Ever start a post that you thought was going to be brilliantly clever and funny; only to read it and notice that it wasn't brilliant, clever or funny?
Yeah. That just happened to me.
Luckily I caught it before launch and you are spared!
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15 January 2014
14 January 2014
Thought It Over
Lone Survivor is the video companion to the book.
It does not really stand alone well as a movie, the introduction to the characters and why they are so very close to each other isn't in the film at all.
I've noticed that people who've read Luttrel's book all find the movie differently than those who haven't.
The film has also sparked some debate about how SEALs go about their missions.
The playtest for GURPS: SEALs in Vietnam , which included a lot of history notes, showed an entirely different organization than what there is today. The men and their methodology is different too.
They've lost something.
It does not really stand alone well as a movie, the introduction to the characters and why they are so very close to each other isn't in the film at all.
I've noticed that people who've read Luttrel's book all find the movie differently than those who haven't.
The film has also sparked some debate about how SEALs go about their missions.
The playtest for GURPS: SEALs in Vietnam , which included a lot of history notes, showed an entirely different organization than what there is today. The men and their methodology is different too.
They've lost something.
Magazines
Some 6.8x43mm magazines.
Left to right: 30-round Barret, 25-round C-Products, 17-round (cough 15) AR-Stoner, 5-round C-Products.
The 25 rounder is the same form factor as a USGI 30-round 5.56 magazine and the "17" rounder is the same form as an old USGI 20 rounder.
5 round magazine (loaded): 0.5 lb. (0.1 per round)
15 round magazine (loaded): 0.8 lb. (0.053 per round)
25 round magazine (loaded): 1.3 lb. (0.052 per round)
30 round magazine (loaded): 1.7 lb. (0.056 per round)
Left to right: 30-round Barret, 25-round C-Products, 17-round (cough 15) AR-Stoner, 5-round C-Products.
The 25 rounder is the same form factor as a USGI 30-round 5.56 magazine and the "17" rounder is the same form as an old USGI 20 rounder.
5 round magazine (loaded): 0.5 lb. (0.1 per round)
15 round magazine (loaded): 0.8 lb. (0.053 per round)
25 round magazine (loaded): 1.3 lb. (0.052 per round)
30 round magazine (loaded): 1.7 lb. (0.056 per round)
Jump Precipitation
A large mass is needed at the destination point to exit jumpspace.
It is mathematically proven, undeniable.
Even Vilani mathematicians and physicists confirm Terran theories using their slightly different assumptions in advanced mathematics. Isn't it odd that a different route leads to the same destination?
However, neither Terran or Imperial theory accounts for a peculiar form of misjump. The ship would enter jumpspace normally and spend the requisite week there then would pop back into normal space exactly where it had left. This was puzzling and frustrating to science. To enter jumpspace, the ship had to be well clear of large masses of the sort that are required to exit.
Clearly a jump to empty space is possible. It's inexplicable, but possible...
It is mathematically proven, undeniable.
Even Vilani mathematicians and physicists confirm Terran theories using their slightly different assumptions in advanced mathematics. Isn't it odd that a different route leads to the same destination?
However, neither Terran or Imperial theory accounts for a peculiar form of misjump. The ship would enter jumpspace normally and spend the requisite week there then would pop back into normal space exactly where it had left. This was puzzling and frustrating to science. To enter jumpspace, the ship had to be well clear of large masses of the sort that are required to exit.
Clearly a jump to empty space is possible. It's inexplicable, but possible...
13 January 2014
Desolate
When was it decided that dragons don't have forelimbs?
It bothered me in Dragonslayer and it still bothers me in Desolation of Smaug.
Fire breathing wyverns they are.
It bothered me in Dragonslayer and it still bothers me in Desolation of Smaug.
Fire breathing wyverns they are.
My Forgiveness
In my Placekeeper post, I mentioned that S&W and Ruger have made amends.
I am less certain about Colt.
They for so long really acted like they didn't need or want the commercial market.
The numerous, preemptive and voluntary changes they made to their AR's just made them seem willing to sell out for more sweet government lucre.
At least H&K, while they hate us for sucking, was ham strung by both German AND US laws about what they could sell and import.
I don't think that Colt ever really did anything to deserve being boycotting. They got a defacto boycott from me because I didn't want a neutered AR and I couldn't afford one of their 1911's for so very long. Add that to the small fact that they no longer make the Colts I want to buy like a Python or Anaconda.
Their history of late has been that of catching up while others dominated the markets they discovered. The AR and Mustang are glaring examples here.
One thing they actively did that pissed me off was their LEO sales policies. There were no legal reasons to not sell LE marked rifles to anyone who had the money, and many dealers decided that private cash was just as green as police. Sanctioning LE dealers for selling to non-LEO customers and refusing to service or warranty those guns was bad form.
Bad form that didn't last very long at all. They'll just happily sell you an LE6920 as a C6920 now. And with the merger back into a single corporate entity, I am not sure that there's any difference between the two models.
I am less certain about Colt.
They for so long really acted like they didn't need or want the commercial market.
The numerous, preemptive and voluntary changes they made to their AR's just made them seem willing to sell out for more sweet government lucre.
At least H&K, while they hate us for sucking, was ham strung by both German AND US laws about what they could sell and import.
I don't think that Colt ever really did anything to deserve being boycotting. They got a defacto boycott from me because I didn't want a neutered AR and I couldn't afford one of their 1911's for so very long. Add that to the small fact that they no longer make the Colts I want to buy like a Python or Anaconda.
Their history of late has been that of catching up while others dominated the markets they discovered. The AR and Mustang are glaring examples here.
One thing they actively did that pissed me off was their LEO sales policies. There were no legal reasons to not sell LE marked rifles to anyone who had the money, and many dealers decided that private cash was just as green as police. Sanctioning LE dealers for selling to non-LEO customers and refusing to service or warranty those guns was bad form.
Bad form that didn't last very long at all. They'll just happily sell you an LE6920 as a C6920 now. And with the merger back into a single corporate entity, I am not sure that there's any difference between the two models.
Just Noticed Something
I was reading about how a talk show's copy of a screener DVD had been leaked to the torrents.
Every once and a while such films have a caption, "This viewing copy is provided for awards consideration only and is not for sale or public presentation" or similar disclaimer.
What I just noticed is the people voting on the awards are not expected to actually support their own art form by paying for a ticket, running the snack bar gauntlet and planting their ass in a theater seat.
And if they're not going to pay for it when their livelihood is at stake, how can they expect us to?
Update:
I'm talking about Oscar screeners not copies given to critics. The distinction was crystal clear in my mind when I posted, but obviously I didn't bother to actually SAY it was about Oscar screeners.
DOH!
Every once and a while such films have a caption, "This viewing copy is provided for awards consideration only and is not for sale or public presentation" or similar disclaimer.
What I just noticed is the people voting on the awards are not expected to actually support their own art form by paying for a ticket, running the snack bar gauntlet and planting their ass in a theater seat.
And if they're not going to pay for it when their livelihood is at stake, how can they expect us to?
Update:
I'm talking about Oscar screeners not copies given to critics. The distinction was crystal clear in my mind when I posted, but obviously I didn't bother to actually SAY it was about Oscar screeners.
DOH!
Lone Survivor
Despite The Lovely Harvey's co-worker's assessment that it wasn't a very good movie...
Despite her assessment that "all these movies are the same"...
I went and saw it.
I'd read the book.
I know how it ends and once the fight started, I didn't want to watch anymore.
Spoiler
Despite her assessment that "all these movies are the same"...
I went and saw it.
I'd read the book.
I know how it ends and once the fight started, I didn't want to watch anymore.
Spoiler
12 January 2014
Placekeeper
Just to remind me why I stopped buying, or refuse to buy products from certain makers.
HS Precision. Have they even said they were sorry about hiring Lon yet?
Troy Industries. Hired Lon's partner!
Buh WHUH!?!
I am willing to forgive if I get an apology and the company sins no more.
S&W is a good example. The new owners made good dumping the Clinton deal.
Ruger is less good, but they seem to be dumping Bill's bullshit in deed if not word.
HS Precision. Have they even said they were sorry about hiring Lon yet?
Troy Industries. Hired Lon's partner!
Buh WHUH!?!
I am willing to forgive if I get an apology and the company sins no more.
S&W is a good example. The new owners made good dumping the Clinton deal.
Ruger is less good, but they seem to be dumping Bill's bullshit in deed if not word.
Things That Almost Happened
When GURPS 4th edition first came out, there was some debate about if I'd change over from 3e.
At the time I was considering Old West for a campaign, in fact you can find my pre-High Tech 4e conversion of all the guns I'd ever heard of from the era out there online.
What surprises me most is my friends. Not one of them, upon hearing I was doing Old West, asked, "what revision?"
At the time I was considering Old West for a campaign, in fact you can find my pre-High Tech 4e conversion of all the guns I'd ever heard of from the era out there online.
What surprises me most is my friends. Not one of them, upon hearing I was doing Old West, asked, "what revision?"
Misdiagnosis
Turns out I am not depressed.
I am just bored.
The life of a housewife is not very time consuming; there are vast tracts of time where everything is as clean as it's going to get and the next task will be wasted if begun immediately.
You'd think with the internet and 500 channels of TV I wouldn't be bored...
The problem stems from the time between tasks where there's not enough time to start a diversion before the next task must begin.
I am just bored.
The life of a housewife is not very time consuming; there are vast tracts of time where everything is as clean as it's going to get and the next task will be wasted if begun immediately.
You'd think with the internet and 500 channels of TV I wouldn't be bored...
The problem stems from the time between tasks where there's not enough time to start a diversion before the next task must begin.
11 January 2014
Simplify
Reading at Tam's (you DO know how to get there without a link, right?)
She links to a fisking of the Metcalf interview.
I've a new to me way to rephrase the 2nd Amendment.
The people have a right to arms, Government may not intrude upon that right; also, you need a well trained militia to keep The State free.
She links to a fisking of the Metcalf interview.
I've a new to me way to rephrase the 2nd Amendment.
The people have a right to arms, Government may not intrude upon that right; also, you need a well trained militia to keep The State free.
Pocket Carry And GURPS
I'm going to limit this to guns I own, have owned or might own...
A .25 ACP such as a Colt Vest Pocket does a whopping 1d pi-. That translates to 1-3 points of damage on the torso, with an average of 1. They're light and handy, most give six or seven shots with a Rcl 2 for under a pound. Range is an anemic 90/950; Acc 1.
A .380 ACP SIG-Sauer P238 gives 2d-1 pi, 1-11 points of damage with an average of 6. 6+1 shots with a Rcl of 2 to a range of 110/1,200; Acc 1. Loaded the gun weighs 0.94 lb. and a spare mag is 0.2 lb.
A SIG-Sauer P232, also .380 gives the same damage but gets an extra shot. It weighs 1.2 lb. loaded and a reload runs 0.2 lb. The P232 is pushing the limits of pocket carry in terms of size. 120/1,300; Acc 1 is the range.
The ancient Colt Pocket Hammerless, again in .380 ACP, is 1.7 lb. loaded with spares coming in at 0.2 lb. Damage is 2d pi (2-12 points average 7) and range and number of shots is the same as the P232. As the name implies, it's dimensioned well for the pocket, it's just kinda heavy.
A Smith and Wesson 640-3 loaded with .357 Magnum tips the scales at 1.6 lb. A speed loader is a mere 0.2 lb. but it only gets five shots with a severe Rcl 5. Range is decent with 180/2,000; Acc 2. The size and shape fits the pocket well and the 2d+2 pi damage lands 4-14 points of damage with an average of 9. It takes a -1 to skill for being double action only in addition to the recoil.
The new Remington R51 will do 2d+1 pi damage (8 average, 3-13 spread) with 7+1 shots and Rcl 2. It's very similar in size to the Pocket Hammerless and weighs in at 1.4 lb loaded; spares are 0.4 lb though! Range is 160/1,800: Acc 1.
Let's say we have a skill of 12 in Guns/TL8 (Pistol).
At social ranges, say 7 yards; the range penalty is -3. Since not much aiming (in GURPS terms) happens that gives us a 9 or less chance to land a round on the target with any gun listed, except the DAO revolver which has an 8.
On average 3d will give us a 10, so on average, we miss. All these guns have a RoF of 3. The semi-autos need a 9 to hit with one round, 7 to hit with two and a 5 to hit with all three. The revolver needs an 8 to land a single and a 3 for a double tap; forget hitting with the third.
Taking a second to aim ups the 640 to a 10 for the first shot, 5 for the second.
And this is just to hit the torso! Vitals is an additional -3!
What's your skill level in real life? Well GURPS is scaled so that the stress of combat is built into the chance to hit. At your typical indoor pistol range, the targets don't shoot back, +1; you know how far it is to the target +4; and the lighting is ideal +3. A fist size group is hitting a -5 target. If you're taking your time, you're getting the Acc bonus for the gun; and most people are shooting at RoF 1 or less.
So, with our .357 snubby... We've got a Skill+5 to land that fist size group. If you have a Skill of 12, that's a 17 to hit! Basically you can do that all day. Hell, you have better than a 50-50 of getting a second hit in the same turn at the range. It'd be 17-12-7 for three shots to hit inside that fist sized circle and 18-13-8 still scores inside an 18" circle.
Even if you use the full RoF and hit the silhouette target with every shot from your 640 every time, your skill might only be XX. You start at Skill+10 to aim at a torso sized target; so to land all three shots you only need to get under your raw skill number with your roll. A skill of 12 is a 74% chance of hitting all three rounds at 7 yards at the range. A 13 is 83%.
The point is to not get cocky. That 13 requires a 0.5% chance of 3 to land all three rounds when there's a fight on! Heck, there's just barely more than a 1 in 4 chance to land two.
A .25 ACP such as a Colt Vest Pocket does a whopping 1d pi-. That translates to 1-3 points of damage on the torso, with an average of 1. They're light and handy, most give six or seven shots with a Rcl 2 for under a pound. Range is an anemic 90/950; Acc 1.
A .380 ACP SIG-Sauer P238 gives 2d-1 pi, 1-11 points of damage with an average of 6. 6+1 shots with a Rcl of 2 to a range of 110/1,200; Acc 1. Loaded the gun weighs 0.94 lb. and a spare mag is 0.2 lb.
A SIG-Sauer P232, also .380 gives the same damage but gets an extra shot. It weighs 1.2 lb. loaded and a reload runs 0.2 lb. The P232 is pushing the limits of pocket carry in terms of size. 120/1,300; Acc 1 is the range.
The ancient Colt Pocket Hammerless, again in .380 ACP, is 1.7 lb. loaded with spares coming in at 0.2 lb. Damage is 2d pi (2-12 points average 7) and range and number of shots is the same as the P232. As the name implies, it's dimensioned well for the pocket, it's just kinda heavy.
A Smith and Wesson 640-3 loaded with .357 Magnum tips the scales at 1.6 lb. A speed loader is a mere 0.2 lb. but it only gets five shots with a severe Rcl 5. Range is decent with 180/2,000; Acc 2. The size and shape fits the pocket well and the 2d+2 pi damage lands 4-14 points of damage with an average of 9. It takes a -1 to skill for being double action only in addition to the recoil.
The new Remington R51 will do 2d+1 pi damage (8 average, 3-13 spread) with 7+1 shots and Rcl 2. It's very similar in size to the Pocket Hammerless and weighs in at 1.4 lb loaded; spares are 0.4 lb though! Range is 160/1,800: Acc 1.
Let's say we have a skill of 12 in Guns/TL8 (Pistol).
At social ranges, say 7 yards; the range penalty is -3. Since not much aiming (in GURPS terms) happens that gives us a 9 or less chance to land a round on the target with any gun listed, except the DAO revolver which has an 8.
On average 3d will give us a 10, so on average, we miss. All these guns have a RoF of 3. The semi-autos need a 9 to hit with one round, 7 to hit with two and a 5 to hit with all three. The revolver needs an 8 to land a single and a 3 for a double tap; forget hitting with the third.
Taking a second to aim ups the 640 to a 10 for the first shot, 5 for the second.
And this is just to hit the torso! Vitals is an additional -3!
What's your skill level in real life? Well GURPS is scaled so that the stress of combat is built into the chance to hit. At your typical indoor pistol range, the targets don't shoot back, +1; you know how far it is to the target +4; and the lighting is ideal +3. A fist size group is hitting a -5 target. If you're taking your time, you're getting the Acc bonus for the gun; and most people are shooting at RoF 1 or less.
So, with our .357 snubby... We've got a Skill+5 to land that fist size group. If you have a Skill of 12, that's a 17 to hit! Basically you can do that all day. Hell, you have better than a 50-50 of getting a second hit in the same turn at the range. It'd be 17-12-7 for three shots to hit inside that fist sized circle and 18-13-8 still scores inside an 18" circle.
Even if you use the full RoF and hit the silhouette target with every shot from your 640 every time, your skill might only be XX. You start at Skill+10 to aim at a torso sized target; so to land all three shots you only need to get under your raw skill number with your roll. A skill of 12 is a 74% chance of hitting all three rounds at 7 yards at the range. A 13 is 83%.
The point is to not get cocky. That 13 requires a 0.5% chance of 3 to land all three rounds when there's a fight on! Heck, there's just barely more than a 1 in 4 chance to land two.
08 January 2014
Has It Been That Long
Fifty years ago today, LBJ signed us up for the War on Poverty.
Fifty. 50. Five Zero. L.
I seem to recall certain folks comparing the war onTarrah Terror to WW2.
We entered World War 2 on Dec 8, 1941 and were done with the shooting part on Aug 15, 1945.
Less than four years.
War on Poverty: 50
War on Drugs: 41 in June.
War on Terror: 13 in September.
Of course the last real war we fought where we actually pulled all the troops home was World War One!
We've still got troops occupying territory from the Spanish American War; 115 years.
World War Two segueing into The Cold War saw troops remaining in all three Axis nations. 69 years this year.
We're still in Korea. 60 years.
We fought a win in Vietnam, but didn't do what it took to keep it. But, hey! the troops are all home!
We're still on station from the First Iraq War. That's old enough to drink now.
We're still in the Balkans, old enough to smoke.
I am thinking we don't fight to win anymore. We don't like what it means to do what it takes to win, so we do things half assed until critical mass is reached politically to just give up. Which is far worse than never fighting in the first place.
Fifty. 50. Five Zero. L.
I seem to recall certain folks comparing the war on
We entered World War 2 on Dec 8, 1941 and were done with the shooting part on Aug 15, 1945.
Less than four years.
War on Poverty: 50
War on Drugs: 41 in June.
War on Terror: 13 in September.
Of course the last real war we fought where we actually pulled all the troops home was World War One!
We've still got troops occupying territory from the Spanish American War; 115 years.
World War Two segueing into The Cold War saw troops remaining in all three Axis nations. 69 years this year.
We're still in Korea. 60 years.
We fought a win in Vietnam, but didn't do what it took to keep it. But, hey! the troops are all home!
We're still on station from the First Iraq War. That's old enough to drink now.
We're still in the Balkans, old enough to smoke.
I am thinking we don't fight to win anymore. We don't like what it means to do what it takes to win, so we do things half assed until critical mass is reached politically to just give up. Which is far worse than never fighting in the first place.
UPS
I can now operate my desktop for half an hour without power!
It takes two 1,500 VA battery back-ups to do it.
Mac Pro is a power hog as are the two Dell 2408WFP 24" monitors.
UPS A with the monitors, router and speakers draws 174w. UPS B with the machine and a desk light draws 155w.
Take that Al Gore!
It takes two 1,500 VA battery back-ups to do it.
Mac Pro is a power hog as are the two Dell 2408WFP 24" monitors.
UPS A with the monitors, router and speakers draws 174w. UPS B with the machine and a desk light draws 155w.
Take that Al Gore!
Magazine Mystery
My Hi Power came with a brand-new Mec Gar 13 rounder. A friend gave me an old parkerized 13 rounder he had laying around.
The old magazine would often not accept more than 12 rounds and would not feed reliably.
Trying to troubleshoot the problem, I took the spring and follower from the Mec Gar and put it in the old magazine. Problem solved!
On a lark, I put the old spring and follower into the Mec Gar body... Works just fine.
All in all I am happy that I went from 1.5 magazines to two. I wonder what critical dimension or tolerance stack-up caused the problem with the old mag.
The old magazine would often not accept more than 12 rounds and would not feed reliably.
Trying to troubleshoot the problem, I took the spring and follower from the Mec Gar and put it in the old magazine. Problem solved!
On a lark, I put the old spring and follower into the Mec Gar body... Works just fine.
All in all I am happy that I went from 1.5 magazines to two. I wonder what critical dimension or tolerance stack-up caused the problem with the old mag.
07 January 2014
Dottie Weight Clarification
Weight and Six Eight might have been a tad confusing...
Bare rifle: 6.9 lb.
5 round magazine (loaded): 0.5 lb.
15 round magazine (loaded): 0.8 lb.
25 round magazine (loaded): 1.3 lb.
30 round magazine (loaded): 1.7 lb.
Tapco SUIT mount: 0.5 lb.
SUIT L2A2: 1.0 lb.
Surefire X300 light: 0.2 lb.
Harris 1A2 Ultralight bipod: 0.8 lb.
Magpul MS3 single QD sling: 0.4 lb.
Bare rifle: 6.9 lb.
5 round magazine (loaded): 0.5 lb.
15 round magazine (loaded): 0.8 lb.
25 round magazine (loaded): 1.3 lb.
30 round magazine (loaded): 1.7 lb.
Tapco SUIT mount: 0.5 lb.
SUIT L2A2: 1.0 lb.
Surefire X300 light: 0.2 lb.
Harris 1A2 Ultralight bipod: 0.8 lb.
Magpul MS3 single QD sling: 0.4 lb.
Zen
It was 33˚ F outside in sunny Florida today. Nothing compared to the midwest, but it does make for some interesting cloud formations!
Funniest Thing I've Read Today
"Guns with grip safeties invariably have poor triggers." in reference to the new Remington R-51 using one.
Really?
Here I was thinking that the 1911 had a grip safety. I was also under the impression that one of the things that the plastic fantastic crowd would concede to the "obsolete" Browning design was that it had a pretty good trigger.
My Pocket Hammerless has a good trigger. So do the Vest Pockets.
How can this be?
Because the grip safety is a block not an engagement. It interferes with the movement of the trigger or hammer rather than creating a link that allows them to move.
I am really wracking my brain trying to think of other designs that have grip safeties.
Springfield's XD series.
Remington's original model 51 and upcoming R-51.
IMI Uzi?
S&W Lemon Squeezer? Yeah, I guess a double action revolver would seem to have a crummy trigger compared to a modern Glock, but when was the last one made and how common are they today?
If they're thinking of the H&K P7M13, I don't think they understand how the parabellum staple-gun works.
Or the Ortgies...
Help me out here, Tam; you have a lot more experience with them thar ancient bullet launchers; who else did a grip safety and did the trigger suck?
Really?
Here I was thinking that the 1911 had a grip safety. I was also under the impression that one of the things that the plastic fantastic crowd would concede to the "obsolete" Browning design was that it had a pretty good trigger.
My Pocket Hammerless has a good trigger. So do the Vest Pockets.
How can this be?
Because the grip safety is a block not an engagement. It interferes with the movement of the trigger or hammer rather than creating a link that allows them to move.
I am really wracking my brain trying to think of other designs that have grip safeties.
Springfield's XD series.
Remington's original model 51 and upcoming R-51.
IMI Uzi?
S&W Lemon Squeezer? Yeah, I guess a double action revolver would seem to have a crummy trigger compared to a modern Glock, but when was the last one made and how common are they today?
If they're thinking of the H&K P7M13, I don't think they understand how the parabellum staple-gun works.
Or the Ortgies...
Help me out here, Tam; you have a lot more experience with them thar ancient bullet launchers; who else did a grip safety and did the trigger suck?
Mister Glock And I
I've owned several Glocks over the years.
I still own a Glock 21. I've owned it since 1992, longer than I've owned any other gun.
My first was a G17, bought in 1989 when the Army had a SNAFU. They took away our 1911's and the .45 ACP in anticipation of our issue of the M9, but something went wrong and we didn't get our new guns, but we did get the ammo. Since we were deploying to the Czech border so the unit normally stationed there could go to Graf, we got special dispensation (most of us were too young) to buy and carry anything we could lay hands on that fired 9x19mm. I chose Glock.
My second, and third G17's (One 1st gen, one 2nd gen) didn't last long. One of them was given to Aunty Bat, she still has it. The 1st gen was sold off, probably to pay a bill.
The Glock 21 was the first one I'd ever seen in the wild and I called in a favor to get it.
I say all this to establish that I don't dislike Glock.
But I've never bought into the whole "Perfection" thing. If Glock was perfect there'd just be one model and one generation.
When the 17 first came out it was revolutionary and controversial. It was the first plastic framed gun that got wide market penetration. Using a striker was unusual. Skipping the manual safety is still debated today almost thirty years later. Actually, now that I've learned a lot more about guns I can see that the Glock wasn't very revolutionary at all, but rather it was daring to combine all of the features in one gun when they did and tout it the way they did and still do.
I was attracted to the cutting edge then, and Glock was.
Was.
Glock is pretty much like every other stodgy gunmaker now. What do they do that no other company does?
Which brings me to the Glock 42. A locked breech .380 pocket pistol? Gee, like a Colt Mustang or SIG P238? Made from plastic, oh like a Kel Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP? Holy ten years ago!
Where they missed the boat was producing narrower single stack versions of most of their guns. There's a demand. A 2/3 wide Glock 19 would be a FINE carry gun.
Especially since SIG has the P938 and Ruger has the LC9 which are nearly the same size and 9x19mm. It's almost mocked by Remington's entry into the field with their R-51, again in 9x19mm.
None of that would keep me from buying another Glock. A lack of innovation doesn't mean they don't make good guns, but their marketing department is making fools of them. I sympathize. There's only so many ways you can say, "in X caliber and shorter than..."
I still own a Glock 21. I've owned it since 1992, longer than I've owned any other gun.
My first was a G17, bought in 1989 when the Army had a SNAFU. They took away our 1911's and the .45 ACP in anticipation of our issue of the M9, but something went wrong and we didn't get our new guns, but we did get the ammo. Since we were deploying to the Czech border so the unit normally stationed there could go to Graf, we got special dispensation (most of us were too young) to buy and carry anything we could lay hands on that fired 9x19mm. I chose Glock.
My second, and third G17's (One 1st gen, one 2nd gen) didn't last long. One of them was given to Aunty Bat, she still has it. The 1st gen was sold off, probably to pay a bill.
The Glock 21 was the first one I'd ever seen in the wild and I called in a favor to get it.
I say all this to establish that I don't dislike Glock.
But I've never bought into the whole "Perfection" thing. If Glock was perfect there'd just be one model and one generation.
When the 17 first came out it was revolutionary and controversial. It was the first plastic framed gun that got wide market penetration. Using a striker was unusual. Skipping the manual safety is still debated today almost thirty years later. Actually, now that I've learned a lot more about guns I can see that the Glock wasn't very revolutionary at all, but rather it was daring to combine all of the features in one gun when they did and tout it the way they did and still do.
I was attracted to the cutting edge then, and Glock was.
Was.
Glock is pretty much like every other stodgy gunmaker now. What do they do that no other company does?
Which brings me to the Glock 42. A locked breech .380 pocket pistol? Gee, like a Colt Mustang or SIG P238? Made from plastic, oh like a Kel Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP? Holy ten years ago!
Where they missed the boat was producing narrower single stack versions of most of their guns. There's a demand. A 2/3 wide Glock 19 would be a FINE carry gun.
Especially since SIG has the P938 and Ruger has the LC9 which are nearly the same size and 9x19mm. It's almost mocked by Remington's entry into the field with their R-51, again in 9x19mm.
None of that would keep me from buying another Glock. A lack of innovation doesn't mean they don't make good guns, but their marketing department is making fools of them. I sympathize. There's only so many ways you can say, "in X caliber and shorter than..."
06 January 2014
Explaining The Slight
I asked around a lot about Oleg's brainwashing thing.
The replies were interesting.
One group of replies bears mention.
The insult was NOT equivocating slavery with conscription; so carefully explaining that conscription in the US is different from Russia doesn't address the insult at all.
The insult was stating that American draftees had been brainwashed into not being too upset about their non-voluntary service.
I wondered if I was thinking of it wrong, but I looked it up. "Brainwashing" has a common usage as an insult.
The fact is that while American servicemen were indoctrinated into the military, volunteers and draftees got the same training, pay and benefits. In fact, draftees get substantially greater benefits than veterans who volunteered once the Vietnam war ended. Another factoid is that being a draftee actually made you less likely to be sent to Vietnam, it was hard to get a full year tour in with just the two years the Army or Marines had with them. What draftees DID go are nearly universally people who were BRIBED not brainwashed, there were pretty substantial bonuses paid to extend their terms of enlistment (and technically they become volunteers at that point, don't they).
I simply don't care how conscripts in other nations have been treated. The brainwashing reply was to my statement that draftees from US service were, as a whole, not very bitter about the experience.
I have dealt with several people who were genuinely brainwashed by religious cults and there's just not any similarity.
A related group dismissed the insult with, "Well Oleg is Russian." OK, that explains why he's ignorant of how US conscripts are treated. Does it make the insult OK? What insult do I get to spew at will where my specific condition and upbringing excuse it? Do I get to toss out racist insults because I grew up in nearly all white Iowa? Do I get to expound on the joys of misogyny because I am a man? Or do I get called on it and have the fact that I've insulted people explained to me and then have it be expected that I should apologize?
UPDATE: There's an interesting dividing line in the responses too. Veterans who were officers are significantly more likely to not see the insult than enlisted. No such thing as a drafted officer I suppose...
UPDATE 2: On the "should he apologize" front: My great-grandmother on Dad's father's side honestly thought that 'CENSORED' simply meant 'black person'. Not once was it presented to me that "well she's old so it's OK."
The replies were interesting.
One group of replies bears mention.
The insult was NOT equivocating slavery with conscription; so carefully explaining that conscription in the US is different from Russia doesn't address the insult at all.
The insult was stating that American draftees had been brainwashed into not being too upset about their non-voluntary service.
I wondered if I was thinking of it wrong, but I looked it up. "Brainwashing" has a common usage as an insult.
An example...Does that sound like a neutral statement?
Woman are brainwashed into thinking that penetrative sex with a man is not rape.
The fact is that while American servicemen were indoctrinated into the military, volunteers and draftees got the same training, pay and benefits. In fact, draftees get substantially greater benefits than veterans who volunteered once the Vietnam war ended. Another factoid is that being a draftee actually made you less likely to be sent to Vietnam, it was hard to get a full year tour in with just the two years the Army or Marines had with them. What draftees DID go are nearly universally people who were BRIBED not brainwashed, there were pretty substantial bonuses paid to extend their terms of enlistment (and technically they become volunteers at that point, don't they).
I simply don't care how conscripts in other nations have been treated. The brainwashing reply was to my statement that draftees from US service were, as a whole, not very bitter about the experience.
I have dealt with several people who were genuinely brainwashed by religious cults and there's just not any similarity.
A related group dismissed the insult with, "Well Oleg is Russian." OK, that explains why he's ignorant of how US conscripts are treated. Does it make the insult OK? What insult do I get to spew at will where my specific condition and upbringing excuse it? Do I get to toss out racist insults because I grew up in nearly all white Iowa? Do I get to expound on the joys of misogyny because I am a man? Or do I get called on it and have the fact that I've insulted people explained to me and then have it be expected that I should apologize?
UPDATE: There's an interesting dividing line in the responses too. Veterans who were officers are significantly more likely to not see the insult than enlisted. No such thing as a drafted officer I suppose...
UPDATE 2: On the "should he apologize" front: My great-grandmother on Dad's father's side honestly thought that 'CENSORED' simply meant 'black person'. Not once was it presented to me that "well she's old so it's OK."
MinMax Monday
You so often see a character with a bow in post-apocalypse games.
At first blush it seems like a good alternative to a gun because you can recover the arrows.
In practice, if you miss, that arrow is likely to be gone for good unless you're willing and able to spend significant time to finding it. Quite often a hit will ruin an arrow as well.
In GURPS 4e terms a ST 10 person will do 1d-1 imp damage with range values of 150/200 and an Acc of 2 for a regular bow. This weighs 2 lb. and an individual arrow is 0.1 lb. What that gives is 2-10 points of damage to the torso with an average hit of 4. You get one aimed shot every 3 turns.
A bolt action .22 LR, such as an ancient Remington 341 does 1d+2 pi- to 80/1,400 with an Acc of 4. The gun weighs 5.6 lb. loaded and you get 15 shots for 0.1 lb. (included in the weight of the gun); of course it takes 45 seconds to reload fully. This yields 1-4 points of damage to the torso with an average hit of 2. But you get an aimed shot every two turns! Plus, a ST 7 person can manage it without penalty.
The bow seems to be doing better than the gun for damage.
Let's aim for the vitals. The gun gets a slight edge here because it's got one more Acc. It can also be fired braced for another +1.
Damage for the bow changes to 3-15, average of 6. The gun gets 9-24, average of 15.
For the brain (important for zombie hoards) the bow does 0-12, with an average ofjust 4 zero! (skulls have DR 2 which shifts the curve). A .22 does 4-24 with an average of 12.
Performance on limbs and other extremities is nearly identical.
The nearly ubiquitous Ruger 10/22 gets 10 shots before reloading and can dump 3 per turn and only takes 3 turns to reload.
At first blush it seems like a good alternative to a gun because you can recover the arrows.
In practice, if you miss, that arrow is likely to be gone for good unless you're willing and able to spend significant time to finding it. Quite often a hit will ruin an arrow as well.
In GURPS 4e terms a ST 10 person will do 1d-1 imp damage with range values of 150/200 and an Acc of 2 for a regular bow. This weighs 2 lb. and an individual arrow is 0.1 lb. What that gives is 2-10 points of damage to the torso with an average hit of 4. You get one aimed shot every 3 turns.
A bolt action .22 LR, such as an ancient Remington 341 does 1d+2 pi- to 80/1,400 with an Acc of 4. The gun weighs 5.6 lb. loaded and you get 15 shots for 0.1 lb. (included in the weight of the gun); of course it takes 45 seconds to reload fully. This yields 1-4 points of damage to the torso with an average hit of 2. But you get an aimed shot every two turns! Plus, a ST 7 person can manage it without penalty.
The bow seems to be doing better than the gun for damage.
Let's aim for the vitals. The gun gets a slight edge here because it's got one more Acc. It can also be fired braced for another +1.
Damage for the bow changes to 3-15, average of 6. The gun gets 9-24, average of 15.
For the brain (important for zombie hoards) the bow does 0-12, with an average of
Performance on limbs and other extremities is nearly identical.
The nearly ubiquitous Ruger 10/22 gets 10 shots before reloading and can dump 3 per turn and only takes 3 turns to reload.
Siege Dwarfare
Siege has an excellent little bit on the overabundance of "official" stats for Dwarves in GURPS 4e and stats for his own setting.
After he mentioned it, I found two more official templates.
That brings the "official" template count to four.
GURPS: Basic Set
GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level
GURPS: Fantasy
GURPS: Banestorm
Gee, you'd think that they'd have pared it down to just the one, wouldn't you? Especially since only one of the templates is world specific and tied to a previous edition's canon.
After he mentioned it, I found two more official templates.
That brings the "official" template count to four.
GURPS: Basic Set
GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level
GURPS: Fantasy
GURPS: Banestorm
Gee, you'd think that they'd have pared it down to just the one, wouldn't you? Especially since only one of the templates is world specific and tied to a previous edition's canon.
I Am Not Alone
Larry agrees that being accused of being brainwashed is an insult.
Seems I was just the first to notice.
Seems I was just the first to notice.
Weight And Six Point Eight
Dottie tares in at 7.4 lb. without a magazine.
Truth be told half a pound of that is the mount for the Trilux.
So taking off that mount and going with just the irons and 25 rounds she's just 8.2 lb. That's acceptable, really.
But... With the optics, 25 rounds, sling and light she's 10.3 lb. With the bipod it'd be 11.1 lb. but I only use that at the range to zero the scope.
For hunting (which is theoretical since I don't) with a 5 round mag and no light she'd be back down to 9.3 lb.! A bit heavy to tote all day.
I often forget the 0.4 lb. of the sling, but it's there. Like you don't really notice how heavy your shoes are until you have to walk all day in them.
Playing around with what to put onto the gun, or not, feels so similar to the min-max process of making a character it's eerie.
Olga, by comparison is 8 lb. without a magazine, bipod, sling or optics. All up with everything she climbs to 11.8 lb.
Truth be told half a pound of that is the mount for the Trilux.
So taking off that mount and going with just the irons and 25 rounds she's just 8.2 lb. That's acceptable, really.
But... With the optics, 25 rounds, sling and light she's 10.3 lb. With the bipod it'd be 11.1 lb. but I only use that at the range to zero the scope.
For hunting (which is theoretical since I don't) with a 5 round mag and no light she'd be back down to 9.3 lb.! A bit heavy to tote all day.
I often forget the 0.4 lb. of the sling, but it's there. Like you don't really notice how heavy your shoes are until you have to walk all day in them.
Playing around with what to put onto the gun, or not, feels so similar to the min-max process of making a character it's eerie.
Olga, by comparison is 8 lb. without a magazine, bipod, sling or optics. All up with everything she climbs to 11.8 lb.
No You Did Not
You did not stop smoking.
You are now using a nicotine inhaler.
You did stop using tobacco, but you're still smoking something.
Changing the delivery system for your vice doesn't mean you've stopped indulging in it.
You are now using a nicotine inhaler.
You did stop using tobacco, but you're still smoking something.
Changing the delivery system for your vice doesn't mean you've stopped indulging in it.
05 January 2014
Nuclear Bomb Material
Got my tritium illuminator for my Trilux, thus restoring the TRILUX part of the optic.
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| Not much to it really. |
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| An o-ring to seal the recess and a snap-ring to retain it. |
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| Tritium vial held by hobby paste. |
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| Look, it's radioactive! 2x8mm tritium vial with a potential 25 year lifespan, prolly more like 15 though. |
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| The bar is parallel with the vial, you turn the unit to dim the sight post. |
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| This is full dim. |
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| It doesn't give off much light, but it's visible all the way down to complete darkness, where you can't see the damn target anyways. |
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| Dottie is kind of tubby compared to Kaylee: 7.4 lb. for the rifle, 1.3 lb. for the magazine, 1 lb. for the L2A2, 0.8 for the Harris 1A2 bipod, 0.2 for the X300 and 0.4 for the MS3 sling. Grand total of 11.1 lb. |
04 January 2014
Get Hahpah To Dah Chahpah
The NY Time has a neat little quiz.
Not bad considering I was born in Dubuque, IA, spent the next nine years in Bolingbrook, IL then two years in Nevada, IA, two years in Blaine, MN, two years in Ames, IA, three years in the Army, seven more years in Ames and now 16 in Florida.
Not bad considering I was born in Dubuque, IA, spent the next nine years in Bolingbrook, IL then two years in Nevada, IA, two years in Blaine, MN, two years in Ames, IA, three years in the Army, seven more years in Ames and now 16 in Florida.
Ignorant
I not only don't know what I thought I knew.
I don't know what I don't know or the questions to ask to find out what I don't know.
Evidence has appeared that seems to support that I don't know anything.
It's sad because I spent a lot of time and effort learning so much that isn't so.
I don't know what I don't know or the questions to ask to find out what I don't know.
Evidence has appeared that seems to support that I don't know anything.
It's sad because I spent a lot of time and effort learning so much that isn't so.
03 January 2014
Color Me Intrigued
I see on several blogs that Remington is going to be selling a new 9mm.
Single stack and compact... MSRP under $400...
I just added 9x19 to the collection with the Hi Power, so I am officially intrigued.
Single stack and compact... MSRP under $400...
I just added 9x19 to the collection with the Hi Power, so I am officially intrigued.
Changes
GURPS: Traveller: Interstellar Wars has pulled a bit of a retcon on me.
The aforementioned Type-A/Hero/Siigiizuni is mentioned in canon LBB Traveller. Same J-1, M-1 as the later Type-A/Beowulf.
In Interstellar Wars it's got 1.5g acceleration and J-2.
I approve this change since J-1 is a severe limitation across most of the Traveller map. This is especially important in the IW setting since the GURPS TL9-10 jump drives use mass-precipitation to come out of jump making deep space jumps impossible. TL11 drives can exit jump without a mass.
The higher thrusts were something that needed done since the standard M-1 drives couldn't lift from most main worlds without some sort of contragravity. Contragravity of some kind was obviously assumed in LBB, as was the maneuver drive moving a volume not a mass.
The aforementioned Type-A/Hero/Siigiizuni is mentioned in canon LBB Traveller. Same J-1, M-1 as the later Type-A/Beowulf.
In Interstellar Wars it's got 1.5g acceleration and J-2.
I approve this change since J-1 is a severe limitation across most of the Traveller map. This is especially important in the IW setting since the GURPS TL9-10 jump drives use mass-precipitation to come out of jump making deep space jumps impossible. TL11 drives can exit jump without a mass.
The higher thrusts were something that needed done since the standard M-1 drives couldn't lift from most main worlds without some sort of contragravity. Contragravity of some kind was obviously assumed in LBB, as was the maneuver drive moving a volume not a mass.
Re-Entry
The drives on a Traveller ship are immensely powerful.
Interstellar Wars equivalent to the Type-A aka Beowulf is the Hero Class (Vilani Siigiizuni).
It pulls 1.5g acceleration and can do so for many, many days (the primitive early designs get two years on the power plant and that's what drives the maneuver drive later plants run for 200 years).
At any rate, this means there's no need for aerobraking on re-entry.
Real world spacecraft use aero-braking because it's free delta-V and the rocket equation is merciless so every gram you don't have to carry in fuel is precious.
When you can pull 1.5g for a minimum of two years, the energy budget is changed just a bit. You're probably not going to see much use of Hohmann transfer orbits in a Traveller setting. Breaking physics rocks!
The re-entry profile for a Traveller ship is going to be the same as its launch, except mirrored. The Traveller maneuver drive is unidirectional so you let the hull weathervane and power your way down to a soft touchdown.
What this also means is there's no such thing as a ship that cannot land if its drive can pull more thrust than the local surface gravity, it just changes the profile if it's unstreamlined because the air speeds must be kept lower. Whether the designer of the unstreamlined ship bothered with landing gear or not is another matter.
Interstellar Wars equivalent to the Type-A aka Beowulf is the Hero Class (Vilani Siigiizuni).
It pulls 1.5g acceleration and can do so for many, many days (the primitive early designs get two years on the power plant and that's what drives the maneuver drive later plants run for 200 years).
At any rate, this means there's no need for aerobraking on re-entry.
Real world spacecraft use aero-braking because it's free delta-V and the rocket equation is merciless so every gram you don't have to carry in fuel is precious.
When you can pull 1.5g for a minimum of two years, the energy budget is changed just a bit. You're probably not going to see much use of Hohmann transfer orbits in a Traveller setting. Breaking physics rocks!
The re-entry profile for a Traveller ship is going to be the same as its launch, except mirrored. The Traveller maneuver drive is unidirectional so you let the hull weathervane and power your way down to a soft touchdown.
What this also means is there's no such thing as a ship that cannot land if its drive can pull more thrust than the local surface gravity, it just changes the profile if it's unstreamlined because the air speeds must be kept lower. Whether the designer of the unstreamlined ship bothered with landing gear or not is another matter.
02 January 2014
Crit Up My Sleeve
I am thinking the angle is as important as the count of the pips.
I think I like it more from the top.
Than from a lower angle.
I think I like it more from the top.
Than from a lower angle.
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| 4 is still a crit! |
Potential For Evil
People like to invoke Godwin's law when comparisons are made between something done today and something done by the National Socialists.
But one must always look very carefully at anything such evil people did; even if it's as prosaic as delivering food to orphans.
"The nazis did it." IS a reason to look at a policy, program or law more closely and examine the potential for such things to cause harm. The burden of proof is on those who choose to emulate the actions of evil and not on those who oppose it.
The same thing goes for Communists, perhaps more so because Hitler was a piker compared to Stalin and Mao.
But one must always look very carefully at anything such evil people did; even if it's as prosaic as delivering food to orphans.
"The nazis did it." IS a reason to look at a policy, program or law more closely and examine the potential for such things to cause harm. The burden of proof is on those who choose to emulate the actions of evil and not on those who oppose it.
The same thing goes for Communists, perhaps more so because Hitler was a piker compared to Stalin and Mao.
Tat Concept
Here's what I was thinking of...
It's a bit of a double meaning...
Rolling a 3 is a critical success in GURPS.
Facing the viewer is 2-2-3... One of my favorite calibers. Can't do 277 or 308 with six siders...
It's a bit of a double meaning...
Rolling a 3 is a critical success in GURPS.
Facing the viewer is 2-2-3... One of my favorite calibers. Can't do 277 or 308 with six siders...
01 January 2014
Po Boy
What the LaRue Tactical Po Boy is: A Hensoldt Wetzlar 2.5x 25mm telescope mounted in a standard LT-649 30mm pivoting mount with a spacer to take up the 5mm difference in the tube diameters. Update: it was also available in the taller LT-755 mount.
LaRue ended up with a supply of the Hensoldt scopes from... I don't think it was ever definitively proven where the optics came from but the supposition was that they were off something like a recoiless rifle or other AT weapon that was being withdrawn from service.
What it does is sit behind a red-dot and make it into an illuminated fixed power 2.5x rifle scope.
Originally I had it mounted on Dottie behind an EOTech 552. I stopped using it because when I changed over to the Aimpoint M4s and LaRue LT15-9 rails the barrel nut interfered with where the Aimpoint had to be to fit the magnifier. It sat on a shelf in the closet for a few years.
The other day I bumped into it and wondered... "What if?"
Because I'd decided on at least a 4x scope for Dottie and 6.8x43mm, and had successfully mounted the SUIT L2A2 on her, the Aimpoint had a new home on Kaylee.
I had it mounted as far back as it would go, but wondered if I could mount it way forward. The pertinent question being, "will it clear a standard delta ring?"
Turns out, yes.
I liked this unit when I first bought it and I am happy I held onto it. If I recall correctly it was a mere $230 when a genuine EOTech 3x magnifier was $400 so it was worth losing 0.5x. The whole thing is 0.7 lb. and has the handy LaRue quick detach lever to shed the weight should I want to.
LaRue ended up with a supply of the Hensoldt scopes from... I don't think it was ever definitively proven where the optics came from but the supposition was that they were off something like a recoiless rifle or other AT weapon that was being withdrawn from service.
What it does is sit behind a red-dot and make it into an illuminated fixed power 2.5x rifle scope.
Originally I had it mounted on Dottie behind an EOTech 552. I stopped using it because when I changed over to the Aimpoint M4s and LaRue LT15-9 rails the barrel nut interfered with where the Aimpoint had to be to fit the magnifier. It sat on a shelf in the closet for a few years.
The other day I bumped into it and wondered... "What if?"
Because I'd decided on at least a 4x scope for Dottie and 6.8x43mm, and had successfully mounted the SUIT L2A2 on her, the Aimpoint had a new home on Kaylee.
I had it mounted as far back as it would go, but wondered if I could mount it way forward. The pertinent question being, "will it clear a standard delta ring?"
Turns out, yes.
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| All up 9.5 lb. 6.3 for the rifle, 1 for the magazine, 0.9 for the Aimpoint, 0.7 for the Po Boy, 0.2 for the X300 and 0.4 for the MS3. |
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| You can see light between them! |
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| Po Boy mounted and pivoted out of the way. |
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| In firing position. |
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| The view through the unmagnified Aimpoint. |
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| The view with the camera back where my eye would be. With the Po Boy folded out of the way like this, it's kind of an ersatz spotting scope too. VERY ersatz. |
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| The view magnified 2.5x! |
I liked this unit when I first bought it and I am happy I held onto it. If I recall correctly it was a mere $230 when a genuine EOTech 3x magnifier was $400 so it was worth losing 0.5x. The whole thing is 0.7 lb. and has the handy LaRue quick detach lever to shed the weight should I want to.
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