GURPS: Magic doesn't have a spell to recharge a battery.
Repair or Rebuild might work, but the descriptions are such that there can be debate about if a discharged battery is actually broken.
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07 December 2013
06 December 2013
Tomayto Tomahto
Cyclic is pronounced "sigh click" not "sick lick".
The root word is cycle (sigh cull) not (sickle).
My skin itches every time the "expert" shooters in The Jackal say it wrong.
The root word is cycle (sigh cull) not (sickle).
My skin itches every time the "expert" shooters in The Jackal say it wrong.
Magic Changes Everything
Dammit.
An interesting tidbit of making odd connections.
The reason the Japanese folded the metal for Katana was to compensate for their miserable iron ore.
Western sword makers didn't bother once crucible steel had been figured out.
With GURPS: Magic you wouldn't even bother with iron ore.
Take some literally garden variety dirt. Cast "Earth to Stone" on it and pay double energy cost and you can get "a simple metal like bronze or iron". For a mere six fatigue you can change up to a cubic yard of dirt or clay into a cubic yard of iron.
Now that you have pure iron put it with some carbon in a clay jar and cast "Heat" on the pig. This takes a bit longer, but for 6 fatigue a minute you can add 60˚ F a minute to the material. This stage takes a lot of fatigue considering you want to melt the iron, 2,700˚ F. So starting at a temperate 75˚ would take 44 minutes and 264 fatigue. Maybe we don't want to use "Heat"...
What we can do instead is cast "Shape Metal" and mix it with our carbon to make steel COLD. Six fatigue for a minute. You can make it flow 18" a second with this spell so you have lots of time to stir in your trace elements to change your iron to steel. Once you're done mixing, you can use this spell to separate your cubic yard of steel into billets; then form those billets into finished shapes if you have the Smith (Iron)/TL skill.
With two spells (and their prerequisites) and one skill you can make a good quality sword in about three or four hours! With Metallurgy/TL you could conceivably make fine and very fine weapons in the same time frame by changing the alloy compositions.
An interesting tidbit of making odd connections.
The reason the Japanese folded the metal for Katana was to compensate for their miserable iron ore.
Western sword makers didn't bother once crucible steel had been figured out.
With GURPS: Magic you wouldn't even bother with iron ore.
Take some literally garden variety dirt. Cast "Earth to Stone" on it and pay double energy cost and you can get "a simple metal like bronze or iron". For a mere six fatigue you can change up to a cubic yard of dirt or clay into a cubic yard of iron.
Now that you have pure iron put it with some carbon in a clay jar and cast "Heat" on the pig. This takes a bit longer, but for 6 fatigue a minute you can add 60˚ F a minute to the material. This stage takes a lot of fatigue considering you want to melt the iron, 2,700˚ F. So starting at a temperate 75˚ would take 44 minutes and 264 fatigue. Maybe we don't want to use "Heat"...
What we can do instead is cast "Shape Metal" and mix it with our carbon to make steel COLD. Six fatigue for a minute. You can make it flow 18" a second with this spell so you have lots of time to stir in your trace elements to change your iron to steel. Once you're done mixing, you can use this spell to separate your cubic yard of steel into billets; then form those billets into finished shapes if you have the Smith (Iron)/TL skill.
With two spells (and their prerequisites) and one skill you can make a good quality sword in about three or four hours! With Metallurgy/TL you could conceivably make fine and very fine weapons in the same time frame by changing the alloy compositions.
Thorough Cleaning
The Hi Power has been detail stripped down to the last pin.
Whomever refinished this gun didn't bother cleaning out the blasting media from all the small crevices.
Those nooks and crannies are now clean!
When I first got it the trigger was a gritty and unpleasant 8 lb. 6 oz.
The cleaning made it a smooth 7 lb.
While I couldn't tell with my finger, removing the magazine disconnect dropped the pull to 5 lb. 3 oz.
Marv's FÉG went from over 9 lb. to 8 lb. with a detailed cleaning and down to just 7 lb. 4 oz. by removing the magazine disconnect. He smoothed off some of the rough edges on the trigger lever and arm and smoothed his up a lot as well. Rough edges my FN doesn't have!
Whomever refinished this gun didn't bother cleaning out the blasting media from all the small crevices.
Those nooks and crannies are now clean!
When I first got it the trigger was a gritty and unpleasant 8 lb. 6 oz.
The cleaning made it a smooth 7 lb.
While I couldn't tell with my finger, removing the magazine disconnect dropped the pull to 5 lb. 3 oz.
Marv's FÉG went from over 9 lb. to 8 lb. with a detailed cleaning and down to just 7 lb. 4 oz. by removing the magazine disconnect. He smoothed off some of the rough edges on the trigger lever and arm and smoothed his up a lot as well. Rough edges my FN doesn't have!
Vagaries
I have an S-Spring for my Trilux winging its way from Jolly Ol'.
The seller is desperate for FAL top covers to modify for Trilux mounts.
I happen to have a real inch pattern Trilux mount so I looked into shipping it to him in trade for a spare spring.
Because it's a part of a "military" scope it's a munition and I'd need a license to export it. There are zero restrictions on importing it.
It's a non-controlled item in the UK. No restrictions on import or export.
So what we have is a situation where I could buy a scope mount from him, have it shipped here, him discovering he could sell it for lot more and offering double my money back; but I can't ship it back because I can't export it!
The little spring is the same deal.
The seller is desperate for FAL top covers to modify for Trilux mounts.
I happen to have a real inch pattern Trilux mount so I looked into shipping it to him in trade for a spare spring.
Because it's a part of a "military" scope it's a munition and I'd need a license to export it. There are zero restrictions on importing it.
It's a non-controlled item in the UK. No restrictions on import or export.
So what we have is a situation where I could buy a scope mount from him, have it shipped here, him discovering he could sell it for lot more and offering double my money back; but I can't ship it back because I can't export it!
The little spring is the same deal.
Laser Bore Sight
A new experiment.
I grabbed a Centerpoint laser boresighter at Wal Mart last night.
The face of the neighbor's shed is a convenient 50 yards away so I picked the correct collet for 6.8, stuck it down Dottie's barrel, turned it on and made the pointer of the Trilux sit on the dot.
I expect that further fine tuning will be required at the range, and I am very curious to see how much.
I grabbed a Centerpoint laser boresighter at Wal Mart last night.
The face of the neighbor's shed is a convenient 50 yards away so I picked the correct collet for 6.8, stuck it down Dottie's barrel, turned it on and made the pointer of the Trilux sit on the dot.
I expect that further fine tuning will be required at the range, and I am very curious to see how much.
04 December 2013
Undetectable Firearms
I will just come out and say it.
The sort of person you want to prevent from having an undetectable firearm is the same sort of person that will make one regardless of the law.
The sort of person who will make sure their gun meets the standards of this law is the sort of person you could trust with one on an airplane.
The sort of person you want to prevent from having an undetectable firearm is the same sort of person that will make one regardless of the law.
The sort of person who will make sure their gun meets the standards of this law is the sort of person you could trust with one on an airplane.
Sniper?
The trilux scope is a mere four power.
Which I think is well suited to use with an intermediate power round like 6.8x43mm.
But until fairly recently, 4x was actually on the high side of magnification for sniper rifles, on average. Full power rifle rounds like .30-06, .303 Brit or 7.62x54mmR.
This scope, in fact, was developed for use on the British FAL. 7.62x51mm.
The higher magnifications on modern guns make sense since the sniper is a different job than it used to be. A WW2 sniper would be called a designated marksman now.
Sniper rifles didn't used to be precision weapons. They were just particularly good examples of the issue rifle every grunt carried. The M1903A4 (with a 2.75x scope) is close to the first rifle built from the ground up as a sniper rifle as opposed to taking a tight grouping gun off the infantry production line. And the 03A4 is not that far removed from the 03A3.
Which I think is well suited to use with an intermediate power round like 6.8x43mm.
But until fairly recently, 4x was actually on the high side of magnification for sniper rifles, on average. Full power rifle rounds like .30-06, .303 Brit or 7.62x54mmR.
This scope, in fact, was developed for use on the British FAL. 7.62x51mm.
The higher magnifications on modern guns make sense since the sniper is a different job than it used to be. A WW2 sniper would be called a designated marksman now.
Sniper rifles didn't used to be precision weapons. They were just particularly good examples of the issue rifle every grunt carried. The M1903A4 (with a 2.75x scope) is close to the first rifle built from the ground up as a sniper rifle as opposed to taking a tight grouping gun off the infantry production line. And the 03A4 is not that far removed from the 03A3.
Greenie Gunny
I've given up on "Failure To Fire".
It was a cute webcomic, but the author derives support from our clicks and I can't support this idiot any more.
I weathered his "I voted for Obama" justifications twice.
What I can't take is the hypocrisy over lead.
You fucking moron.
First, if you really believe a primary smelter is poisoning the planet, stop using lead. All lead, everywhere.
Second, when you pursue a course of action that leads to the shut-down of a manufacturer of a commodity or product you use, you don't get to complain that it will make these things more expensive. You wanted this to happen.
Why, yes, shutting down the last primary smelter in the US is unlikely to have a large effect on the supply of lead because we recycle nearly all of it. Yet shutting it down will have an effect on prices because that shut down will change demand for lead, a change you're advocating with your "buy all you can NOW" advice. Now you've recommended TWO THINGS that will make the price of ammunition go up.
Stupid should be painful and idiots should starve. Clicking on your comic was feeding you.
Starve.
It was a cute webcomic, but the author derives support from our clicks and I can't support this idiot any more.
I weathered his "I voted for Obama" justifications twice.
What I can't take is the hypocrisy over lead.
Shutting down the last lead smelter was GOOD because it's poisoning the planet.
The fact that this will affect the supply and demand for lead is BAD because _I_ use lead in my ammunition!
You fucking moron.
First, if you really believe a primary smelter is poisoning the planet, stop using lead. All lead, everywhere.
Second, when you pursue a course of action that leads to the shut-down of a manufacturer of a commodity or product you use, you don't get to complain that it will make these things more expensive. You wanted this to happen.
Why, yes, shutting down the last primary smelter in the US is unlikely to have a large effect on the supply of lead because we recycle nearly all of it. Yet shutting it down will have an effect on prices because that shut down will change demand for lead, a change you're advocating with your "buy all you can NOW" advice. Now you've recommended TWO THINGS that will make the price of ammunition go up.
Stupid should be painful and idiots should starve. Clicking on your comic was feeding you.
Starve.
03 December 2013
Nuclear Material
Tritium is an important part of a nuclear device.
You can also order it through the mail.
Sometimes the laws are strange.
You can also order it through the mail.
Sometimes the laws are strange.
Missed
"The thing the Vilani ambassadors missed over and over again while standing in polite disdain at how recent our antiquities were was the obvious fact that we'd gone from the stone age to parity with them while they'd not advanced a whit."
"The sheer speed of our technological advancement was lost on them. They never seemed to comprehend what that meant compared to them. It took them 776 years to go from chemical rockets to Jump-1 and another 3,805 to get to jump-2. We went from Sputnik to our first Jump in 128 years and were using jump-2 drives a mere 37 years later. They were utterly befuddled by the jump-3 equipped ships just more than 100 years after that; something they never developed on their own."
-- Captain Christopher Harrington "Memories of the Nth Interstellar War"
"The sheer speed of our technological advancement was lost on them. They never seemed to comprehend what that meant compared to them. It took them 776 years to go from chemical rockets to Jump-1 and another 3,805 to get to jump-2. We went from Sputnik to our first Jump in 128 years and were using jump-2 drives a mere 37 years later. They were utterly befuddled by the jump-3 equipped ships just more than 100 years after that; something they never developed on their own."
-- Captain Christopher Harrington "Memories of the Nth Interstellar War"
Hi Power Clone
Marv has obtained an FÉG made copy of a Hi Power. HIs came from the same Gunbroker vendor I used and because it's not a real FN, it was $200 cheaper!
The thing is even marked with "FABRIQUE NATIONALE HERSTAL BELGIQUE" on the slide.
The proof marks are a close to FN's, but not quite and the barrel proof is in the wrong spot. Other FN inspection marks are missing and the serial number is not of any Belgian pattern.
The theory goes that Israel needed more Hi Powers and getting them marked so slid them past the US busybodies who would have been upset about Israel doing business with Communist Hungary while the Cold War was still a going concern.
Mine is a Mark II. The FÉG is a clone of a post-62 Mark I. Ring hammer, small one-sided safety.
The thing is even marked with "FABRIQUE NATIONALE HERSTAL BELGIQUE" on the slide.
The proof marks are a close to FN's, but not quite and the barrel proof is in the wrong spot. Other FN inspection marks are missing and the serial number is not of any Belgian pattern.
The theory goes that Israel needed more Hi Powers and getting them marked so slid them past the US busybodies who would have been upset about Israel doing business with Communist Hungary while the Cold War was still a going concern.
Mine is a Mark II. The FÉG is a clone of a post-62 Mark I. Ring hammer, small one-sided safety.
02 December 2013
Taxes Again
Reading this; h/t Mike
The solution is dirt simple.
Since this is genuine interstate commerce, Congress can stick it's ugly head into it.
They can pass a law.
All it has to do is define WHERE the transaction takes place.
The simplest solution is to have the commerce occur in the jurisdiction of the vendor. That way they only have to learn the tax laws of where they're physically located (just like a brick and mortar retailer). That is both simple and fair.
Demanding the taxes be collected based on the customer's location opens up a sticky wicket. A tar baby I don't want sitting on the log next to me!
Customer based taxes open the door to collecting those taxes when we're not at home. Although it might be amusing to only have to pay the 7% sales tax Florida and my county impose while in a place where the state sales taxes are much higher, like Minnesota.
The solution is dirt simple.
Since this is genuine interstate commerce, Congress can stick it's ugly head into it.
They can pass a law.
All it has to do is define WHERE the transaction takes place.
The simplest solution is to have the commerce occur in the jurisdiction of the vendor. That way they only have to learn the tax laws of where they're physically located (just like a brick and mortar retailer). That is both simple and fair.
Demanding the taxes be collected based on the customer's location opens up a sticky wicket. A tar baby I don't want sitting on the log next to me!
Customer based taxes open the door to collecting those taxes when we're not at home. Although it might be amusing to only have to pay the 7% sales tax Florida and my county impose while in a place where the state sales taxes are much higher, like Minnesota.
Can't Wait Until Tuesday
Something that gets one down about Traveller and gets one up too is the tech.
In many ways it's pure handwaviumdoubletalkide. In others it's simply contemporary technology you could buy at the store in 1985.
It has a grit that attracts fans of crunchy sci-fi in the same way that Known Space from Niven does. Niven is pure space opera in his technology, but it's SO internally consistent you forget he's just behind the curtain waving his hands.
Traveller has this kind of consistency because people have been pounding the inclusions out of Marc W Miller's raw iron for nearly forty years.
It leads one to aim rather lower in ones explanations of how things work because you want them to retain that grittiness that lends realism to a not very real universe.
It's why I can, in detail, tell you what the major controls are for piloting a Type S. It's why I actually thought about the practical problems associated with wearing a space suit 24/7. You flat cannot wear an A7L longer than a few hours at a time; you'd go insane. It's not made to be worn for much longer than it was and the discomforts are additive.
The debates and thoughts about the tech are why when the deck-plan says "iris valve" I read it as "powered hatch".
It's why I thought about giant windows in the huge ballroom shown on the deck-plans for a luxury passenger ship and how you'd deal with one breaking. Even considered layers of redundancy. Emergency doors are concealed in the walls and their tracks have flip over covers so there's no coamings to trip over. Then there's rescue balls under every single seat and lots that pop out of the walls and ceilings.
I thought about your air supply should you be caught in your skin-tight with nothing but your bag helmet while manning the nav-station. You get a detachable bottle that's with the acceleration couch, which has a larger non-removeable bottle too and those are both charged with a network of air lines throughout the ship. You can take your umbilical hose and plug into that network at any of several points spaced conveniently about the ship. Those plug fittings have a non-electrical visual and tactile indicator to show if there's pressure in the line at that point and there are check valves to isolate perforated sections to allow the remainder to keep working.
I thought about gravity failures because that's one system that's sacrosanct in virtually every movie or TV sci-fi depiction. In particular the Klingon's having no idea how to deal with zero-G despite being mighty space warriors. A fucking cub scout in The Third Imperium learns zero-g because "be prepared" is still the scout motto! The spacer section of that huge passenger ship doesn't have giant rooms or capacious corridors. You are never more than arms length from a wall or a hand-hold because you need to be able to MOVE if you're going to do anything useful; and that could mean life or death.
I think too much, but these details seem to be appreciated by my players! They did keep coming back week after week when I wasn't the only choice.
In many ways it's pure handwaviumdoubletalkide. In others it's simply contemporary technology you could buy at the store in 1985.
It has a grit that attracts fans of crunchy sci-fi in the same way that Known Space from Niven does. Niven is pure space opera in his technology, but it's SO internally consistent you forget he's just behind the curtain waving his hands.
Traveller has this kind of consistency because people have been pounding the inclusions out of Marc W Miller's raw iron for nearly forty years.
It leads one to aim rather lower in ones explanations of how things work because you want them to retain that grittiness that lends realism to a not very real universe.
It's why I can, in detail, tell you what the major controls are for piloting a Type S. It's why I actually thought about the practical problems associated with wearing a space suit 24/7. You flat cannot wear an A7L longer than a few hours at a time; you'd go insane. It's not made to be worn for much longer than it was and the discomforts are additive.
The debates and thoughts about the tech are why when the deck-plan says "iris valve" I read it as "powered hatch".
It's why I thought about giant windows in the huge ballroom shown on the deck-plans for a luxury passenger ship and how you'd deal with one breaking. Even considered layers of redundancy. Emergency doors are concealed in the walls and their tracks have flip over covers so there's no coamings to trip over. Then there's rescue balls under every single seat and lots that pop out of the walls and ceilings.
I thought about your air supply should you be caught in your skin-tight with nothing but your bag helmet while manning the nav-station. You get a detachable bottle that's with the acceleration couch, which has a larger non-removeable bottle too and those are both charged with a network of air lines throughout the ship. You can take your umbilical hose and plug into that network at any of several points spaced conveniently about the ship. Those plug fittings have a non-electrical visual and tactile indicator to show if there's pressure in the line at that point and there are check valves to isolate perforated sections to allow the remainder to keep working.
I thought about gravity failures because that's one system that's sacrosanct in virtually every movie or TV sci-fi depiction. In particular the Klingon's having no idea how to deal with zero-G despite being mighty space warriors. A fucking cub scout in The Third Imperium learns zero-g because "be prepared" is still the scout motto! The spacer section of that huge passenger ship doesn't have giant rooms or capacious corridors. You are never more than arms length from a wall or a hand-hold because you need to be able to MOVE if you're going to do anything useful; and that could mean life or death.
I think too much, but these details seem to be appreciated by my players! They did keep coming back week after week when I wasn't the only choice.
By The Way...
Ammoman, first fix is free.
You want endorsements for your 2014 Black Friday sale you gotta cough up some lucre.
Since you sold out of the ammo by the pound entirely from traffic generated by the 17 page-views from my page I think you owe me.
Something in 6.8 SPC suits me. It will also piss off the FCC, so there's an added inducement.
You want endorsements for your 2014 Black Friday sale you gotta cough up some lucre.
Since you sold out of the ammo by the pound entirely from traffic generated by the 17 page-views from my page I think you owe me.
Something in 6.8 SPC suits me. It will also piss off the FCC, so there's an added inducement.
01 December 2013
Gift Worm
My birthday and Christmas are just around the corner.
45A04.40 Goggles with all lenses. $19.95
Just sayin'...
Puttin' it out there...
Especially since I just took out my better pair of safety glasses when a spring broke.
No pressure...
45A04.40 Goggles with all lenses. $19.95
Just sayin'...
Puttin' it out there...
Especially since I just took out my better pair of safety glasses when a spring broke.
No pressure...
Ow
I didn't shave for a month because of this silly Movember thing.
The straight razor will get it done, but it's not happy work. Them long hairs have a tendency to snag from outside the cutting area.
Damn but my face do feel lighter though.
The straight razor will get it done, but it's not happy work. Them long hairs have a tendency to snag from outside the cutting area.
Damn but my face do feel lighter though.
Ruminant
If I seem to be obsessing about my L2A2 SUIT, well I am.
I occurs to me that the Brits were way ahead of the rest of the world with the idea of issuing an optical sight to every grunt.
Who doesn't these days? (Rhetorical question)
Without the SUIT there probably wouldn't be ELCAN. Then SUSAT, Aimpoint, ACOG, EOTech... The G23 would probably have iron sights.
Speaking of ACOG...
There's several marked similarities in concept between the old SUIT and the ACOG. This makes me excited about my SUIT because I'm getting the performance and saving on the order of $1,000.
I know my scope is tough. It survived at least a week underwater then years sitting in the same box that it was submerged in. Yes, there was some rust, but it cleaned up for the most part and while that made it ugly; it's still completely functional (except for that worn spring).
I see these scopes on ebay and gunbroker running for $250. What they are lacking is good mounts for modern guns since TAPCO stopped making the weaver mount I am using.
There are a couple of sellers on gunbroker who have the TAPCO mount; if you're looking for a good solid 4x scope for your rifle and are on something of a budget; you can't go too far wrong picking one up.
I occurs to me that the Brits were way ahead of the rest of the world with the idea of issuing an optical sight to every grunt.
Who doesn't these days? (Rhetorical question)
Without the SUIT there probably wouldn't be ELCAN. Then SUSAT, Aimpoint, ACOG, EOTech... The G23 would probably have iron sights.
Speaking of ACOG...
There's several marked similarities in concept between the old SUIT and the ACOG. This makes me excited about my SUIT because I'm getting the performance and saving on the order of $1,000.
I know my scope is tough. It survived at least a week underwater then years sitting in the same box that it was submerged in. Yes, there was some rust, but it cleaned up for the most part and while that made it ugly; it's still completely functional (except for that worn spring).
I see these scopes on ebay and gunbroker running for $250. What they are lacking is good mounts for modern guns since TAPCO stopped making the weaver mount I am using.
There are a couple of sellers on gunbroker who have the TAPCO mount; if you're looking for a good solid 4x scope for your rifle and are on something of a budget; you can't go too far wrong picking one up.
30 November 2013
Two Steps Forward One Step Back
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.
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.
.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...
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