I clamped Dottie's upper down and sighted in on a convenient spot in the neighbor's yard.
Yes, they're OK with guns and me using their flower box as a boresight target.
The scope was pointing far above the bore and the irons so I unscrew the elevation screw to bring the pointer down.
The scope started getting wobbly.
The SUIT L2A2 is held against the mount by a spring. Elevation changes are external and via the front mounting point. Make the impact go down and you increase tension on that spring and vice versa.
My spring had become stretched.
Dammit.
So I took it off and squished it in the vice. Only lost three units of blood getting the damn thing back on (twice). The spring now has tension well past the point where I have to crank the scope down so the irons and the scope are aimed at the same spot at, give or take, 25 yards.
If it doesn't hold, there's a guy in England selling new ones. I've put a message into him, $25 is cheap insurance.
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30 November 2013
.500 Double
While I don't have the $150,000 for the Phantom-Flex camera to confirm it, I think I know why some people double tap heavy recoiling double-action revolvers.
The shooter pulls the trigger. The gun fires and recoils. The recoil impulse is strong enough to deform the shooter's grip and let the trigger reset. This happens too quickly for the shooter to relax their finger, so when the recoil impulse is finished, the finger closes again to get a second shot.
The reason you don't get a triple is the finger finally gets the relax command about this time.
The shooter pulls the trigger. The gun fires and recoils. The recoil impulse is strong enough to deform the shooter's grip and let the trigger reset. This happens too quickly for the shooter to relax their finger, so when the recoil impulse is finished, the finger closes again to get a second shot.
The reason you don't get a triple is the finger finally gets the relax command about this time.
Creative Differences
I have a post that I really want to write.
Every time I do, it veers off in unintended directions.
So let's talk about vacc suits!
This applies to my Traveller universe, which is an amalgam of OGLBB and GURPS tech.
Most spacers wear "skin-tights" almost continuously. They are a counter-pressure style suit and would look like a leotard to we TL8'ers. Because such suits leave nothing to the imagination, spacers also commonly wear a flight-suit over them. The flight suit provides pockets as well as modesty. In one pocket is an inflatable helmet for emergencies. This attaches to the "neck ring", which isn't on a daily wear skin-tight. It would be uncomfortable and get in the way. There is an adaptor interface that runs below the neck and over the shoulders. A real ring can be attached to this interface or the collapsable collar of the bag-helmet can attach directly.
Most lifetime spacers wear a comm headset near continuously with a substantial portion of the population getting the equivalent implanted so that it cannot be knocked loose or become lost.
Some people are nervous about the bag helmet, but in fact the material it is made from is tougher than the helmets issued to infantry in the early 21st century.
The skin-tight is comfortable enough for daily wear, but it's decidedly lacking in protections for doing real work on the outside of a ship. They are intended as an emergency item only. There are various over-suits that can add physical, thermal and radiation protection to a skin-tight if there's no means at hand to change into what spacers would call a "hard" suit.
Every time I do, it veers off in unintended directions.
So let's talk about vacc suits!
This applies to my Traveller universe, which is an amalgam of OGLBB and GURPS tech.
Most spacers wear "skin-tights" almost continuously. They are a counter-pressure style suit and would look like a leotard to we TL8'ers. Because such suits leave nothing to the imagination, spacers also commonly wear a flight-suit over them. The flight suit provides pockets as well as modesty. In one pocket is an inflatable helmet for emergencies. This attaches to the "neck ring", which isn't on a daily wear skin-tight. It would be uncomfortable and get in the way. There is an adaptor interface that runs below the neck and over the shoulders. A real ring can be attached to this interface or the collapsable collar of the bag-helmet can attach directly.
Most lifetime spacers wear a comm headset near continuously with a substantial portion of the population getting the equivalent implanted so that it cannot be knocked loose or become lost.
Some people are nervous about the bag helmet, but in fact the material it is made from is tougher than the helmets issued to infantry in the early 21st century.
The skin-tight is comfortable enough for daily wear, but it's decidedly lacking in protections for doing real work on the outside of a ship. They are intended as an emergency item only. There are various over-suits that can add physical, thermal and radiation protection to a skin-tight if there's no means at hand to change into what spacers would call a "hard" suit.
29 November 2013
Man...
I just need to shut the fuck up.
Or at least stop commenting.
Can't seem to actually say what I want and go off on a tangent when I try.
So far off on that tangent that you can't even tell what I was trying to say.
Sorry about that, Tam.
Or at least stop commenting.
Can't seem to actually say what I want and go off on a tangent when I try.
So far off on that tangent that you can't even tell what I was trying to say.
Sorry about that, Tam.
Season 4
Erin covered the premier at length.
I am happy that they seem to have put the good writers back on the job. Season three seemed kind of weak, in addition to being short.
My favorite part of e1s4 is that Discord caught the winter wrap up ear worm we all got!
I am happy that they seem to have put the good writers back on the job. Season three seemed kind of weak, in addition to being short.
My favorite part of e1s4 is that Discord caught the winter wrap up ear worm we all got!
Not Even Corellation
Read this.
With an increasing supply of guns, the rate of violence has either fallen or held steady; not increased.
In a rational universe this alone would be enough to show that guns aren't the problem.
It appears that more guns equals more guns! And not much more, really.
The massive drop in crime associated with the additional guns our side often touts probably has more to do with the changes in how guns can be legally carried and used to defend oneself rather than there merely being more guns out there.
With an increasing supply of guns, the rate of violence has either fallen or held steady; not increased.
In a rational universe this alone would be enough to show that guns aren't the problem.
It appears that more guns equals more guns! And not much more, really.
The massive drop in crime associated with the additional guns our side often touts probably has more to do with the changes in how guns can be legally carried and used to defend oneself rather than there merely being more guns out there.
Engagement
My spiffy used FN HP fails the "click" test.
In a nutshell, the click test is attempting to fire the (empty) gun on safe and see if the sear moves at all.
The top of the hammer notch is 0.022" above the nose of the sear when the gun is cocked.
Pushing down on the sear you can get the top edge of the sear 0.001" above the hammer notch.
0.023" of movement with the safety on.
The sear nose is 0.038" tall, so 0.037" is still engaged after you pull the trigger with the safety on.
I've got the Browning field service manual for the Hi Power. My sear is in spec. That means the little nub that's supposed to rotate to block the sear is a little low. However it does confirm that there should be no movement of the sear with the safety on.
The huge question here is: Does it matter? Is the no movement a legal or engineering requirement?
The gun is not going bang with the safety on and there's still lots of engagement of the sear. Thwacking it with a leather mallet sometimes got the sear nose to drop back down into the notch and it never dropped the hammer. In most cases the hammer and sear stayed right were they'd been left and I never got a decrease in engagement.
It's also the same seven pound trigger pull to get the hammer to drop whether I start with the partially or fully engaged sear.
I intend to get things so they don't move with the safety on, but I don't think this is as dire a safety issue certain posters and gun smiths make it out to be. I think this is a case of the perfect defeating the good-enough.
In a nutshell, the click test is attempting to fire the (empty) gun on safe and see if the sear moves at all.
The top of the hammer notch is 0.022" above the nose of the sear when the gun is cocked.
Pushing down on the sear you can get the top edge of the sear 0.001" above the hammer notch.
0.023" of movement with the safety on.
The sear nose is 0.038" tall, so 0.037" is still engaged after you pull the trigger with the safety on.
I've got the Browning field service manual for the Hi Power. My sear is in spec. That means the little nub that's supposed to rotate to block the sear is a little low. However it does confirm that there should be no movement of the sear with the safety on.
The huge question here is: Does it matter? Is the no movement a legal or engineering requirement?
The gun is not going bang with the safety on and there's still lots of engagement of the sear. Thwacking it with a leather mallet sometimes got the sear nose to drop back down into the notch and it never dropped the hammer. In most cases the hammer and sear stayed right were they'd been left and I never got a decrease in engagement.
It's also the same seven pound trigger pull to get the hammer to drop whether I start with the partially or fully engaged sear.
I intend to get things so they don't move with the safety on, but I don't think this is as dire a safety issue certain posters and gun smiths make it out to be. I think this is a case of the perfect defeating the good-enough.
28 November 2013
Bipod Capable
A short rail section on the MOE handguards and I can put a bipod on Dottie.
It sure makes getting things zeroed easier to have a bipod or other support.
It sure makes getting things zeroed easier to have a bipod or other support.
Proof
Evolution is a contentious topic.
There's been a rash lately attempting to say that it doesn't exist because we both do not know exactly we went from puddles of reducing chemicals to life AND that we can't duplicate the feat.
But not knowing where life started and exactly how does not nullify evolution.
Do you have a dog?
Notice that most dogs don't look a thing like a wolf. Yet just 33,000 or so years ago there was just wolf. And for many years after the split, dogs looked lots like wolves.
Now there are pekinese and chihuahuas.
Selective breeding and domestication prove evolution using artificial selection to achieve a desired goal.
Evolution is simply natural selection working on the genes of the wild animals.
That's it.
We can back-track a really long ways through the fossil record and we can, indeed, show evolution working its magic.
Just because we don't have a record from before a certain date, doesn't mean that it only began once we can study fossils. The falsification is to find earlier fossils that continue the regression or that all fossils from before are identical.
And stop blaming/crediting Darwin for the idea! His contribution was noticing that isolated populations of birds were adapting to take over niches they didn't fill on the main-land.
There's been a rash lately attempting to say that it doesn't exist because we both do not know exactly we went from puddles of reducing chemicals to life AND that we can't duplicate the feat.
But not knowing where life started and exactly how does not nullify evolution.
Do you have a dog?
Notice that most dogs don't look a thing like a wolf. Yet just 33,000 or so years ago there was just wolf. And for many years after the split, dogs looked lots like wolves.
Now there are pekinese and chihuahuas.
Selective breeding and domestication prove evolution using artificial selection to achieve a desired goal.
Evolution is simply natural selection working on the genes of the wild animals.
That's it.
We can back-track a really long ways through the fossil record and we can, indeed, show evolution working its magic.
Just because we don't have a record from before a certain date, doesn't mean that it only began once we can study fossils. The falsification is to find earlier fossils that continue the regression or that all fossils from before are identical.
And stop blaming/crediting Darwin for the idea! His contribution was noticing that isolated populations of birds were adapting to take over niches they didn't fill on the main-land.
Keeping It Real
The McThag Household continues a tradition that dates back to the very first Thanksgiving.
An Indian feeds the starving White Man.
The Lovely Harvey is a Blackfoot and this is her day to take the kitchen from me.
An Indian feeds the starving White Man.
The Lovely Harvey is a Blackfoot and this is her day to take the kitchen from me.
Traditions
My mother was never a turkey fan.
This stems from her mother being Italian and not having a single good way to roast a bird in her repertoire. GRIN That's not true. Grandma did know how to cook a turkey, but her crowning AMERICAN family get together dish was the noodles and gravy.
To get the gravy, she perforated that poor goobler until it was dry as a desert.
Those noodles ROCKED!
And the exact formulation is lost because Grandma was a competitive cooker and her recipes are all secret to keep others from making them successfully. The secret went with her to the grave.
At any rate, there's hardly a member of the Nattitucci extended clan that makes a turkey for any holiday.
We tend towards ham. Being Iowans ham is a natural substitute and its super cheap around thanksgiving because the focus is on turkey.
So, today, on Hanukkah, we are making a ham. It's OK: I'm an atheist, The Lovely Harvey is an animist and The Boy has no defined belief.
Our strange Thanksgiving tradition is the ceremonial can of cranberry sauce.
The contents are reverently dropped out of the can with the expected sucking noise to a small saucer. Said contents remain untouched until the dishes are to be done, whereupon the flaccid cylinder of bitter fruit puree is discarded.
This stems from her mother being Italian and not having a single good way to roast a bird in her repertoire. GRIN That's not true. Grandma did know how to cook a turkey, but her crowning AMERICAN family get together dish was the noodles and gravy.
To get the gravy, she perforated that poor goobler until it was dry as a desert.
Those noodles ROCKED!
And the exact formulation is lost because Grandma was a competitive cooker and her recipes are all secret to keep others from making them successfully. The secret went with her to the grave.
At any rate, there's hardly a member of the Nattitucci extended clan that makes a turkey for any holiday.
We tend towards ham. Being Iowans ham is a natural substitute and its super cheap around thanksgiving because the focus is on turkey.
So, today, on Hanukkah, we are making a ham. It's OK: I'm an atheist, The Lovely Harvey is an animist and The Boy has no defined belief.
Our strange Thanksgiving tradition is the ceremonial can of cranberry sauce.
The contents are reverently dropped out of the can with the expected sucking noise to a small saucer. Said contents remain untouched until the dishes are to be done, whereupon the flaccid cylinder of bitter fruit puree is discarded.
27 November 2013
L2A2 RTD
Got this from Gunbroker for a reasonable $25.
Again, I am struck by the clarity of the optics. Better than a 4x scope has a right to be considering I bought it when Clinton was president for $50 and it spent an alarming amount of time underwater. Time to take it out and get her zeroed!
Update to comment on the clarity. Took it out to the back yard and noticed Jupiter was out. I can see the Galilean moons! With just 4x!
 |
| Made in China for Leapers for TAPCO... |
Mounted it to Dottie's flat-top.
 |
| The mounting post and hook are well below the line of sight of the BUIS when deployed, but I didn't take a picture of the sight extended. |
 |
| With eye-cup. |
 |
| Without eye-cup. Looks "Star-Wars" without the eye-cup. |
Again, I am struck by the clarity of the optics. Better than a 4x scope has a right to be considering I bought it when Clinton was president for $50 and it spent an alarming amount of time underwater. Time to take it out and get her zeroed!
Update to comment on the clarity. Took it out to the back yard and noticed Jupiter was out. I can see the Galilean moons! With just 4x!
Free Advertising
Eric seems to have actually read a post or two before shooting this off, so he gets a nice smelly fish as a reward!
Fish?
No, he gets his ad posted!
Fish?
No, he gets his ad posted!
[We] have ammo for dirt-cheap after clearing out some of the damaged boxes in our warehouse --- cosmetic damage to boxes with unharmed rounds. (For example we'll have 2100 rounds of .22 delivered in an ammo can for $99).
You can see all the details and calibers we'll have in stock here:
http://www.ammoman.com/ammo-by-the-pound
If you think it's worth sharing, the ammo will be put "in-stock" on Friday morning at midnight. We're limiting each caliber to one per customer since it is kind of a unique deal and we want to help as many shooters as possible. Just thought you might be interested.
Of course, I am broke so I can't take advantage. Unless someone wants to ship me an order of 7.62x51mm in the spirit of Christmas?
Fixing Health Care
If you genuinely wish to fix health care in the United States you have to answer this question.
What happened to the general practitioners?
When you answer that question you have pinpointed when it went off the rails.
What happened to the general practitioners?
When you answer that question you have pinpointed when it went off the rails.
26 November 2013
Standing
I was reading this post from Joe and the comments.
Under a myriad of federal laws you need to be arrested to have standing to challenge their constitutionality.
By that point you're just flat boned even if you win and the law is declared unconstitutional.
The comments talk about the barriers to standing a little.
Something simple that could be added...
First we really get hard core on getting jurors fully informed.
Next, if a jury acquits a suspect on the grounds that it's unconstitutional then the law is automatically unconstitutional and void. With caveats: The verdict can be appealed and it automatically has certiorari all the way to the top.
If the law is ultimately decided to be constitutional, the suspect is still acquitted.
And the Supreme Court ruling that it's constitutional doesn't mean the next jury can't nullify it tomorrow and start the process all over again.
"We, The Jury, find this law to be unconstitutional..." should be a valid verdict and it's every citizen's right to declare so.
Under a myriad of federal laws you need to be arrested to have standing to challenge their constitutionality.
By that point you're just flat boned even if you win and the law is declared unconstitutional.
The comments talk about the barriers to standing a little.
Something simple that could be added...
First we really get hard core on getting jurors fully informed.
Next, if a jury acquits a suspect on the grounds that it's unconstitutional then the law is automatically unconstitutional and void. With caveats: The verdict can be appealed and it automatically has certiorari all the way to the top.
If the law is ultimately decided to be constitutional, the suspect is still acquitted.
And the Supreme Court ruling that it's constitutional doesn't mean the next jury can't nullify it tomorrow and start the process all over again.
"We, The Jury, find this law to be unconstitutional..." should be a valid verdict and it's every citizen's right to declare so.
Gun Thought
I have at least two friends whom I've gotten into shooting.
They appear to understand the whole thing about rights.
But...
They'd sell the gun because they were moving to place that banned guns in a heartbeat.
Not, "I'd never move someplace where my gun is banned."
A couple of them don't even bother to vote. Although as time goes on and I find myself voting more and more against rather than for...
But I have not managed to successfully communicate how important it is that the Constitution is a limiting document, that our government is well outside those limits and bringing back to those limits is a wholesale good for everyone to this small group that almost gets it on their own.
How on earth would I explain it to someone who doesn't understand at all?
To someone who doesn't understand that something can be both wrong and legal? Interestingly these people all seem to grasp that something can be right and illegal.
To someone who doesn't grasp that "the Supreme Court is/was wrong" is a perfectly valid statement.
How do I explain that they shouldn't buy a product from a vendor who is not supporting our rights if I can't get them to understand what their rights are and what that means?
They appear to understand the whole thing about rights.
But...
They'd sell the gun because they were moving to place that banned guns in a heartbeat.
Not, "I'd never move someplace where my gun is banned."
A couple of them don't even bother to vote. Although as time goes on and I find myself voting more and more against rather than for...
But I have not managed to successfully communicate how important it is that the Constitution is a limiting document, that our government is well outside those limits and bringing back to those limits is a wholesale good for everyone to this small group that almost gets it on their own.
How on earth would I explain it to someone who doesn't understand at all?
To someone who doesn't understand that something can be both wrong and legal? Interestingly these people all seem to grasp that something can be right and illegal.
To someone who doesn't grasp that "the Supreme Court is/was wrong" is a perfectly valid statement.
How do I explain that they shouldn't buy a product from a vendor who is not supporting our rights if I can't get them to understand what their rights are and what that means?
25 November 2013
You Do What Now
I found a field service manual for the Browning Hi-Power.
A "special tool" is required to hold the hammer while you are removing the sear pin and sear.
There are instructions for making your own tool in the back.
You take a nail and bent it into a U shape. 0.44" inside between the legs and the legs are about an inch overall.
A nail.
I've gotten so used to "purchase proprietary single use fixture" that instructions on how to make my own part out of common hardware seems strange.
A "special tool" is required to hold the hammer while you are removing the sear pin and sear.
There are instructions for making your own tool in the back.
You take a nail and bent it into a U shape. 0.44" inside between the legs and the legs are about an inch overall.
A nail.
I've gotten so used to "purchase proprietary single use fixture" that instructions on how to make my own part out of common hardware seems strange.
Did I Say It Was Easy
Shit! I did.
Um... Sorry?
Edit to add...
All's well that comes out well! I guess. He started here...
He didn't even know about magazine fouls and getting his toes in the shot...
They grow up so fast!
Um... Sorry?
Edit to add...
All's well that comes out well! I guess. He started here...
He didn't even know about magazine fouls and getting his toes in the shot...
They grow up so fast!
Quote Of The Day
Me: "No matter how many times I do it, I don't like paying the bills."
QOTD Marv: "No matter how many times I do it, I don't like it when I slice my finger chopping onions."
Me: "But you don't HAVE to chop onions."
Marv: "I like onions. I like having electricity, water and a dry place to sleep."
Me: "You take all of the fun out of being miserable and feeling sorry for myself."
I swear you could feel him BEAM through the google chat interface.
QOTD Marv: "No matter how many times I do it, I don't like it when I slice my finger chopping onions."
Me: "But you don't HAVE to chop onions."
Marv: "I like onions. I like having electricity, water and a dry place to sleep."
Me: "You take all of the fun out of being miserable and feeling sorry for myself."
I swear you could feel him BEAM through the google chat interface.
24 November 2013
Mage
I had read "The Hobbit" before I'd encountered D&D.
I remember being upset during character generation that my Magic User couldn't wield a sword. Gandalf had a sword, Glamdring.
Looking back now... In most cases my magic user was a more effective member of the party than Gandalf ever was. At least using direct action.
I remember being upset during character generation that my Magic User couldn't wield a sword. Gandalf had a sword, Glamdring.
Looking back now... In most cases my magic user was a more effective member of the party than Gandalf ever was. At least using direct action.
Burr Saddle Some Disassembly Desired
Perhaps it's from being a draftsman. Perhaps its from doing some technical writing.
Getting the terms right is essential.
Otherwise we could call everything a "thingy".
There are places where getting the term wrong can land you in jail. Ask for a flash-hider when you meant muzzle brake in places which ban the former, for example.
The clip/magazine thing drives people nuts. Why?
On one side there's a group of people who insist that they are different and can show what those differences are.
On the other side, there are those who say they are the same thing.
Try ordering en-bloc magazines for your Garand.
It's not just guns.
Disc brakes have pads. Drum brakes have shoes.
There are numerous things that are bearings on a car, and you need to be specific to get the one you need.
Specificity often derails some people. You have to coax them into describing what they mean because they don't know what it's called. After about the thirtieth time of doing that, you start getting prickly about people calling things what they are.
Is it a bullet or a cartridge? Clip or magazine? Stock or grip? Silencer or suppressor? Rifle or carbine? Assault rifle or assault weapon?
Words mean things. The reason they mean things is we use these crude symbols and series of fleshy vibrations for communication. Without common terms, communication can't occur. Someone who speaks chinese and someone who speaks english can talk at each other all day thinking they are being perfectly clear and not transmit one meaningful thought.
To communicate we have to speak the same language. The "pedantic" people who are making an issue of clip v magazine are essentially saying, "the terms have been established, learn them." If clips and magazines are the same thing you should be able to show that to be true. Admitting that the terms are only synonymous conditionally basically says the pendants are correct.
The very act of complaining about the "pedants" is itself pedantic, or didn't you check to see what the word you were using meant? Oh wait...
Getting the terms right is essential.
Otherwise we could call everything a "thingy".
There are places where getting the term wrong can land you in jail. Ask for a flash-hider when you meant muzzle brake in places which ban the former, for example.
The clip/magazine thing drives people nuts. Why?
On one side there's a group of people who insist that they are different and can show what those differences are.
On the other side, there are those who say they are the same thing.
Try ordering en-bloc magazines for your Garand.
It's not just guns.
Disc brakes have pads. Drum brakes have shoes.
There are numerous things that are bearings on a car, and you need to be specific to get the one you need.
Specificity often derails some people. You have to coax them into describing what they mean because they don't know what it's called. After about the thirtieth time of doing that, you start getting prickly about people calling things what they are.
Is it a bullet or a cartridge? Clip or magazine? Stock or grip? Silencer or suppressor? Rifle or carbine? Assault rifle or assault weapon?
Words mean things. The reason they mean things is we use these crude symbols and series of fleshy vibrations for communication. Without common terms, communication can't occur. Someone who speaks chinese and someone who speaks english can talk at each other all day thinking they are being perfectly clear and not transmit one meaningful thought.
To communicate we have to speak the same language. The "pedantic" people who are making an issue of clip v magazine are essentially saying, "the terms have been established, learn them." If clips and magazines are the same thing you should be able to show that to be true. Admitting that the terms are only synonymous conditionally basically says the pendants are correct.
The very act of complaining about the "pedants" is itself pedantic, or didn't you check to see what the word you were using meant? Oh wait...
Two Things
Two things that drive me nuts about Jackson's Hobbit above and beyond the "lets make shit up whole cloth to make each film fit a three act format"...
Birdshit mousse.
Scrotum beard.
If you've seen it, you know what I am talking about.
23 November 2013
Dominant
I just noticed something...
I'm right eye dominant in every one of the little parlor tests you can take.
I am right handed.
I was playing around dry firing the Hi-Power with my left hand to get used to the idea and I suddenly noticed that I'm just naturally using my left eye.
So naturally, in fact, that I apparently have no trouble using my non-dominant eye in the dominant role.
I'm right eye dominant in every one of the little parlor tests you can take.
I am right handed.
I was playing around dry firing the Hi-Power with my left hand to get used to the idea and I suddenly noticed that I'm just naturally using my left eye.
So naturally, in fact, that I apparently have no trouble using my non-dominant eye in the dominant role.
Exported
I once lived in Iowa.
I'm not unusual. There are tons of people who were born in Iowa who grew up and left.
Iowa's chief export is people.
I'm not unusual. There are tons of people who were born in Iowa who grew up and left.
Iowa's chief export is people.
At times I consider myself an expatriate living abroad. Florida is simply not the same place as Iowa, it's got a completely different vibe.
There were tons of things about the place I used to live that I considered normal until I moved here. There are things I miss terribly.
Winter is not one of them.
I am chided by friends that I have hurricanes here. I have the possibility of a hurricane. In 16 years just three tropical storms. Iowa had 16 complete winters!
Of course, the reason I left was the harassment by the local police because I had the temerity to stand up at a city council meeting and ask the police to justify their purchase of full-auto MP5's.
Everyone who did that meeting suddenly was a speed demon or some other minor transgressor; but constantly. After my fifth ticket for 37 in a 35 zone in three months I knew the writing was on the wall. It made me suicidal in fact.
My mental well being was not aided by the abysmal job situation in and around Ames.
It was mere happy happenstance that landed me here.
15+1
Mec-Gar makes a fifteen round magazine for the Hi-Power.
It's not longer than the standard thirteen rounder that was developed for the gun.
The follower is shorter and the spring is designed to nest instead of stack up.
They removed a dimple from the body of the magazine to allow more space at the bottom for the spring.
Two extra rounds, about $2 more and not noticeably heavier; I'm impressed!
The grape-vine has it that Mec-Gar is the maker of current production Browning magazines as well.
It's not longer than the standard thirteen rounder that was developed for the gun.
The follower is shorter and the spring is designed to nest instead of stack up.
They removed a dimple from the body of the magazine to allow more space at the bottom for the spring.
Two extra rounds, about $2 more and not noticeably heavier; I'm impressed!
The grape-vine has it that Mec-Gar is the maker of current production Browning magazines as well.
22 November 2013
Stupid
My mom had me tested.
The word "gifted" was tossed around a lot.
I once thought I'd like to join Mensa. Then I met some of the membership... Passed the test though.
When I decided to toss my hat into the ring and be the Gamemaster instead of a player, I did so when I was 13 and I did it in the Commons at the Iowa State University Memorial Union.
I was playing Traveller. Little Black Book Traveller.
My players were science fiction fans and college aged.
I held their interest.
They challenged my knowledge.
But I went from being the smartest kid in class to the dumbest person in the room. Not least knowledgeable or most ignorant. Dumbest.
2" cock at a porn shoot dumb.
Unlike Mensa, they were generous and patient and taught me. I learned as I could.
More than once I noticed that they were intuitively making connections that I could only see after much careful consideration and calculation.
I find that I am no longer among those people.
But I now often notice that I am making connections that the people around me don't see. I lack the patience to teach them how to make the connections on their own.
It's frustrating sometimes because I see the problems and their solutions so very clearly, but have no means to implement them. I also see how their solutions to the problems will just breed more and worse problems than they solve.
It's frustrating to see the error made by others and not be able to explain how it was wrong; and worse demonstrate to others why. At least in these cases, the errors eventually run their course and all is revealed in time.
It's why I have no regard for several people others hold in high esteem. Once you've made the connection and seen them for what they are, the veil will not stick.
The word "gifted" was tossed around a lot.
I once thought I'd like to join Mensa. Then I met some of the membership... Passed the test though.
When I decided to toss my hat into the ring and be the Gamemaster instead of a player, I did so when I was 13 and I did it in the Commons at the Iowa State University Memorial Union.
I was playing Traveller. Little Black Book Traveller.
My players were science fiction fans and college aged.
I held their interest.
They challenged my knowledge.
But I went from being the smartest kid in class to the dumbest person in the room. Not least knowledgeable or most ignorant. Dumbest.
2" cock at a porn shoot dumb.
Unlike Mensa, they were generous and patient and taught me. I learned as I could.
More than once I noticed that they were intuitively making connections that I could only see after much careful consideration and calculation.
I find that I am no longer among those people.
But I now often notice that I am making connections that the people around me don't see. I lack the patience to teach them how to make the connections on their own.
It's frustrating sometimes because I see the problems and their solutions so very clearly, but have no means to implement them. I also see how their solutions to the problems will just breed more and worse problems than they solve.
It's frustrating to see the error made by others and not be able to explain how it was wrong; and worse demonstrate to others why. At least in these cases, the errors eventually run their course and all is revealed in time.
It's why I have no regard for several people others hold in high esteem. Once you've made the connection and seen them for what they are, the veil will not stick.
Violent
You know, since it's JFK all day today...
With all those "violent" gun owners out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
With all those TEA party people out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
With all those racists out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
Could it be that the gun owners and Tea Partiers aren't all that violent?
Could it be that racism today is not what racism was yesterday (if indeed it was that bad back then, look who we have to rely on to deliver the information).
I don't like being punished for something I did not do.
Lately it feels like someone wants to punish me for something that someone superficially like me did not do (with a subtext of "yet" and undertone of "people like THAT all want to"). Who's being prejudicial and bigoted now?
With all those "violent" gun owners out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
With all those TEA party people out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
With all those racists out there...
Why hasn't someone taken the shot?
Could it be that the gun owners and Tea Partiers aren't all that violent?
Could it be that racism today is not what racism was yesterday (if indeed it was that bad back then, look who we have to rely on to deliver the information).
I don't like being punished for something I did not do.
Lately it feels like someone wants to punish me for something that someone superficially like me did not do (with a subtext of "yet" and undertone of "people like THAT all want to"). Who's being prejudicial and bigoted now?
21 November 2013
No Possible Way This Plan Will Backfire
The hated LBJ even said it.
To paraphrase: make all political decisions based on how someone who hates you will run it once you've put it in place.
Sooner or later the Republicans are going to have a simple majority in the Senate and are going to beat your Democrat ass like you were a mouthy wife of a drunken red-neck biker-gang member who's just refused to make the beer run for her "small dicked" old man.
You'd think they'd learn, this is not the first time they've changed the rules to make what they want to do easier.
To paraphrase: make all political decisions based on how someone who hates you will run it once you've put it in place.
Sooner or later the Republicans are going to have a simple majority in the Senate and are going to beat your Democrat ass like you were a mouthy wife of a drunken red-neck biker-gang member who's just refused to make the beer run for her "small dicked" old man.
You'd think they'd learn, this is not the first time they've changed the rules to make what they want to do easier.
Three Classes
Strike Fighters only has three ship models for carriers.
SCB-125 Essex class for CVS-11 Intrepid, CVA-14 Ticonderoga, CVA-19 Hancock, CVS-20 Bennington, CVA-34 Oriskany which are all actually SCB-125 Essex class!
It gets wonky later. All of the super carriers for 'Nam are represented by a Kitty Hawk class.
This is appropriate for CVA-63 Kitty Hawk, CVA-64 Constellation, and CVA-66 America.
CVA-41 Midway, CVA-42 Franklin D Roosevelt, and CVA-43 Coral Sea are all Midway Class and all got the SCB-110 upgrade. They're a lot smaller than a Kitty Hawk and the deck profile is completely different.
CVA-59 Forrestal, CVA-60 Saratoga, CVA-61 Ranger and CVA-62 Independence are all Forrestal Class and shorter than Kitty Hawk with a different deck layout. Closer than the Midways though!
The real shame is CVAN-65 Enterprise. Enterprise is a unique class with a distinctive island in Linebacker I and II. They used Kitty Hawk again and even has the stack smoke! BWAH!?!
CVN-68 Nimitz is represented by a Nimitz class model, so she's correct.
I should see if some enterprising modder has made models for the Midways and Forrestals and Enterprise.
Before someone stomps me for it... During Vietnam carriers were CVA not CV I checked.
SCB-125 Essex class for CVS-11 Intrepid, CVA-14 Ticonderoga, CVA-19 Hancock, CVS-20 Bennington, CVA-34 Oriskany which are all actually SCB-125 Essex class!
It gets wonky later. All of the super carriers for 'Nam are represented by a Kitty Hawk class.
This is appropriate for CVA-63 Kitty Hawk, CVA-64 Constellation, and CVA-66 America.
CVA-41 Midway, CVA-42 Franklin D Roosevelt, and CVA-43 Coral Sea are all Midway Class and all got the SCB-110 upgrade. They're a lot smaller than a Kitty Hawk and the deck profile is completely different.
CVA-59 Forrestal, CVA-60 Saratoga, CVA-61 Ranger and CVA-62 Independence are all Forrestal Class and shorter than Kitty Hawk with a different deck layout. Closer than the Midways though!
The real shame is CVAN-65 Enterprise. Enterprise is a unique class with a distinctive island in Linebacker I and II. They used Kitty Hawk again and even has the stack smoke! BWAH!?!
CVN-68 Nimitz is represented by a Nimitz class model, so she's correct.
I should see if some enterprising modder has made models for the Midways and Forrestals and Enterprise.
Before someone stomps me for it... During Vietnam carriers were CVA not CV I checked.
Telling
I've been doing some comparisons on the stats between the Hi Power and pretty much every other wonder nine ever made.
That the first double-stack 9mm to get wide acceptance is still competitive in capacity and weight with modern polymer guns says a lot about the skills of the engineers involved.
And lest we forget, polymer is more a means to make making the gun cheaper than a real advance in how it works.
That the first double-stack 9mm to get wide acceptance is still competitive in capacity and weight with modern polymer guns says a lot about the skills of the engineers involved.
And lest we forget, polymer is more a means to make making the gun cheaper than a real advance in how it works.
Scooter
Also known as the Skyhawk, A4D, A-4 and Heineman's Hot Rod.
It's tiny and has a smallish bomb load by the time Vietnam rolls around.
It's fragile and all of the avionics are steam powered.
It's underpowered and bleeds energy like a stuck pig if you treat the stick like a club.
Treat her like a lady and use some finesse and she will bring you home.
It's tiny and has a smallish bomb load by the time Vietnam rolls around.
It's fragile and all of the avionics are steam powered.
It's underpowered and bleeds energy like a stuck pig if you treat the stick like a club.
 |
| A-4E with 1967 post Shoehorn avionics upgrade. Namely an RWR and ALQ-100. The new electronics were added to the hump on the back, allowing gun ammunition to be restored to 100 rounds per gun instead of 20. |
Treat her like a lady and use some finesse and she will bring you home.
19 November 2013
Submarine Controversy
Raiders of the Lost Ark has a controversy about how Indiana managed to survive the trip on the U-Boat.
Much of it seems to circle around how he survived being lashed to the periscope because even the Mediterranean Sea is cold enough to kill you after a few days.
I want to know how he went undiscovered since U-Boats are not capable of traveling submerged for more than a few hours before the batteries are depleted. They're really surface ships that can submerge; not like a modern nuclear boat or even a diesel electric.
The schnorkel was not invented in 1936, so they had to come up for air to run the diesels and charge the batteries. When they did, the watch would have noticed a stowaway, there just isn't anyplace to hide.
Much of it seems to circle around how he survived being lashed to the periscope because even the Mediterranean Sea is cold enough to kill you after a few days.
I want to know how he went undiscovered since U-Boats are not capable of traveling submerged for more than a few hours before the batteries are depleted. They're really surface ships that can submerge; not like a modern nuclear boat or even a diesel electric.
The schnorkel was not invented in 1936, so they had to come up for air to run the diesels and charge the batteries. When they did, the watch would have noticed a stowaway, there just isn't anyplace to hide.
Minty CLP
As I mentioned a bit ago... I bought some Frog Lube to try out.
I am still skeptical of all in one products, but it did an excellent job of dissolving and flushing out the accumulated grit from the inside of my Hi Power.
The mint smell is also welcome to The Lovely Harvey since she's kinda sensitive to most solvents.
Still, LSA is time proven as a lubricant and corrosion inhibitor.
I am still skeptical of all in one products, but it did an excellent job of dissolving and flushing out the accumulated grit from the inside of my Hi Power.
The mint smell is also welcome to The Lovely Harvey since she's kinda sensitive to most solvents.
Still, LSA is time proven as a lubricant and corrosion inhibitor.
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