternatives anymore.
4:58 Magpul D-60 Drum Good
6:53 X-Products X-15 Drum Good
7:50 SureFire MAG5-60 60-round Good,
but bad reputation and huge
9:02 SureFire MAG5-100 100-round Good,
too long, impractical
9:35 Daniel Defense DD Magazine
32-round Good, new, limited sample size
10:25 Tango Down ARC 20 and
30-round Good
11:30 Troy Battlemag Good, cost
effective
12:24 Amend2 30-round Good, new,
limited sample size
13:51 Tapco 30-round Failure to feed
14:19 ProMag PM-30 Roller-Mag So far so
good
15:09 Hera Arms H3 Good
16:37 H&K High
Reliability Legendary, durable, heavy, expensive
17:46 H&K 5.56mm Polymer Good
18:36 MWG IK-510, IK-520 Good
19:52 Elite Tactical Systems Group
30-round Good
21:16 Magpul PMAG M2 MOE Good, bad for
SCAR 16
23:19 Magpul PMAG Gen M3 Good
24:56 FN SCAR-16 magazine Good, heavy,
expensive
25:31 Mission First Tactical MFT
Standard Cap. New, early mag had problem
26:28 FAB Defense Ultimag Good, small
sample size
27:47 Lancer AWM Good
30:12 CAA MAG, CDMAG, MAG17 Not
durable, better luck with the counters
31:28 ASC USGI Aluminum Good
32:07 C-Products Defense SS Good,
durable, reliable
33:22 D&H Tactical Aluminum Good
34:20 Hexmag Good
35:56 Okay USGI Aluminum (33710) Good
37:14 Mako Defense E-Lander Good
38:13 USGI 30-rounders Depends on
generation.
Update 26SEP18: Changed video from censored YouTube video to the same video reuploaded to Full30.
Update 26SEP18: Changed video from censored YouTube video to the same video reuploaded to Full30.
26 December 2016
Oh Wait With Update
Some rap "musician" named Troy Ave, while out on bond, got ventilated slightly while innocently sitting in his Maserati.
I admit my first thought was "big shock, a rapper got shot."
Then I remembered, New York Fucking (Spit) City doesn't have any laws against attempted murder.
Nor do they have any restrictions on who may own, and what kind of firearms may be owned and in what manner they may be transported.
Likewise the State of New York has no more restriction on buying, owning and carrying than were given us by God.
If only they'd passed some common sense gun laws to prevent this tragedy!
Oh, wait...
Update:
My lack of shock appears to be justified. He was out on bond for being the likely shooter from a previous shooting. This was likely retaliation for that.
I admit my first thought was "big shock, a rapper got shot."
Then I remembered, New York Fucking (Spit) City doesn't have any laws against attempted murder.
Nor do they have any restrictions on who may own, and what kind of firearms may be owned and in what manner they may be transported.
Likewise the State of New York has no more restriction on buying, owning and carrying than were given us by God.
If only they'd passed some common sense gun laws to prevent this tragedy!
Oh, wait...
Update:
My lack of shock appears to be justified. He was out on bond for being the likely shooter from a previous shooting. This was likely retaliation for that.
25 December 2016
Paying Attention
Palmetto State Armory sent me an email for their Christmas Clearance Sale.
One of the deals is for PMAGs.
Using the discount code you can get Gen M2's for $7.99 each. Hella deal!
But if you pay attention to the bottom of the page...
They've got a package deal of 10x D&H aluminum mags and 10x PMAG Gen M2 mags for $129.
$6.45 each!
So if you were planning on ordering 10 PMAGs anyways and have a friend who won't use no fru-fru fancy plastic mags... you could split the order and everyone saves! Except that the D&H mags are normal priced at $5.99. So the split is really $59.90/$69.10 making the PMAG's $6.91 each.
Still a deal! Still a better price than the coupon! If you have a friend who feels like they need some aluminum mags to split the order with...
One of the deals is for PMAGs.
Using the discount code you can get Gen M2's for $7.99 each. Hella deal!
But if you pay attention to the bottom of the page...
They've got a package deal of 10x D&H aluminum mags and 10x PMAG Gen M2 mags for $129.
$6.45 each!
So if you were planning on ordering 10 PMAGs anyways and have a friend who won't use no fru-fru fancy plastic mags... you could split the order and everyone saves! Except that the D&H mags are normal priced at $5.99. So the split is really $59.90/$69.10 making the PMAG's $6.91 each.
Still a deal! Still a better price than the coupon! If you have a friend who feels like they need some aluminum mags to split the order with...
A Complete Listing
What follows is a complete listing of things which do not offend feminists.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your time.
24 December 2016
The Joy Of Cats
Did you know that a Logitech M570 trackball mouse can hold nearly a pound of cat fur?
Dear "Reader" johnson You're Welcome For My Interesting And Informative Blog
I have some relevant information for YOU!
Repeating the same spam to the same two-year-old post on .25's isn't going to get your spam about children's tactical vest posted.
It just gets marked as spam and erased.
But if getting that information out there is really important to you...
Stab that paypal button and drop me $1,000 and I will put your link in every post for a week!
Or you could start your own blog... you're already halfway there just having a Blogger Profile.
Repeating the same spam to the same two-year-old post on .25's isn't going to get your spam about children's tactical vest posted.
It just gets marked as spam and erased.
But if getting that information out there is really important to you...
Stab that paypal button and drop me $1,000 and I will put your link in every post for a week!
Or you could start your own blog... you're already halfway there just having a Blogger Profile.
But The Science Was Settled
Apparently when they told the politicians and the media, they forgot to mind-wipe the scientists.
Little Ice Age 19 Begins.
I've been saying, for a long time, that it's the sun driving temperatures and I'm just an engineer.
Little Ice Age 19 Begins.
I've been saying, for a long time, that it's the sun driving temperatures and I'm just an engineer.
23 December 2016
Magazines
L -> R USGI 30-rounder (1005-00-921-5004) with orange Magpul follower; Magpul PMAG 30 Gen M2 (1005-01-576-5159); Magpul PMAG 30 Gen M3 (1005-01-615-5169).
It amuses me they all have NSN's but at present none are approved for issue. My (formerly) green follower USGI has been replaced by the tan follower 1005-10-561-7200 which itself will be replaced by the tan bodied, blue follower 1005-01-630-9508.
They all hold 30 rounds of 5.56x45mm.
They are within an ounce of each other in weight.
With 30 rounds of M855 the USGI is 1 lb. 0.7 oz., Gen M2 is 1 lb. 1.8 oz., and Gen M3 is 1 lb. 1.7 oz.
I also need to plug the Magula Ltd. StripLULA 10-round loader and unloader. It really made moving ammo from one magazine to the other for weighing simple and easy. Also, it's nice that it can load magazines with loose ammo.
Small Details
While I'm chiding Man In The High Castle on obsolete weapons...
I have to give them credit for this one:
Note the date.
I have to give them credit for this one:
Note the date.
I Remember
Can you name the only major tactical aircraft platforms to come in on time and under budget?
Quick!
Hint, both are major revisions to an existing design.
Dunno?
A-7 Corsair II and F/A-18E/F.
That is the complete list of fighter/attack aircraft programs that didn't hit a major snarl during development that caused the costs to bloat.
Even the F-4C, which started out as "just sell the Air Force the same plane as the Navy" ran over because the Air Force demanded so many changes.
I love reading critics of the F-35A program saying we should just buy more F-16's! You mean the "lawn dart"? I've been an avid aviation nut for decades, stretching back into my childhood and I can remember what a dog the F-16A was in the press and how expensive the thing was compared to the F-4's and A-7D it was supposed to replace. And they crashed one during initial testing. And the fly-by-wire (while a great idea in theory) would never be dependable enough to take into combat...
All the F-16A program really had going for it was the bad taste the current inventory had generated during Vietnam.
News articles about the F-16A sure sound a lot like news articles for F-35. It's nothing new. Articles for the F-104 sound like articles for the F-35.
It's all the same ol'. Untried new technology. New technologies too expensive compared to existing inventory. Risk of allowing partner nations to make their own. Range not long enough. Can't carry enough weapons. Pick something. Except for stealth, they're all there.
The vaunted F-15 has the same trail of tears for its development.
The F-14 crashed on its second flight! Never mind the pain of getting the AIM-54 to work.
I also love how people who're totally skeptical about the press when it's reporting about gun control just placidly accepts the accuracy of the reporting on fighter development.
We also have the President Elect chiming in.
Yes, the costs of the F-35 program are staggering. It's a huge change in the paradigm of what a fighter/attack plane should be. It's embodying new philosophies in technology, those are never cheap. It's trying to maximize commonality across three very different requirements.
Much of the airframe is defined and restricted by the USMC STOVL requirement and much is made about how that makes the program more expensive.
Fine. How much cheaper would an F-24A for the Air Force, F/A-25A for the Navy and FV-26A (AV-14A?) for the Marines be?
How much cheaper would the entire F-35 program be if it had been held to its original 1992 JSF specification? Would it have taken 8 years of funding to get a tech demonstrator of the AIRFRAME if the specification had been locked? Would it then have taken another 6 to 15 years to develop the things that didn't exist but on paper? Did we actually save money by skipping the YF-35?
Did we err in choosing Lockeed-Martin again, with their track record of successfully bloating projects for years and years?
Will President Trump pull an F-22 on the program and cut new acquisitions with not enough planes made and no real replacement available? Will he pull an A-12 on the program and hold Lockmart's feet too closely to the fire and cause them to be unable to make any planes and stay in business.
Hopefully he'll be able to hard nose them into clipping the fat from the program and we'll get what they've promised. They were very close to hitting the price goals before he started in.
I'd like to suggest something for the F-35 program. An F-35D. It's simply an F-35C with the gun from the F-35A in it and telling the Navy and the Air Force "this is your plane". Add the gun because the AF demands it, make the rest of it Navy because there's nothing about carrier capability that keeps it from operating from a runway. I'd have made the AF use unmodified F-4B's too.
Quick!
Hint, both are major revisions to an existing design.
Dunno?
A-7 Corsair II and F/A-18E/F.
That is the complete list of fighter/attack aircraft programs that didn't hit a major snarl during development that caused the costs to bloat.
Even the F-4C, which started out as "just sell the Air Force the same plane as the Navy" ran over because the Air Force demanded so many changes.
I love reading critics of the F-35A program saying we should just buy more F-16's! You mean the "lawn dart"? I've been an avid aviation nut for decades, stretching back into my childhood and I can remember what a dog the F-16A was in the press and how expensive the thing was compared to the F-4's and A-7D it was supposed to replace. And they crashed one during initial testing. And the fly-by-wire (while a great idea in theory) would never be dependable enough to take into combat...
All the F-16A program really had going for it was the bad taste the current inventory had generated during Vietnam.
News articles about the F-16A sure sound a lot like news articles for F-35. It's nothing new. Articles for the F-104 sound like articles for the F-35.
It's all the same ol'. Untried new technology. New technologies too expensive compared to existing inventory. Risk of allowing partner nations to make their own. Range not long enough. Can't carry enough weapons. Pick something. Except for stealth, they're all there.
The vaunted F-15 has the same trail of tears for its development.
The F-14 crashed on its second flight! Never mind the pain of getting the AIM-54 to work.
I also love how people who're totally skeptical about the press when it's reporting about gun control just placidly accepts the accuracy of the reporting on fighter development.
We also have the President Elect chiming in.
Yes, the costs of the F-35 program are staggering. It's a huge change in the paradigm of what a fighter/attack plane should be. It's embodying new philosophies in technology, those are never cheap. It's trying to maximize commonality across three very different requirements.
Much of the airframe is defined and restricted by the USMC STOVL requirement and much is made about how that makes the program more expensive.
Fine. How much cheaper would an F-24A for the Air Force, F/A-25A for the Navy and FV-26A (AV-14A?) for the Marines be?
How much cheaper would the entire F-35 program be if it had been held to its original 1992 JSF specification? Would it have taken 8 years of funding to get a tech demonstrator of the AIRFRAME if the specification had been locked? Would it then have taken another 6 to 15 years to develop the things that didn't exist but on paper? Did we actually save money by skipping the YF-35?
Did we err in choosing Lockeed-Martin again, with their track record of successfully bloating projects for years and years?
Will President Trump pull an F-22 on the program and cut new acquisitions with not enough planes made and no real replacement available? Will he pull an A-12 on the program and hold Lockmart's feet too closely to the fire and cause them to be unable to make any planes and stay in business.
Hopefully he'll be able to hard nose them into clipping the fat from the program and we'll get what they've promised. They were very close to hitting the price goals before he started in.
I'd like to suggest something for the F-35 program. An F-35D. It's simply an F-35C with the gun from the F-35A in it and telling the Navy and the Air Force "this is your plane". Add the gun because the AF demands it, make the rest of it Navy because there's nothing about carrier capability that keeps it from operating from a runway. I'd have made the AF use unmodified F-4B's too.
22 December 2016
Splash Of Color
Swapped the lowers between Alice and Olga, just so FuzzyGeff could see how Olga looks with some foliage green on her. Pretty fetching, no?
I've an abundance of foliage green parts here for color testing... with more coming.
In the mail is a Damage Industries M4 w/QD so that I would have a complete set for a carbine gas system gun to go with the MOE handguard and Damage A2 pistol grip that remained unused from Alice's build.
I've an abundance of foliage green parts here for color testing... with more coming.
In the mail is a Damage Industries M4 w/QD so that I would have a complete set for a carbine gas system gun to go with the MOE handguard and Damage A2 pistol grip that remained unused from Alice's build.
Thanks Obama!
Sonja is a friend of the McThag family.
She's a recent victim of a near burst aneurysm.
Most of her story is at her Go-Fund-Me page.
She's also the victim of the Affordable Care Act.
She went from having decent insurance doing home health care for a single company to being entirely responsible for her own coverage as she was dumped into working for two companies while they restructured to avoid Obamacare penalties for being too large and having too many full time employees.
Please spread the word!
Many hands make light work is my thinking here.
She's a recent victim of a near burst aneurysm.
Most of her story is at her Go-Fund-Me page.
She's also the victim of the Affordable Care Act.
She went from having decent insurance doing home health care for a single company to being entirely responsible for her own coverage as she was dumped into working for two companies while they restructured to avoid Obamacare penalties for being too large and having too many full time employees.
Please spread the word!
Many hands make light work is my thinking here.
21 December 2016
Observed?
Looking at the 2017 USPS holidays.
They get Friday, November 10 off as Veterans' Day (Observed).
But then they have to work as normal on the 11th? The actual day?
What kind of happy horseshit is that? Give then the actual day off!
They get Friday, November 10 off as Veterans' Day (Observed).
But then they have to work as normal on the 11th? The actual day?
What kind of happy horseshit is that? Give then the actual day off!
Musical Overlap
Are Katrina and the Waves descended from SKA?
Blondie sure was, but they're much earlier.
Blondie sure was, but they're much earlier.
Pharewell Old Phriend
The US is out of the F-4 business.
Egypt, Greece, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Turkey are hanging in there!
Egypt, Greece, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Turkey are hanging in there!
Real Vs Fake
When a vendor is actually sending you a package, but the post office hasn't picked it up yet you get:
"Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item."
"A shipping label has been prepared for your item at [TIME] on [DATE] in [PLACE OF ORIGIN]. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date."
That means they've paid the postage and are waiting for the post office to come get it.
But what does this mean?
"Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS, USPS Awaiting Item."
"The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on [DATE] to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if/when available."
That means they've told the post office to be ready to pick up a package and to bill them for the postage upon receipt.
That second message doesn't necessarily mean fraud, but it is how unscrupulous vendors get around a place like Amazon's rules for prompt shipping. They can pass the blame onto a fourth party, the post office.
I am not entirely sure of the scam being pulled, but Global Defense Gear generated a tracking number for FuzzyGeff on Nov 26 for that handguard I mentioned earlier. It still reads the USPS is awaiting the item. On Dec 10 he gave up on them and attempted to purchase the same item from Platinum Deals USA. They gave him a tracking number and since Dec 11 it's read the same.
Global Defense Gear no longer has a store front on Amazon, but have a 96% positive rating for the past 30 days. Almost all of the negative reviews are "I did not get my order."
Platinum Deals USA is 98% positive for the last 30 days. Same pattern of the negative reviews saying, "where the hell is my product?"
I suspect they are the same vendor. They're using the same photos for their products. The first 16 digits of the 22 digit tracking numbers are identical. I noticed on packages I've mailed that the first part of the tracking number is the same for all the packages I've mailed from my local USPS office.
Amazon has refunded FuzzyGeff for both purchases.
A Sincere Thank You To Bubba
I got to wondering what the 1916 made Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III* hanging on my wall was worth.
So I hit GunBroker.
$500 is the going price for a bubba'd SMLE III*!
Hot damn! A numbers matching original must be worth more!
If there were any listed, I'd confirm that.
Confusing the matter on GunBroker are all of the Rifle No. 4's of various marks being labeled as SMLE.
The No. 4 and No. 5 aren't SMLE's.
Once they're redesignated, even an actual SMLE isn't anymore; it becomes a Rifle No. 1. But at least a No. 1 Mk III* used to be an SMLE. A No. 4 Mk I never was.
So I hit GunBroker.
$500 is the going price for a bubba'd SMLE III*!
Hot damn! A numbers matching original must be worth more!
If there were any listed, I'd confirm that.
Confusing the matter on GunBroker are all of the Rifle No. 4's of various marks being labeled as SMLE.
The No. 4 and No. 5 aren't SMLE's.
Once they're redesignated, even an actual SMLE isn't anymore; it becomes a Rifle No. 1. But at least a No. 1 Mk III* used to be an SMLE. A No. 4 Mk I never was.
Unseasonable Warm In Florida
Inconceivably cold in the Algerian Sahara.
Snow in the Sahara desert for the first time in 37 years.
It seems so very odd to have such an event during the "hottest winter ever recorded."
It's data points like this that make one doubt that there's any data being collected by the climate disaster advocates.
Especially since their predictions about climate change and warmering consistently state that deserts get drier and hotter.
 |
| Photo by Karim Bouchetata taken from Facebook. |
It seems so very odd to have such an event during the "hottest winter ever recorded."
It's data points like this that make one doubt that there's any data being collected by the climate disaster advocates.
Especially since their predictions about climate change and warmering consistently state that deserts get drier and hotter.
Happy Winter Solstice!
Well, I'm late.
The solstice was at 0544 local.
Today there will be a mere 10 hours 21 minutes of daylight here on the 28th parallel.
Local noon is 1229.
The solstice was at 0544 local.
Today there will be a mere 10 hours 21 minutes of daylight here on the 28th parallel.
Local noon is 1229.
20 December 2016
The Box She Is Empty
Ever have a massive surplus of a part, using them freely?
Then one day discover that you'd used or given the last one away?
Yeah.
I need a QD swivel.
Maybe two.
Then one day discover that you'd used or given the last one away?
Yeah.
I need a QD swivel.
Maybe two.
Man In The High Castle
It's 1962 and the National Socialists WON, why are they still using K.98k and MP.40's instead of the gun that replaces the StG.44?
19 December 2016
Well, Pay Them
FIFA fines English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish soccer teams for wearing poppies near Armistice Day.
Well, pay the fines.
It's worth it.
Don't even protest them. Just pay the fine without comment and keep wearing the poppies.
Well, pay the fines.
It's worth it.
Don't even protest them. Just pay the fine without comment and keep wearing the poppies.
18 December 2016
I Give Up
I can't figure this one out.
Yesterday we thought to look for a couple spare magazines for our M&P 9's.
Shooter's World had 10 rounders and 15 rounders, but no 17 rounders. Genuine S&W branded magazines too.
That got us to wondering why 15 rounds?
A quick check at Midway and Smith & Wesson shows that the 17 round is the standard magazine and still in production.
I know why they make a 10 round magazine, but not why they make a 15 round.
Yesterday we thought to look for a couple spare magazines for our M&P 9's.
Shooter's World had 10 rounders and 15 rounders, but no 17 rounders. Genuine S&W branded magazines too.
That got us to wondering why 15 rounds?
A quick check at Midway and Smith & Wesson shows that the 17 round is the standard magazine and still in production.
I know why they make a 10 round magazine, but not why they make a 15 round.
A Matter Of Weight
Changing from the everyday M4 type furniture to MagPul improves the appearance general feel of a carbine.
I've noted before, that MagPul carries a mass penalty.
A "gov't" profile mid-length carbine goes from 7.4 lb. loaded to 7.8 lb.
From:
To:
I've noted before, that MagPul carries a mass penalty.
A "gov't" profile mid-length carbine goes from 7.4 lb. loaded to 7.8 lb.
From:
To:
17 December 2016
Finding A Unicorn
Last year sometime MagPul discontinued foliage green.
This put a bit of a wrinkle in FuzzyGeff's plan of doing his carbine in that color.
I had a stock and pistol grip available for him, but did not have a mid-length handguard.
Foliage was never their most popular color and even less so in mid-length.
I'd searched high a low for a vendor with one in stock for him and thought I'd found a vendor on Amazon.
FuzzyGeff placed his order and they gave him a tracking number. He gave up after two weeks of it showing that the post office had been informed, but had not received the package yet.
That was Global Defense Gear.
He cancelled and tried a different seller; Platinum Deals USA.
Their tracking number is doing the same thing.
Also, the first 16 digits of the tracking numbers are the same. I think they are the same company. Their ads are identical on Amazon too. Avoid doing business with them if you can.
Happily, today I found a MagPul MAG418-FOL in the display case of a local gun shop!
For $35 instead of the $50 they wanted on Amazon and without any extraneous rails padding the bill!
This put a bit of a wrinkle in FuzzyGeff's plan of doing his carbine in that color.
I had a stock and pistol grip available for him, but did not have a mid-length handguard.
Foliage was never their most popular color and even less so in mid-length.
I'd searched high a low for a vendor with one in stock for him and thought I'd found a vendor on Amazon.
FuzzyGeff placed his order and they gave him a tracking number. He gave up after two weeks of it showing that the post office had been informed, but had not received the package yet.
That was Global Defense Gear.
He cancelled and tried a different seller; Platinum Deals USA.
Their tracking number is doing the same thing.
Also, the first 16 digits of the tracking numbers are the same. I think they are the same company. Their ads are identical on Amazon too. Avoid doing business with them if you can.
Happily, today I found a MagPul MAG418-FOL in the display case of a local gun shop!
For $35 instead of the $50 they wanted on Amazon and without any extraneous rails padding the bill!
113!
113 years ago a brother won a coin toss to become the first person to pilot a powered, heavier than air aircraft.
A Different Perspective
Fine, it's a coup orchestrated by Putin to put Trump on the throne.
Let's accept that as a given.
In a coup do you want to be seen as loyal supporter of the new regime or a dissident?
Because in a coup, the dissidents and hold-outs for the old regime tend to get dead or re-educated.
And in this case, since you're involving the Russians, re-education experts are standing by.
Let's accept that as a given.
In a coup do you want to be seen as loyal supporter of the new regime or a dissident?
Because in a coup, the dissidents and hold-outs for the old regime tend to get dead or re-educated.
And in this case, since you're involving the Russians, re-education experts are standing by.
Having It Both Ways
Dear Dancing Monkeys and Liberal Racists.
If you can cast a black guy to play Mordo, Wilson Fisk (TWICE) and Nick Fury then you can shut the fuck up when a white English woman is cast to play aTibetian Kamar-Tagian man.
I am astonished that you're so eager to have an Asian play The Ancient One because I'm old enough to remember all y'all bitching that the character itself was racist.
Just a clue, Zoe Saldana is not an Zen-Whoberis, should we protest her being cast in that role?
Bradley Cooper is not a raccoon, and has never been genetically modified or surgically implanted with cybernetics.
Vin Diesel, while he MIGHT be a space alien, is not a talking vegetable.
Do you see, Dancing Monkeys and Liberal Racists?
They're characters from a comic book. They are fictional universes, and by extension fictional characters.
The Ancient One is from a fictional village in the Himalayas and is over 500 years old.
Wanna know something else? Tilda Swinton isn't a quinquagintigenerian either.
Probably isn't even bald.
Fucking Dancing Monkeys don't even know their own.
Also of note: Who's not complaining about the casting changes... Comic Book Guys (and Gals).
If you can cast a black guy to play Mordo, Wilson Fisk (TWICE) and Nick Fury then you can shut the fuck up when a white English woman is cast to play a
I am astonished that you're so eager to have an Asian play The Ancient One because I'm old enough to remember all y'all bitching that the character itself was racist.
Just a clue, Zoe Saldana is not an Zen-Whoberis, should we protest her being cast in that role?
Bradley Cooper is not a raccoon, and has never been genetically modified or surgically implanted with cybernetics.
Vin Diesel, while he MIGHT be a space alien, is not a talking vegetable.
Do you see, Dancing Monkeys and Liberal Racists?
They're characters from a comic book. They are fictional universes, and by extension fictional characters.
The Ancient One is from a fictional village in the Himalayas and is over 500 years old.
Wanna know something else? Tilda Swinton isn't a quinquagintigenerian either.
Probably isn't even bald.
Fucking Dancing Monkeys don't even know their own.
Also of note: Who's not complaining about the casting changes... Comic Book Guys (and Gals).
16 December 2016
Asking The Right Question
Have you noticed that the debate about the Podesta emails centers on HOW they became public and not the content of them?
That nobody is contesting the corruption and fraud, but attempting to deflect it by condemning whomever got hold of them and released them into the wild?
Did you also notice that this deflection is working?
That nobody is contesting the corruption and fraud, but attempting to deflect it by condemning whomever got hold of them and released them into the wild?
Did you also notice that this deflection is working?
Operator Error
Being monkey curious, there was something I wanted to see on my Savage's bolt head last night.
I took out the bolt looked at how the extractor worked, satisfying my curiosity, then put the bolt back in.
While putting the bolt back in I decided to play with the safety which will trip from lock-bolt to just safe while reinserting the bolt. It did!
I put it back on fire to function check...
Whereupon the rifle would not dry fire.
The trigger was locked solid. Pushing the safety to the bolt-locked position didn't lock the bolt.
You cannot access the screws that let you get at the trigger unless you can push the bolt release, and you need a live trigger for that.
I was stumped! I'd somehow broken my rifle putting the bolt back in.
Then I noticed...
FOWARD is FIRE.
I was trying to dry fire with the safety in the bolt-locked position.
Operating the safety correctly shows that there's nothing wrong with the rifle at all.
DUR!
I took out the bolt looked at how the extractor worked, satisfying my curiosity, then put the bolt back in.
While putting the bolt back in I decided to play with the safety which will trip from lock-bolt to just safe while reinserting the bolt. It did!
I put it back on fire to function check...
Whereupon the rifle would not dry fire.
The trigger was locked solid. Pushing the safety to the bolt-locked position didn't lock the bolt.
You cannot access the screws that let you get at the trigger unless you can push the bolt release, and you need a live trigger for that.
I was stumped! I'd somehow broken my rifle putting the bolt back in.
Then I noticed...
FOWARD is FIRE.
I was trying to dry fire with the safety in the bolt-locked position.
Operating the safety correctly shows that there's nothing wrong with the rifle at all.
DUR!
15 December 2016
Good
Texas man acquitted for defending himself from a no-knock search.
The no-knock search is way too overused and maybe this will damper the enthusiasm for them.
The no-knock search is way too overused and maybe this will damper the enthusiasm for them.
Realization
When talking to Willard about an event during the battle of Entembane...
Willard is a player character.
It explains so much!
Willard is a player character.
It explains so much!
14 December 2016
Looking Good So Far
Took The Precious around the block.
Brake lights appear to work.
Cruise control is working.
No warning lights.
No Driver's Information Center messages.
That's as close to a complete success as I can call it without calibrating the sensor with a Tech2.
The calibration might not even be necessary if the resistance range of the new sensor's rheostat is the same as the failed one.
Brake lights appear to work.
Cruise control is working.
No warning lights.
No Driver's Information Center messages.
That's as close to a complete success as I can call it without calibrating the sensor with a Tech2.
The calibration might not even be necessary if the resistance range of the new sensor's rheostat is the same as the failed one.
R And R
Removed and Replaced.
One brake pedal position sensor, p/n 10302722 for p/n 13597429.
I even remembered the Loctite®.
Brake lights appear to work normally, but I have not test driven the car.
One brake pedal position sensor, p/n 10302722 for p/n 13597429.
I even remembered the Loctite®.
Brake lights appear to work normally, but I have not test driven the car.
It Might Already Be Happening
The meme that the Russians hacked things so that Trump would be elected will fade just as soon as the hard questions start hitting about how the Obama Administration could have changed things so much in just 8 years to allow it to occur.
And why do we pin it on Obama? Because there was nothing wrong or untoward about HIS election...
And why do we pin it on Obama? Because there was nothing wrong or untoward about HIS election...
Fun Fact
If you put a bowl of tortilla chips next to a bowl of wasabi, people will assume it's guacamole.
13 December 2016
Supplanted
Looking up the part number for the bad brake pedal position sensor.
GM 10302722 is my part. AC/Delco's part number for the same piece is 89047699.
If you figure out how to trick the parts guy's pages to show you the part...
GM 13597429 is the current part number. On the sidebar it says that this number supersedes 89047699 and 13589103.
I makes me wonder what changed, three times.
GM 10302722 is my part. AC/Delco's part number for the same piece is 89047699.
If you figure out how to trick the parts guy's pages to show you the part...
GM 13597429 is the current part number. On the sidebar it says that this number supersedes 89047699 and 13589103.
I makes me wonder what changed, three times.
Grapple With The Precious
The brake pedal position sensor gave up the ghost. Brake lights in always on mode and that disables traction control and cruise.
The part itself is quite cheap. Less than $20 for the Duralast brand piece from Autozone.
Well, that's where it was. The wiring harness is sitting between the steering shaft on the right and the arm of the brake pedal on the left. The stud on the arm moves forward and rotates the sensor by riding inside a tuning fork looking thing.
Just to the right of the stud on the arm, you can see the flange the thing was mounted on. The screw goes through the flange and into a bronze insert on the sensor. The placement of the arm and steering shaft mean you can't get much in the way of tools up in there. The location under the dash means it's quite contorting to get two hands up to the screw.
The copious amounts of loctite mean you have to have leverage and it will take a tool to turn it all 22 complete revolutions to free the screw. 1/8 of a turn at a time.
As you can see, the screw is at least twice as long as it needs to be.
The tuning fork thing is spring loaded, so it wants to sproing down while you reset the wrench and then uses all your tool clearance taking up the slack.
Joy.
It took me 50 minutes to remove this part.
The best part of this is replacing the failed component is not the complete repair. Once the new part is installed, it has to be calibrated. That requires a Tech2 scanner or equivalent.
Something I don't have. My buddy JT has one. He's out of town until Friday, minimum.
The car starts, but there's no brake lights and the "service active handling" light is indicated.
The part itself is quite cheap. Less than $20 for the Duralast brand piece from Autozone.
Well, that's where it was. The wiring harness is sitting between the steering shaft on the right and the arm of the brake pedal on the left. The stud on the arm moves forward and rotates the sensor by riding inside a tuning fork looking thing.
Just to the right of the stud on the arm, you can see the flange the thing was mounted on. The screw goes through the flange and into a bronze insert on the sensor. The placement of the arm and steering shaft mean you can't get much in the way of tools up in there. The location under the dash means it's quite contorting to get two hands up to the screw.
The copious amounts of loctite mean you have to have leverage and it will take a tool to turn it all 22 complete revolutions to free the screw. 1/8 of a turn at a time.
As you can see, the screw is at least twice as long as it needs to be.
Even more fun, once you have the screw about 1/4 the way out, the thing flops out of its home and you have to figure out a way to hold the tool on the screw, hold the sensor still and somehow still turn the tool!
The tuning fork thing is spring loaded, so it wants to sproing down while you reset the wrench and then uses all your tool clearance taking up the slack.
Joy.
It took me 50 minutes to remove this part.
The best part of this is replacing the failed component is not the complete repair. Once the new part is installed, it has to be calibrated. That requires a Tech2 scanner or equivalent.
Something I don't have. My buddy JT has one. He's out of town until Friday, minimum.
The car starts, but there's no brake lights and the "service active handling" light is indicated.
12 December 2016
Jessica Chastain Might Want To Tell People She's A Waitress
Gun Control Thriller 'Miss Sloane' Has One of the Worst Opening Weekends Ever
Take-away quote:
Take-away quote:
That means Miss Sloane earned less money per theater than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, and Gigli.
Yes, the Benifer train wreck of a dumpster fire GIGLI!
That's gotta hurt!
h/t Ace.
Advantage Italy
Today Willard and I did something that we'd never managed to do before.
Fired two whole magazines from an old European .32 ACP pistol.
The Beretta M1935 consumed all 16 shots we gave it with aplomb.
This puts it about 14 shots ahead of its nearest French competitor.
Next was a CZ Cz.52 pistol in 7.62 Tokarev.
It's huge, it's heavy, it's accurate! It also has an energetic ejection with cases hitting the lane dividers hard enough to take off the paint.
Finally we popped a few rounds through the Luger. It has now fired 150 shots without malfunction, cleaning or lubrication. We'd been lead to believe that it should have failed by now.
Fired two whole magazines from an old European .32 ACP pistol.
The Beretta M1935 consumed all 16 shots we gave it with aplomb.
This puts it about 14 shots ahead of its nearest French competitor.
Next was a CZ Cz.52 pistol in 7.62 Tokarev.
It's huge, it's heavy, it's accurate! It also has an energetic ejection with cases hitting the lane dividers hard enough to take off the paint.
Finally we popped a few rounds through the Luger. It has now fired 150 shots without malfunction, cleaning or lubrication. We'd been lead to believe that it should have failed by now.
NFA Repeal
The gigantic problem is we've got 82 years of Constitutional violation and lots people who think it's just spiffy. Then there's people who can't see the violation for the same reasons fish cannot perceive the water.
To most people the NFA simply is. To those people a complete and sudden removal of such restrictions is a frighteningly fast change.
Although the correct and constitutional answer is to strike the NFA, to actually get rid of it we have to resort to pragmatism and do the doable. Piecemeal dismantlement.
82 years seems like a long time, but most people are seeing the law for what it is. We're also seeing the same voices, over and over, from law enforcement about how our demands for more liberty make their jobs more difficult. Liberalizing conceal carry, campus carry, open carry, silencers, short barreled long arms... etc. I will say it plainly, Officer, we do not care if increasing our liberty makes your job more difficult. Frankly, a lot of us are sick of you making demands with regards to the laws, feeling that law enforcement should be apolitical and banned from lobbying and advocating.
But in what way does all this increasing of liberty make your job harder, Mr LEO?
If SBR's are no different than any other gun, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp.
If suppressors are no different than any other gun accessory, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp. This is the NFA item that causes the most opposition from cops. Cops seem to hate suppressors. It's one of the few gun things where the rank and file appear to actually agree with their professional representation (machine guns being the other).
If machine guns are no different than any other gun, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp.
If open carry is legal, you don't need to arrest everyone with a gun you see. Heck, at one time conceal carry was the socially unacceptable way to do it on the basis that, "someone who'd hide that they are armed is obviously up to something."
Making conceal carry legal on campus? How will you know? How does not knowing change your workload? Or are you actually going to complain that you have to investigate a shooting on campus? Don't you have to do that now, even with carry being banned?
Despite the cries from the media and police professional organizations and unions; never has making it easier for more people to own and carry a firearm resulted in the dire consequences predicted.
Not a single proposal for opening up the MG registry or removing SBR's or suppressors from the registry has proposed to make misuse of these items legal. Murder will still be illegal, assault with a deadly weapon will still be illegal, poaching will still be illegal.
To most people the NFA simply is. To those people a complete and sudden removal of such restrictions is a frighteningly fast change.
Although the correct and constitutional answer is to strike the NFA, to actually get rid of it we have to resort to pragmatism and do the doable. Piecemeal dismantlement.
82 years seems like a long time, but most people are seeing the law for what it is. We're also seeing the same voices, over and over, from law enforcement about how our demands for more liberty make their jobs more difficult. Liberalizing conceal carry, campus carry, open carry, silencers, short barreled long arms... etc. I will say it plainly, Officer, we do not care if increasing our liberty makes your job more difficult. Frankly, a lot of us are sick of you making demands with regards to the laws, feeling that law enforcement should be apolitical and banned from lobbying and advocating.
But in what way does all this increasing of liberty make your job harder, Mr LEO?
If SBR's are no different than any other gun, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp.
If suppressors are no different than any other gun accessory, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp. This is the NFA item that causes the most opposition from cops. Cops seem to hate suppressors. It's one of the few gun things where the rank and file appear to actually agree with their professional representation (machine guns being the other).
If machine guns are no different than any other gun, you don't need to check to see if I have a tax stamp.
If open carry is legal, you don't need to arrest everyone with a gun you see. Heck, at one time conceal carry was the socially unacceptable way to do it on the basis that, "someone who'd hide that they are armed is obviously up to something."
Making conceal carry legal on campus? How will you know? How does not knowing change your workload? Or are you actually going to complain that you have to investigate a shooting on campus? Don't you have to do that now, even with carry being banned?
Despite the cries from the media and police professional organizations and unions; never has making it easier for more people to own and carry a firearm resulted in the dire consequences predicted.
Not a single proposal for opening up the MG registry or removing SBR's or suppressors from the registry has proposed to make misuse of these items legal. Murder will still be illegal, assault with a deadly weapon will still be illegal, poaching will still be illegal.
Update Photo
If you remember Twilight 2000, you remember this book:
A while back I recreated the cover picture with this:
Now that Andrea has replaced Alice...
I skipped the dog tags for privacy purposes and I refuse to tape magazines together.
Update:
I cropped it a bit and it makes it look a lot closer.
A while back I recreated the cover picture with this:
Now that Andrea has replaced Alice...
I skipped the dog tags for privacy purposes and I refuse to tape magazines together.
Update:
I cropped it a bit and it makes it look a lot closer.
What A Sport!
After giving no cost of living increase to disabled veterans in 2015-16 they've decided on a "generous" 0.03% increase starting on January 1, 2017!
That takes a 10% rating from $133.17 a month to $133.57 a month!
Considering the official inflation rate was 1.6% they didn't even keep up with what they claim the cost of living had increased to.
That takes a 10% rating from $133.17 a month to $133.57 a month!
Considering the official inflation rate was 1.6% they didn't even keep up with what they claim the cost of living had increased to.
11 December 2016
USA! USA! USA!
Heroin now kills more people than gun violence!
I just can't get worked up about it.
The level of addiction that eventually leads to fatal overdoses is, itself, a form of temporary suicide for a LOT of addicts. Yet another grim factoid that made me bail on finishing that psych degree.
That there are lots more people overdosing, to me, says that there's a lot more people seeking a sure way to escape their predicament. That they manage to do it permanently is tragic to those who loved them.
Sadly, there's not much that can be done except find a reason for them to want to exist in the actual world and not seek to escape it. Just like suicide by swifter and surer means, that reason might not exist.
I just can't get worked up about it.
The level of addiction that eventually leads to fatal overdoses is, itself, a form of temporary suicide for a LOT of addicts. Yet another grim factoid that made me bail on finishing that psych degree.
That there are lots more people overdosing, to me, says that there's a lot more people seeking a sure way to escape their predicament. That they manage to do it permanently is tragic to those who loved them.
Sadly, there's not much that can be done except find a reason for them to want to exist in the actual world and not seek to escape it. Just like suicide by swifter and surer means, that reason might not exist.
The Criticism Of The F-35 Sure Seemed Familiar
I happened across this video:
History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes.
The Bug has been successful and not the unmitigated disaster implied by that 1980 report.
History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes.
The Bug has been successful and not the unmitigated disaster implied by that 1980 report.
Rising Sea Levels
Just up the road in St Augustine there's a nice indicator that sea levels haven't risen much at all in the past 300 years or so: Castillo de San Marcos.
Why do I say that sea levels have not risen?
Because it's repeated appearance in paintings and photographs spanning those 300 some odd years.
If the water was rising, then we'd see landmarks sitting lower in the water, wouldn't we?
Why do I say that sea levels have not risen?
Because it's repeated appearance in paintings and photographs spanning those 300 some odd years.
If the water was rising, then we'd see landmarks sitting lower in the water, wouldn't we?
My Taxes Pay For Your Car!
Actually, no.
The physical car, is paid for entirely by me.
I pay an annual tax called "registration" to be able to drive my car on public roads.
I pay a per gallon tax on fuel regardless of if I use my car on public roads.
I pay a tax to dispose of my used petroleum lubricants.
I pay a tax to dispose of my worn tires.
I know that the sum of these taxes is sufficient to pay for the roads because every year the fund created by these taxes is raided by the general fund to pay for things like schools and police pensions.
Your bus riding ass isn't paying these taxes because the city owned bus doesn't pay an annual registration fee nor is their fuel taxed.
The physical car, is paid for entirely by me.
I pay an annual tax called "registration" to be able to drive my car on public roads.
I pay a per gallon tax on fuel regardless of if I use my car on public roads.
I pay a tax to dispose of my used petroleum lubricants.
I pay a tax to dispose of my worn tires.
I know that the sum of these taxes is sufficient to pay for the roads because every year the fund created by these taxes is raided by the general fund to pay for things like schools and police pensions.
Your bus riding ass isn't paying these taxes because the city owned bus doesn't pay an annual registration fee nor is their fuel taxed.
I Give You Some Relevant Information
This prick doesn't even read the blog.
How can I tell?
Because he posted this comment:
I can tell I've hit the big-time. Spammers are leaving comments!
I shall have to place my order for a Gulfstream IV soon.
How can I tell?
Because he posted this comment:
Thank you for your interesting and informative blog. I have enjoyed reading it and appreciate the work you have put into it. Here is some relevant information for you to review .to a two and a half year old post about .25 ACP handguns.
No sharing his link or its keywords
I can tell I've hit the big-time. Spammers are leaving comments!
I shall have to place my order for a Gulfstream IV soon.
10 December 2016
Popular Vote
I hate to break it to the poor, suffering Hillary supporters who're upset that despite winning the popular vote they still lose the electoral assignments...
That straight democracy was rejected by the folks who drafted, debated, signed and ratified the Constitution. Rejected several times, in fact.
I'd also like to point out that the Electoral College already accounts for population. You get one elector per Representative in addition to one per Senator.
This is why populous states like California get so many electoral votes.
This is by design.
There's too many evils with our government that have fallen from modifying this design. Like direct election of senators and income taxes.
That straight democracy was rejected by the folks who drafted, debated, signed and ratified the Constitution. Rejected several times, in fact.
I'd also like to point out that the Electoral College already accounts for population. You get one elector per Representative in addition to one per Senator.
This is why populous states like California get so many electoral votes.
This is by design.
There's too many evils with our government that have fallen from modifying this design. Like direct election of senators and income taxes.
Gone
Doing the nostalgia thing with Google Maps.
I cannot find the campground we went to every summer near Kankakee, IL when we lived in Bolingbrook.
I can't even find the terrain.
It was right on the Kankakee river, it's possible it's just been washed away in the previous 40 years.
I cannot find the campground we went to every summer near Kankakee, IL when we lived in Bolingbrook.
I can't even find the terrain.
It was right on the Kankakee river, it's possible it's just been washed away in the previous 40 years.
For Purely Aesthetic Reasons
Swapped the A2 style flash-hider from Dottie to Valentine and the Accu-Tac 3-prong from Valentine to Dottie.
I think they better match their respective barrel profiles this way.
Obscure Reference
He plays the pronoun game so hard his name should be Albert Andreas Armadillo (no relation to the Sarsaparillas).
09 December 2016
Gluten Free
I discovered, reading the cans of beans and tomatoes that they are gluten free.
No shit, Sherlock.
There's no wheat or close relative thereof in beans or tomatoes.
Nor in the hamburger or the sausage. Although gluten may have been used in the production of the beef and pork.
Nor in the peppers or the onions.
I really think we only need to brag about the lack of gluten in products that you wouldn't readily suspect it to be there. Like fake meat.
But to label things that don't have and have never had gluten in them is virtue signaling to me.
No shit, Sherlock.
There's no wheat or close relative thereof in beans or tomatoes.
Nor in the hamburger or the sausage. Although gluten may have been used in the production of the beef and pork.
Nor in the peppers or the onions.
I really think we only need to brag about the lack of gluten in products that you wouldn't readily suspect it to be there. Like fake meat.
But to label things that don't have and have never had gluten in them is virtue signaling to me.
Comics
Webcomics live on getting clicks and hoping those clicks turn to purchases of physical goods like shirts, mugs, compilation books... etc.
Because they live on those clicks, the authors should avoid making political statements in their little blogs they have at the bottom of the page that have nothing to do with the comic.
It turns (some) readers off.
Having been turned off by a couple three comics, I noticed something.
I don't need to read them. My not reading a comic has no measurable detriment to my life.
My not reading a comic, however, does have a small, but measurable, effect on the comic. If I don't share that comic with friends, they might not discover it, denying it clicks and future business. If my friends are also offended by the political posturing, they too will stop clicking.
In short, a business needs customers, don't drive them away.
Because they live on those clicks, the authors should avoid making political statements in their little blogs they have at the bottom of the page that have nothing to do with the comic.
It turns (some) readers off.
Having been turned off by a couple three comics, I noticed something.
I don't need to read them. My not reading a comic has no measurable detriment to my life.
My not reading a comic, however, does have a small, but measurable, effect on the comic. If I don't share that comic with friends, they might not discover it, denying it clicks and future business. If my friends are also offended by the political posturing, they too will stop clicking.
In short, a business needs customers, don't drive them away.
The More Complicated You Make It The Easier It Is To Gum Up
The Precious was giving me the security light on the dash.
This is a singularly uninformative indicator.
To quote page 2-18 of the owner's manual:
Theft-Deterrent System
Your vehicle is equipped with a theft-deterrent alarm system.
With this system, the security light will flash when the door is open and locked with the with the power door lock switch.
If this light is on continuously while the engine is running, your car needs service."Car needs service" is GM Owner's Manual code for "take it to someone with a Tech2 Scanner.
The only other mention of the light is on page 3-47:
Security Light
For information regarding this light and the vehicle’s security system, see Theft-Deterrent System on page 2-18.Th th the th theah that's all folks!
Mine was coming on solid when I entered the car and when I shut off the car. If it was on while I was in the car, the doors wouldn't open. But a restart and shutdown would free the doors and shut off the light.
Turns out, this is a harbinger that the battery in the keyless-entry is going dim. Could Chevy be troubled to suggest checking the battery in the fob? Heck no, they couldn't even be bothered to describe the activity of the light I was observing.
08 December 2016
Damn You 2016
John Glenn has left earth for the last time.
Unlike all the other Mercury 7, I got to see Mr Glenn launch. In the shuttle (STS-95), I watched the launch from the parking lot at work, with everyone else.
We'll just ignore his career as a senator for form's sake.
Unlike all the other Mercury 7, I got to see Mr Glenn launch. In the shuttle (STS-95), I watched the launch from the parking lot at work, with everyone else.
We'll just ignore his career as a senator for form's sake.
Iron Sighted Muskets
Top to Bottom, clones of: Early M16, Mid M16A1, M16A2. The slings show a progression too, from Garand type cotton M1 to the "seatbelt" nylon M1 to the black nylon M1. It's amusing to an extent that they are ALL "Sling, M1" but though the materials change, the part number doesn't. They're a use until expended and replace with whatever supply sends.
These are the USGI issued M16's with iron sights. I tend not to count the M16A3 because it's a selector difference from the M16A2. The M16A4 is the flat-top and thus ended the iron-sight era in the US Marine
They are an interesting progression of vintage content as well. Charlotte, the M16 is nearly entirely vintage with the exception of the lower receiver and fire control group. Tabitha, the M16A1 has vintage furniture, upper receiver and flash-hider. Andrea, the M16A2 is entirely new construction.
100% Gun From An 80% Lower
Got my lower back from Freedom Finishing today!
Next time I do one of these I have to remember to have it sand-blasted. That'd make the finish more matte.
And with the rest of the parts to make it a real firearm instead of just a legal one.
Now I need to stencil A23 on the buttstock to complete the cloning of "my" rifle.
Next time I do one of these I have to remember to have it sand-blasted. That'd make the finish more matte.
And with the rest of the parts to make it a real firearm instead of just a legal one.
Now I need to stencil A23 on the buttstock to complete the cloning of "my" rifle.
Facts And Theory
Facts and Theory
Jerry
Your correspondent, Mr. Porter, asks what is the difference between a Fact and a Theory. This was not a question much asked in the 19th century, when the difference was clear, but the certitude with which many Theories have been repeated in the Late Modern Age give them many of the appearances of Facts, so the question does now need some clarification.
Basically, there is a three-layer cake in science: Facts, Laws describing regularities in the Facts, and Theories that provide a narrative explanation from which the Laws may be deduced and the Facts predicted. (Especially, New Facts.)
1. Facts.
Mr. Heinlein once said that Facts are “self-demonstrating; but this isn’t true. Fact comes fromfactum est, “that which has the property of having been accomplished,” “something done”; cognate with feat. This is clear in German: Tatsache, “deed-matter.” Down to Jane Austen’s time, the expressions “in fact” and “indeed” were used interchangeably.
In modern terms, a Fact is a product produced by a measurement process and in general two distinct processes will produce two distinct sets of results. For example, there are at least two ASTM-approved methods for measuring the coefficient of friction of packaging materials. One uses an inclined plane and translates the tangent of the angle at which the package begins to slide into its CoF; the other employs a dynanometer to pull the package and translates the Force at which the package begins to slide horizontally into the CoF. The same package, tested by each of the two methods, will in general return two different values. In other words, there is no such thing as the coefficient of friction. There is only the result of applying a specified method of measurement.
I recollect a situation, lo, these many years ago, when we discovered that the thickness of an aluminum can depended on the technician who measured it. Tech B consistently obtained thinner sidewall measurements, even when measuring the same can. The reason, as it turned out, was that she thought the micrometer was a C-clamp and screwed the barrel as tight as she could. But unlike steel, aluminum is compressible; so….
Dictionary definitions are often of little help in the practical problem of actually producing the measurement; and whether a measurement meets a requirement or not may depend on how that measurement has been defined operationally. In another case, a dimension on a beverage can lid was measured differently by ourselves and by our customer. Both gauges gave the same result on the gage block, but different results on the lids. The customer’s gauge was hand-held and the part dangled vertically from the pin. Our gauge was mounted vertically on a granite block and the part sat in a “nest” holding it at a certain angle. We were not actually measuring the same dimension, and the difference was enough to put one set of measurements out of specification and the other set in.
Even so simple a problem as determining the diameter of a pipe is fraught with questions. A pipe has infinitely many diameters, so in practice we can only take a sample of them. So how many diameters will we measure? At which locations on the pipe? Shall we use a pair of calipers or some other instrument? Will we report the mean of these diameters? The median? The extremal average? Far too many folks show a touching faith in the reliability of measurements. Hence the straight-faced reporting of political opinion polls and who has gained or lost ground since yesterday. What does the GNP mean when it includes not only the tons of steel poured but also the gallons of martinis poured? It’s not that combining these figures means nothing, John Lukacs once wrote, but that it might not mean what you think it does. Can we legitimately add values for manufacturing and for service? What about popular vote totals for States with different rules for eligibility? Or temperatures for Anchorage and New Orleans?
Now throw in questions of accuracy, precision, linearity, reproducibility, and stability of the measurement process.
2. Laws.
Regularities in the Facts are called Laws, preferably stated in the privileged language of mathematics — Euclidean geometry in the case of Newton, or differential equations in the case of Maxwell. For example: that a body moving under uniform acceleration will cover the same distance as a body moving at the mean velocity during the same time was demonstrated by Nicholas Oresme using Euclidean geometry in the 14th century. But the thing to remember is that Laws are descriptive, not causative. Objects do not fall because of the Law of Gravity; rather the Law of Gravity simply describes how they fall.
3. Theories.
A Theory finally is a story we tell ourselves so that the Facts and Laws “make sense.” From the story you can deduce the Laws and predict the Facts. More importantly, you can predict New Facts that were not used in developing the Theory in the first place. To the instrumentalists, that is all they need to do. They need not be True in any cosmic sense. In fact, any finite body of facts can support multiple theories that can account for them. There are today several theories that account for the facts of quantum mechanics: Copenhagen, standing wave, multiple worlds, transactional. (They are called “interpretations” for some reason.) This Duhem-Quine Theorem in Logic is what lies at the root of falsification mania. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one theory to explain a fact. Sometimes a new Fact can blow a well-established Theory clean out of the water. The Ptolemaic model explained the motions of the heavens tolerably well since the second century. (Motion around an epicycle around a deferent is mathematically equivalent to motion on an ellipse.) And the Aristotelian physics on which it was based had stood even longer. But when the phases of Venus were discovered by Lembo and others (all within the same month!) Ptolemy went down the tubes and his model was replaced with Tycho’s model. (Both Tycho and Copernicus explained the same data. They were mathematically equivalent, given only a shift in the center of the coordinate system.) It was only with the discovery of stellar aberration, Coriolis effects, and stellar parallax between the mid-1700s and mid-1800s that geomobility was proved in fact.
So we might say that Falling Bodies are the Facts while Gravity is a Theory meant to explain them. To Aristotle, this was a tendency inherent in the bodies themselves by which they moved toward the center of gravity. To Newton, it was a mysterious action-at-a-distance by which bodies reached out (somehow) and “attracted” other bodies (somehow). To Einstein, it was a property inherent in mass that “bent” the space-time manifold so that other bodies would move along geodesics toward the minimum gravitational potential. Each of these narratives (in of course greater detail) pushed our understanding of mechanical motion forward.
Similarly, the Evolution of species is a fact, and Natural Selection is one theory put forward to explain it. Sexual selection, neutral selection, natural genetic engineering, et al. are other theories.
This may be more explanation than the question wanted, and we are overlooking
4. Models.
Jerry
Your correspondent, Mr. Porter, asks what is the difference between a Fact and a Theory. This was not a question much asked in the 19th century, when the difference was clear, but the certitude with which many Theories have been repeated in the Late Modern Age give them many of the appearances of Facts, so the question does now need some clarification.
Basically, there is a three-layer cake in science: Facts, Laws describing regularities in the Facts, and Theories that provide a narrative explanation from which the Laws may be deduced and the Facts predicted. (Especially, New Facts.)
1. Facts.
Mr. Heinlein once said that Facts are “self-demonstrating; but this isn’t true. Fact comes fromfactum est, “that which has the property of having been accomplished,” “something done”; cognate with feat. This is clear in German: Tatsache, “deed-matter.” Down to Jane Austen’s time, the expressions “in fact” and “indeed” were used interchangeably.
In modern terms, a Fact is a product produced by a measurement process and in general two distinct processes will produce two distinct sets of results. For example, there are at least two ASTM-approved methods for measuring the coefficient of friction of packaging materials. One uses an inclined plane and translates the tangent of the angle at which the package begins to slide into its CoF; the other employs a dynanometer to pull the package and translates the Force at which the package begins to slide horizontally into the CoF. The same package, tested by each of the two methods, will in general return two different values. In other words, there is no such thing as the coefficient of friction. There is only the result of applying a specified method of measurement.
I recollect a situation, lo, these many years ago, when we discovered that the thickness of an aluminum can depended on the technician who measured it. Tech B consistently obtained thinner sidewall measurements, even when measuring the same can. The reason, as it turned out, was that she thought the micrometer was a C-clamp and screwed the barrel as tight as she could. But unlike steel, aluminum is compressible; so….
Dictionary definitions are often of little help in the practical problem of actually producing the measurement; and whether a measurement meets a requirement or not may depend on how that measurement has been defined operationally. In another case, a dimension on a beverage can lid was measured differently by ourselves and by our customer. Both gauges gave the same result on the gage block, but different results on the lids. The customer’s gauge was hand-held and the part dangled vertically from the pin. Our gauge was mounted vertically on a granite block and the part sat in a “nest” holding it at a certain angle. We were not actually measuring the same dimension, and the difference was enough to put one set of measurements out of specification and the other set in.
Even so simple a problem as determining the diameter of a pipe is fraught with questions. A pipe has infinitely many diameters, so in practice we can only take a sample of them. So how many diameters will we measure? At which locations on the pipe? Shall we use a pair of calipers or some other instrument? Will we report the mean of these diameters? The median? The extremal average? Far too many folks show a touching faith in the reliability of measurements. Hence the straight-faced reporting of political opinion polls and who has gained or lost ground since yesterday. What does the GNP mean when it includes not only the tons of steel poured but also the gallons of martinis poured? It’s not that combining these figures means nothing, John Lukacs once wrote, but that it might not mean what you think it does. Can we legitimately add values for manufacturing and for service? What about popular vote totals for States with different rules for eligibility? Or temperatures for Anchorage and New Orleans?
Now throw in questions of accuracy, precision, linearity, reproducibility, and stability of the measurement process.
2. Laws.
Regularities in the Facts are called Laws, preferably stated in the privileged language of mathematics — Euclidean geometry in the case of Newton, or differential equations in the case of Maxwell. For example: that a body moving under uniform acceleration will cover the same distance as a body moving at the mean velocity during the same time was demonstrated by Nicholas Oresme using Euclidean geometry in the 14th century. But the thing to remember is that Laws are descriptive, not causative. Objects do not fall because of the Law of Gravity; rather the Law of Gravity simply describes how they fall.
3. Theories.
A Theory finally is a story we tell ourselves so that the Facts and Laws “make sense.” From the story you can deduce the Laws and predict the Facts. More importantly, you can predict New Facts that were not used in developing the Theory in the first place. To the instrumentalists, that is all they need to do. They need not be True in any cosmic sense. In fact, any finite body of facts can support multiple theories that can account for them. There are today several theories that account for the facts of quantum mechanics: Copenhagen, standing wave, multiple worlds, transactional. (They are called “interpretations” for some reason.) This Duhem-Quine Theorem in Logic is what lies at the root of falsification mania. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one theory to explain a fact. Sometimes a new Fact can blow a well-established Theory clean out of the water. The Ptolemaic model explained the motions of the heavens tolerably well since the second century. (Motion around an epicycle around a deferent is mathematically equivalent to motion on an ellipse.) And the Aristotelian physics on which it was based had stood even longer. But when the phases of Venus were discovered by Lembo and others (all within the same month!) Ptolemy went down the tubes and his model was replaced with Tycho’s model. (Both Tycho and Copernicus explained the same data. They were mathematically equivalent, given only a shift in the center of the coordinate system.) It was only with the discovery of stellar aberration, Coriolis effects, and stellar parallax between the mid-1700s and mid-1800s that geomobility was proved in fact.
So we might say that Falling Bodies are the Facts while Gravity is a Theory meant to explain them. To Aristotle, this was a tendency inherent in the bodies themselves by which they moved toward the center of gravity. To Newton, it was a mysterious action-at-a-distance by which bodies reached out (somehow) and “attracted” other bodies (somehow). To Einstein, it was a property inherent in mass that “bent” the space-time manifold so that other bodies would move along geodesics toward the minimum gravitational potential. Each of these narratives (in of course greater detail) pushed our understanding of mechanical motion forward.
Similarly, the Evolution of species is a fact, and Natural Selection is one theory put forward to explain it. Sexual selection, neutral selection, natural genetic engineering, et al. are other theories.
This may be more explanation than the question wanted, and we are overlooking
4. Models.
In the third phases of Modern Science, ofttimes data itself is actually model output masquerading as data. For example, when some of the measured data is missing or if the instrument is broken or out of calibration, the missing data may be replaced by kriging or some other model output and then treated as if it were data. Or Something Else might be measured, such as tree rings, and translated to temperature by means of a statistical correlation model. A Model is sort of a hybrid of Facts, Laws, and Theories, partaking in many cases of the worst flaws of each.
--Mike Flynn
Quoted in its entirety and stolen from Jerry Pournelle's Blog Daybook
07 December 2016
Fake News
If I were today's media I would say, "today is the 75th anniversary of the United States cowardly appropriation and theft of chemical and kinetic energy from the heroic Empire of Japan."
Apparently I Am Rich
Notice, no reserve. I thought the $299 starting price was a bit high, but not insanely so.
This is your basic, everyday M16A1 upper receiver. There's not a thing special or particularly rare about it.
06 December 2016
Firearms Click-Bait Quiz
Take it here!
While I scored 50 out of 50, it has some issues... Here are some screen shots!
There's no Glock 19 in this picture and you can READ that it says 17 on the slide!
Sure looks like a model 1900 with the sight safety to me.
While I scored 50 out of 50, it has some issues... Here are some screen shots!
There's no Glock 19 in this picture and you can READ that it says 17 on the slide!
Sure looks like a model 1900 with the sight safety to me.
05 December 2016
Dissonance
Dick's Sporting Goods is on my list.
This is because they took deposits (and maybe payments in advance) for an exclusive AR from Troy Defense then cancelled the orders right after Sandy Hook.
Troy is on my list.
This is because they make bad hiring decisions in their Troy Asymmetric division, such as Jody Weis and Dale Monroe. Weis was let go immediately once uproar began, Monroe... not so much.
I am dissonant because Dick's screwed over Troy and enemy of my enemy stuff.
But Dick's still screwed over their customers who, in good faith, put down money to receive a product that Dick's did not deliver. They did issue refunds though. But did it at a time when you couldn't buy an AR for love or money.
But like forgiving Ruger and Smith and Wesson... if someone can prove that Dale Monroe doesn't work at Troy anymore and Steve Troy has recanted his several glowing endorsements I'll forgive and be a customer again.
Dicks too, all they have to do is sell EBR's again.
This is because they took deposits (and maybe payments in advance) for an exclusive AR from Troy Defense then cancelled the orders right after Sandy Hook.
Troy is on my list.
This is because they make bad hiring decisions in their Troy Asymmetric division, such as Jody Weis and Dale Monroe. Weis was let go immediately once uproar began, Monroe... not so much.
I am dissonant because Dick's screwed over Troy and enemy of my enemy stuff.
But Dick's still screwed over their customers who, in good faith, put down money to receive a product that Dick's did not deliver. They did issue refunds though. But did it at a time when you couldn't buy an AR for love or money.
But like forgiving Ruger and Smith and Wesson... if someone can prove that Dale Monroe doesn't work at Troy anymore and Steve Troy has recanted his several glowing endorsements I'll forgive and be a customer again.
Dicks too, all they have to do is sell EBR's again.
04 December 2016
Still A Great Line
From Lawrence of Arabia:
Bartender: "This is a bar for British officers."
Lawrence: "That's all right. We're not particular."
Bartender: "This is a bar for British officers."
Lawrence: "That's all right. We're not particular."
But...
"If you can afford a monthly Netflix subscription, you can afford a monthly newspaper subscription."
-Chris Cillizza
While this might be true, one of them sells me something I want and the other doesn't.
One of them is useful to me, the other isn't.
One of them supports people who honestly sell me a service, the other supports people who lie compulsively and habitually.
One of them pays idiots to post to Twitter...
-Chris Cillizza
While this might be true, one of them sells me something I want and the other doesn't.
One of them is useful to me, the other isn't.
One of them supports people who honestly sell me a service, the other supports people who lie compulsively and habitually.
One of them pays idiots to post to Twitter...
As A Former Liberal
I still had some liberal friends. Still have a couple clinging at the edges, but they're more centrist of late.
I had a rough patch with one where I confronted her over her liberal bigotry concerning my white, straight, maleness.
One of her defenses was that she did not mean me, and how most of her very liberal friends knew a "republican" who wasn't like that at all.
In context, "republican" means conservative.
There's a few things that fell out of that while I was considering her interest in being friends again.
Since every one of them knows an exception to the strawman they're hating on, maybe Mr Strawman doesn't really exist.
Every one of them knows an exception to the strawman, but none of them can name someone they know in meatspace who is exactly Mr Strawman.
I, too, know lots of exceptions to the frothing liberal stereotype; but I also know a couple of people who conform to the stereotype 100% (but this is definitely the minority).
I wish it would occur to them, as it occurred to me, that if they're constantly encountering the exception rather than the rule then the exception IS the rule.
I had a rough patch with one where I confronted her over her liberal bigotry concerning my white, straight, maleness.
One of her defenses was that she did not mean me, and how most of her very liberal friends knew a "republican" who wasn't like that at all.
In context, "republican" means conservative.
There's a few things that fell out of that while I was considering her interest in being friends again.
Since every one of them knows an exception to the strawman they're hating on, maybe Mr Strawman doesn't really exist.
Every one of them knows an exception to the strawman, but none of them can name someone they know in meatspace who is exactly Mr Strawman.
I, too, know lots of exceptions to the frothing liberal stereotype; but I also know a couple of people who conform to the stereotype 100% (but this is definitely the minority).
I wish it would occur to them, as it occurred to me, that if they're constantly encountering the exception rather than the rule then the exception IS the rule.
No Great Revelation
Oh the joys of Facebook.
A former friend has decided that since he doesn't have to worry about my delicate sensibilities he can now openly be a frothing liberal.
Good for him! You shouldn't have to hide who you really are.
But to the frothy liberals...
Have you ever noticed how much your side lies to advance their agenda?
I did not get to keep my doctor.
Increased regulation of healthcare did not lead to better care and lower prices.
Conceal carry did not lead to blood in the streets.
Increased levels of gun ownership did not lead to increased levels of crime.
Exporting jobs and factories did not lead to increased prosperity for the middle class.
Increased spending on primary education did not lead to higher test scores.
Smaller classroom sizes did not lead to higher test scores.
Every single one of the above policies was provably incorrect at the time of passage and the advocates dismissed the possibility they were wrong airily and often with personal attacks on the people who were opposed to these "sensible" policies.
When you notice a pattern, you start to wonder if the people advocating along this pattern are stupid or lying.
You begin to look at anything they propose with a jaundiced eye.
You start sounding like a conspiracy nut because you start looking for ulterior motives.
You lose friends because you don't accept the mainstream media's unquestioning support of these same failed policies.
But I realized something today.
I am far happier living in the real world without their companionship than I was living in their world of falsehood and vain hopes.
A former friend has decided that since he doesn't have to worry about my delicate sensibilities he can now openly be a frothing liberal.
Good for him! You shouldn't have to hide who you really are.
But to the frothy liberals...
Have you ever noticed how much your side lies to advance their agenda?
I did not get to keep my doctor.
Increased regulation of healthcare did not lead to better care and lower prices.
Conceal carry did not lead to blood in the streets.
Increased levels of gun ownership did not lead to increased levels of crime.
Exporting jobs and factories did not lead to increased prosperity for the middle class.
Increased spending on primary education did not lead to higher test scores.
Smaller classroom sizes did not lead to higher test scores.
Every single one of the above policies was provably incorrect at the time of passage and the advocates dismissed the possibility they were wrong airily and often with personal attacks on the people who were opposed to these "sensible" policies.
When you notice a pattern, you start to wonder if the people advocating along this pattern are stupid or lying.
You begin to look at anything they propose with a jaundiced eye.
You start sounding like a conspiracy nut because you start looking for ulterior motives.
You lose friends because you don't accept the mainstream media's unquestioning support of these same failed policies.
But I realized something today.
I am far happier living in the real world without their companionship than I was living in their world of falsehood and vain hopes.
03 December 2016
Missing Blog Friends
Back on LiveJournal, I had a few people I considered friends there.
Only a couple seem to have translated here (and I knew most of them in meatspace before I even had a computer).
Moving posts from LJ to here I am reminded that one I lost was Lori, aka Perfection1144.
I wonder what she's up to, her last LJ post was in 2013.
Only a couple seem to have translated here (and I knew most of them in meatspace before I even had a computer).
Moving posts from LJ to here I am reminded that one I lost was Lori, aka Perfection1144.
I wonder what she's up to, her last LJ post was in 2013.
Done!
Got my 'Nam issue web gear completed!
It's pure whimsy driving the accumulation, but whimsy can be lots of fun.
I've got an urge to sign up for a carbine class now. Or do a gimp-division 2-gun match.
It's pure whimsy driving the accumulation, but whimsy can be lots of fun.
I've got an urge to sign up for a carbine class now. Or do a gimp-division 2-gun match.
Minimum Wage Is $0 An Hour
Y'all want $15 an hour for a fast food job?
Learn to tell the difference between Sprite and Coke.
Someone else is out there with my order and wondering where their Coke is.
Learn to tell the difference between Sprite and Coke.
Someone else is out there with my order and wondering where their Coke is.
02 December 2016
How Do I Know She's Wrong?
From Ace.
Because the attacks stopped when the stabber was himself killed.
If America was really motivated by the hate that's often attributed to it, the killing would reaching a crescendo about now... no that's not right at all.
If America was really motivated by the hate that's often attributed to it, the killing would be long done by now. It would have started on 12Sep01 and 15 years is enough to wipe out a people.
I know that it's enough time because Western Civilization is nothing if not efficient when it sets its mind to a task.
The reason we don't do it is we don't possess the will associated with the hate.
And it's purely will that keeps us in check.
Think about a war with the whole middle east. They don't build anything they use to fight. Not planes, not ships, not tanks not even rifles in most cases. This falls squarely in the "experts study logistics" camp.
In addition to not manufacturing the weapons they're fighting with, they don't possess the weapons to prevent Western Civilization from manufacturing more of its own. "But Iran will have nukes!" you might say. That will be a short war. Iran doesn't have a reliable delivery system for theirs that can reach us, and they've got very few warheads (if any). Even with force reductions we've more than enough to still play MAD with Russia. Iran doesn't, they just have AD. We might lose a city or two, they lose the war.
Because the attacks stopped when the stabber was himself killed.
If America was really motivated by the hate that's often attributed to it, the killing would reaching a crescendo about now... no that's not right at all.
If America was really motivated by the hate that's often attributed to it, the killing would be long done by now. It would have started on 12Sep01 and 15 years is enough to wipe out a people.
I know that it's enough time because Western Civilization is nothing if not efficient when it sets its mind to a task.
The reason we don't do it is we don't possess the will associated with the hate.
And it's purely will that keeps us in check.
Think about a war with the whole middle east. They don't build anything they use to fight. Not planes, not ships, not tanks not even rifles in most cases. This falls squarely in the "experts study logistics" camp.
In addition to not manufacturing the weapons they're fighting with, they don't possess the weapons to prevent Western Civilization from manufacturing more of its own. "But Iran will have nukes!" you might say. That will be a short war. Iran doesn't have a reliable delivery system for theirs that can reach us, and they've got very few warheads (if any). Even with force reductions we've more than enough to still play MAD with Russia. Iran doesn't, they just have AD. We might lose a city or two, they lose the war.
Quotes Of Quotes
I'm reading a compilation of Gen Mattis quotes.
If he actually said all those things, he's cribbing from other folks; notably Winston Churchill.
Not entirely a bad thing, because once someone's found the perfect phrase for something, you're not going to improve on it.
If he actually said all those things, he's cribbing from other folks; notably Winston Churchill.
Not entirely a bad thing, because once someone's found the perfect phrase for something, you're not going to improve on it.
01 December 2016
Who Is John Galt?
John Galt is sumdood who lives in a gultch who likes to talk during inappropriate touching time.
Waiting For It
I am wondering if the fires in Tennessee are as bad as they are for similar reasons they get so bad in California.
Are they mostly forbidden to remove brush and deadfall in TN like they are in CA?
I don't have a clear answer, but I do remember the stink about ten years ago when FL started doing that clearing to keep the fire season from getting that bad again.
Are they mostly forbidden to remove brush and deadfall in TN like they are in CA?
I don't have a clear answer, but I do remember the stink about ten years ago when FL started doing that clearing to keep the fire season from getting that bad again.
Extension
If a small town cannot put a cross on top of a water tower or a nativity creche in the square because of the 1st Amendment's restrictions on government with regards to creating a state religion; this holds true even if a non governmental entity is funding the display of religion.
How then can a state university, a government entity receiving government money, restrict speech in any manner?
It's not even a different amendment!
How then can a state university, a government entity receiving government money, restrict speech in any manner?
It's not even a different amendment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)