It Rocks

That picadillo recipe I accidentally linked to?

It rocks.

If you like Cuban food, you should like this.

I Only Need One More Bayonet

Two, actually, but one will suffice.

Of my rifles which will accept a prisoner prod, only the Finnish Kiv/28-30 and Kiv/39 need a bayonet.

Possibly bad link to Ebay.

All of my other Mosins now have their proper tent-stakes.  No matching numbers, but they at least all fit properly.

If you have a Finn model 27, 28 or 39 bayonet you want to just give away, let me know!

RIP Chewie

Peter Mayhew has passed on.

Gotta Love Experts

One of the local shops has a WW Greener made gate-loaded double-action revolver.

It bears a strong resemblance to a Royal Irish Constabulary revolver.

It looks almost exactly like the one at this link.

Willard and I didn't know exactly what it was, said so, and I started in on Duck-Duck-Go.

The expert was pontificating that HAD to be .455 Webley and black-powder.

I mentioned that there were lots of rounds it could be chambered in, like .442 Webley, not just .455 but he kept repeating it.

I mentioned that the only way to be sure would be to take measurements of the chambers.

Nope, definitely .455 Webley!

Well, I can't find a single example of this particular pattern of this gun that's not in .450 Boxer Mk 1, aka .450 Adams, though wikipedia assures me they were chambered in other rounds.

Now We Know What Kind Of Pistol

The SRO who had a discharge was carrying a SIG-Sauer P320, as is issued.

Someone, someplace was speculating that FN FNS was the pistol in question, that appears to be mistaken.

I'm having trouble believing it went off all by itself in the holster unless it turns out that the SRO was using a really shitty holster.

I'm So Glad

I sold my East German AKM bayonet on Gunbroker on April 20.

I shipped it out on April 23.  I would have shipped it Monday the 22nd, but the buyer kept trying to get me to ship it in a way that virtually guaranteed it'd be destroyed in shipping (but was cheaper than the $14.35 flat rate box it fits into without poking through.

It got to the destination post office on April 25.

There it has been sitting waiting for him to come pick it up.

I did my end, but apparently he didn't really want it.

Moments

One of my favorite sounds is when a top fuel motor changes over from the alcohol to the nitro at start up.

Video just doesn't capture it.

This Is Like Bombing Afganistan Back To The Stone Age

How the fuck would you be able to tell if there was a collapse from current conditions?

Looks Like You Won't Be Needing That Tourniquet

Yikes!



Key Results:

In total, based on responses from medical examiners, a total of 12 mass public shooting events were analyzed in the study. A total of 139 fatalities with 371 total wounds were examined by the investigators. The key results from the study were as follows:

• There was an average of 2.7 wounds associated within the group of fatalities
• The case fatality rate for civilian mass shootings was 44.6% (compared to approximately 10% during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as reported in other studies).
• 58% of all victims (with fatal and non-fatal wounds) had at least one wound to head or chest/upper back
• 20% (28/139) of all wounds were to the extremity, of which none were deemed to be fatal
• 77% of all fatal wounds were identified in the head or chest/upper back.
• In total, only 9 of the 125 fatalities or roughly 7% (14 excluded given absence of autopsy data) were determined to be potentially survivable
• The most common survivable injury was a wound to the chest (89% of all survivable injuries) without obvious evidence of vascular or cardiac injury
• There was 100% agreement between the reviewers of the study regarding potential survivability of injuries

Takeaways:

• Only 7% of victims in civilian mass shootings had a potentially survivable wound. No fatalities likely occurred secondary to exsanguination from extremity hemorrhage
• The majority of wounds in civilian mass shootings occur primarily in the head, chest/upper back compared to combat environments where the majority of wounds occur in the extremities.
• The case fatality rate for civilian mass shootings compared to military data was much higher, and associated with lower number of potentially survivable injuries

A Pity

A pity he lived.

Good shootin' Mr Unnamed Homeowner!

I hope the guy you shot rolls over on his buddy and both live up Starke way for a good long time.

Lack Of Clarity

It's that time of year on Florida's Anglo-Coast to retire the transparent top and install the body color unit.

It also coincides with shorts weather.

Soon it will also be "leave the top on or die" weather.

I hear in Latin-Florida; it's never long pants and clear top weather.

That's Heavy

To carry the same six AR magazines, an M&P 9 and two magazines, OKC3S bayonet, IFAK and CamelBak canteen as the 5.11 Tactical Purse which is 19.5 lb. and $206 for the carriage.

Starting with an AR500 Testudo Lite...

Add Level III+ 10x12 plates front and back with trauma (not a thumbprint!) pads...

Pouches...

Some loaded mags...

A bayonet...

A CamelBak canteen...

33.9 lb. and $605 for the carrier, pouches and armor.

BUT!  You get GURPS DR 35 in areas 9, 10, 17 and 18; but not to the sides!

Changing that to Level IV gives a hardened DR 35 adds 3.6 lb. and $168.

ALICE load bearing equipment is 20 lb. substituting an M9 and magazines for the M&P 9, an M9 bayonet for the OKC3S and adding a tri-fold entrenching tool.

Add 9 lb. if you want to add a PASGT vest to the ensemble; for DR 10/5* in areas 9, 10, 17 and 18.  Total of 29 lb.

Add another 16.5 lb. for an Interim Small Arms Protective Overvest to get an additional DR 25.  For a grand total of 45.5 lb.

'Nam era M1956/67 gear comes in at 21.1 lb. substituting eight 20 round magazines for six thirty rounders, an M1911A1 for the M&P 9 an M7 bayonet for the OKC3S and adding an M1943 entrenching tool.

The M69 flak-vest would add DR 4/2* and 8.5 lb. to this for a total of 29.6 lb.

The PASGT and M69 vests give side protection with their very light DR, the ISAPO is just front and back.

Just in case you don't have your GURPS: Basic Set handy, the split DR means the first number is for pi and cut attacks the second for all others.  The '*' means it's flexible armor which is more vulnerable to the blunt trauma rules.

Modern TL8 armor is better.

Update: rearranged the thoughts for clarity.

Space Considerations

The plate carrier/chest rig I have in my mind is a replacement for good old fashioned web gear.

It needs to carry (at least)
6 AR magazines.
2 pistol magazines.
1 canteen.
1 pistol holster.
1 bayonet.

Preferably in a color that goes with the tan/coyote of the tactical purse/grab bag.

It's got to fit my tubby ass.

I imagine that if I got one with plates and walked around in it a bit I'd either lose weight or finally push my arthritic joints past the fail points and be walking around in a walker from now on...

It's amusing to me that I don't really intend to use it.

It's a prop for some fantasy photos.

But I want to be able to use it.

If I went with a plate carrier rather than just a chest rig, I'm going to have to have a plate that stops bullets too.  For some pictures.  Hidden inside the carrier, the war rated plate will be for pictures.

Still Overcomplicated

Today the display for the climate control didn't come on in The Precious.

The AC came on and the knob changed the temperature, but no display.

While playing with the knob, the display came back on.

I bought this thing from ebay last May to fix a problem that turned out to be in the Body Control Module; so the take-out unit from then is likely still good.

I just wish I didn't have to worry about it.

The no computer involved at all climate control in The Biscayne, with the exception of a dead AC compressor, works just fine.  Slide the temp lever and a cable moves the blend door.  Slide the other selector and a cable moves a door that pushes air out the selected vent.

I yearn for this simplicity in the Vette.

Anyone Hazard A Guess (Updated)

Cuban Picadillo Recipe I linked to by mistake.

Wanna bet it's booger hook on bang switch interaction?

Link to actual article!

Chest Rig, Plate Carrier Or...

I like having appropriate web gear in the shot with the weapon when I take pics.

That has me wanting to set up a chest rig or a plate carrier for pics with Kaylee.

I kind of insist on having a good one, so...

What's a decent one that doesn't need DoD budgeting to buy?

Plus, since this is a web gear substitute it's got to have a place for a canteen and holster too.

The New Normal

Despite the 5¢ bet now standing at $209,715.20 due to "double or nothin'" every time the sale at Palmetto State Armory is extended...

The sale continues.

I'm starting to think that despite it being listed as a "daily deal" $249.99 is now the new normal price for the M&P 9 Shield at PSA.  A "daily" sale that lasts a month and a half is hardly a day event.

AIM is running close behind at $279.99.

Farscape

I had fond memories of this show too.

It's on Amazon Prime, so I decided to watch it.

The soundtrack is AWFUL!

It's making it hard to watch the rest of the show, which isn't suffering from age as bad as other shows I've binge watched recently.

Continuing Adventures

I admit, I accepted the default settings with Win7 in my Bootcamp installation.

I am attempting to rectify this oversight.

Right now I am waiting for the "Turn Windows features on or off" dialog box to generate an actual list of things I can disable.

Things like the TV Tuner registration app, and Windows Media Center.

Balance

I'm often accused of being too negative.

I have a reply.

If you have nothing but positive hooked to the motor, nothing happens.

You need the negative, the grounding, to make the motor spin.

Now I need a inspirational picture to put this on and to sell copies.

Rodney King!

It's been 27 years since the King verdict and the start of the riots.

I recall keeping my Mini-14 and a lot of 30-rounders close to hand even in provincial West Des Moines.

Age Like Vinegar

Science Fiction from television from my youth has failed to stand the test of time.

Space: 1999 is so disjointed.

It's so strange that a series which has ship designs that look like they'd actually WORK in space has such horrid physics, and it starts from the first episode.

2:30 seconds at enough G to pin them to the deck, but not make anyone pass out.  The Commander is even crawling slowly.  Call it 6G.

That changes the velocity of the moon 8.83 km/s.  Not quite enough to get to 11.186 km/s from its start speed of 1.022 km/s.

That assumes that the thrust is pushing the right direction to add to the moon's velocity.

What the new speed of 9.852 km/s means is the moon is in a much higher orbit, and probably in far less circular one.

But wait, there's MORE!

The radioactive waste which all goes critical and creates all that thrust is shown to be on the "dark side" of the moon.  That means the thrust should really push the moon INTO the earth.

Short series, huh?

Update:  To get 6g out of the moon you need 4.32175×10²¹ kN of thrust.  That's a lot.

Need More Rum!

Florida is not exceptional in the nation in its liquor laws being odd and quirky.

One such example is how much you can buy from the site of a distiller.

An individual is limited to six bottles of a given label per year.

I am sure, to some, this seems like a lot of booze...

And it is if you intend to drink it all in one setting.

This limit is in place mainly to protect the distributors from the distillers selling directly to the customer and eliminating the middle man; you can buy as much as you can pay for from a state licensed liquor store.

It fails to account for the recent phenomenon of craft distilleries.  These distilleries are sized too small to get distribution of their entire product line, let alone experiments and limited editions; but they are often becoming large enough to supply a lot more product to a demand that exceeds six bottles a year.

The Florida House has already passed a bill lifting that limit.  HB-1219.

The Florida Senate is doing nothing.

With just a week left in the session, they need to get a move on.  Getting them moving on this will also keep them from doing any anti-gun work, so win-win!

In addition to your senator, these other four Senators need to be called as well.

Benaquisto: 850-487-5027
Simpson: 850-487-5010 <- This is the key player!
Gibson: 850-487-5006
Bracy: 850-487-5011

Give 'em a call and demand more booze!

Fleeting

Du Hast Weiß Boy

You Can't Hide From Me

I set special ringtones in my contacts so I can tell who's calling without looking.

With my Moto X2, Willard's was "moto".

"Moto" is a completely different ringtone with the Moto Z3.

The default ringtones are also concealed in the hidden system directory.

The easy way of getting to those files, plugging the phone into a computer, is eliminated by the hiding.

But one of the file manager apps I put on the phone can see that directory.

Select all, share to email, email them to myself.

Plug the Z3 into the computer and put the ringtones I want into user accessible ringtone folder...

VOILÀ!

One oddity is I changed the name from "moto" to "chomps" and I have two "moto" listed in the ringtone list; but it shows as "chomps" in the folder.

Me And The NRA

Until I knuckled down and subscribed to get a lifetime membership, I was an on-again/off-again member of the NRA since 1994.

A couple times I kept it up long enough to get voting rights.

I grew to loathe the ring of the phone because twice a week it was the NRA/ILA asking for money.

Considering I let my membership lapse several times from lack of money, I didn't have anything to spare for the ILA.

It hardened my heart against donating to them because I clearly told them that being a member was all I could afford and they'd know my finances had changed when I mailed them a check.  And I would!

When they didn't get the message I changed my position.

When Brady is repealed, I will consider donating.

Remember, Wayne, you promised.  I remember.

I read about other promises too.  I read about accepting the bitter pill of no new MG's to get the rest of FOPA passed.  That's never been addressed.

AWB was going to be repealed just as soon as we voted for and elected a list of Republican candidates.  They were elected and...  AWB expired ten years and five elections later, it was never repealed.

Near as I can tell, if there's been a repeal for Brady or AWB submitted, it didn't get far or many co-sponsors.

It became apparent to me that the NRA's true value was to suck up fire from the anti-gunners while other groups worked for gun rights from a lower profile.

But that value is undermined when they fight against us at the state level here in Florida.  Just hit the "Marion" tag for some examples of their spokescatperson either selling us out or leaving us high and dry.

I cannot help but think that if they'd spent the money trying to get me to join a wine bottle club on lobbying we'd be further along.

I cannot help but think that if Unified Sportsmen of Florida was an actual organization rather than Marion's front for the NRA to buy cat food we'd have an organized grass-roots presence in Tallahassee rather than just the occasional visit from Marion.

I am unhappy about how the organization is run and I have wanted it to change for a long time.

Sadly, the changes that are coming are from outside forces who wish to destroy it (and cannot be ignored) than from within (who have systematically been ignored and disenfranchised) who wish to save it.

Figures

I finally get a lifetime NRA membership and the wheels come off the organization.

Spreading A Rumor

From an unconfirmed and often unreliable source, second hand, (Arfcom) I have heard that the NRA board asked for Wayne LaPierre's resignation.

The same source said he stormed out and refused.

Can anyone at the convention confirm or deny?

Crutched Along

Finishing the setup of Crispy and for the first time, ever, the interface to connect to it from the Mac Pro worked like it was supposed.

Getting these two machines to talk to each other used to be like pulling teeth and I had to employ several work-arounds.

It would appear that the OS on Crispy was busted from day one and little things weren't working despite MOST things working.

Up And Running

A fresh install of Win7 is in Crispy the Lenovo Thinkpad T420S.

We went Win7-64 Pro because already paid for.  Win10 would have cost something.

With the broken copy of Win7 out of the way, the performance gains I'd hoped to get are present.

Really perked the old girl up!

Pain

While the doc was moving my legs for the initial range of motion tests before agreeing I needed a consult I discovered something about me and pain.

I can tolerate rather a lot when I'm expecting it.  Ankles and knees, I knew this was gonna hurt and I just braced, gritted my teeth and winced.

When it came time to move my hips around, with the left hip I was trying to crawl away from the angle she had my leg at!  The amount of pain was surprising because she was moving my leg past where I can move it with my leg muscles.

Unexpected pain is worse!

Leech Satiated

Saw my doc at the VA.

Gave her the paperwork the DAV gave me to give to "a doctor".

She said she needed to run a consult with a range of motion doc.

Her moving my legs around was very painful.

Consult will happen.

The Rubicon is at my back, even if my sore, throbbing ankles are still damp from the crossing.

She remarked that the Army marking me 10% skeletal and not specific to the actual injury sustained (bilateral tibia and fibia breaks) means they left themselves open to ANY skeletal issue I have and increases in disability from them.

My service connected status also seems to give me access to more care than I realized, so a colonoscopy is in my immediate future.  Ick.

Motherfucking Computers

JT stopped by to attack the mystery.

With much diagnosis skill and drive swapping...

It has been determined that the 160gb drive that came with the machine when I got it has something wrong on it and I faithfully copied it to the SSD when I cloned it.

This same flaw is likely what caused the install on the 750gb drive to stop accepting updates from MS.

A different manifestation of the same error since the 750 was once cloned from this same 160 drive four years ago.

He has determined that it's not worth trying to figure out where it went wrong considering that a fresh install on the SSD is so much easier and I don't keep any data on the laptop that isn't backed up on the Drobo.

Brushstrokes

Fucking Computers

I bought an SSD drive for my laptop.

SSD drives are supposed to be faster than spinning disk hard drives.

The 750gb drive that was in the machine had an uncorrectable error from a crash during an update to Windows, but the 160gb drive that came with it originally was still OK.

So I yanked the 750 and installed the 160 then ran all the updates.

Five hours later...  I waited another four hours for Marv to get home to use his copy of Acronis True Image and cables.

Attached the 1tb SSD to the cables and began to clone away.

When it said it was done, tried to install the SSD into the laptop, Crispy.

No drive.

WTF!

After much wiggling discover that since the SSD is thinner than the HDD, it can flop down and lose connection.

Shimming one end keeps the drive in contact with the mobo and we're in business!

No sound card, or rather no audio hardware detected.

No video, sound and game controllers section in the device manager.

Finally locate the three things that have, for some reason, been disabled and reactivate their drivers.

We have sound!

Put the old 750gb into the Ultrabay HDD Caddy.  Move my files.

Try to play a movie with VLC, works great!

Try to play any video with iTunes.  Stutterwarp activated.  Resolution doesn't matter, file size doesn't matter.  Video is now unwatchable.  There were some little skips before, now it's like a '20's film.  BUT only if it's on the hard drive!  If I play off the cloud, it's fine.  Fuck you Apple!

No apparent cure and no care from Apple.  Lots of complaints.

Music still works, so there's that.

Boot times are WAY faster.

SB 7030 Passes Florida Senate

Linky

The Dems and Flores hate it, so must be good.

Say The Words

I am becoming amazed at how hard the left works to avoid just saying things.

They cannot say that Christians are the victims of the Sri Lanka Easter bombings.

They cannot say that Moslems are the perpetrators of the Sri Lanka Easter bombings.

I was going to add that they cannot condemn antisemitism in their ranks... but that's not the same thing.

Urf Day

I am so happy I got The Biscayne running in time for Earth Day!

With a leaking fuel tank vent hose, she's pulling a solid 12.7 miles per gallon.

I just love tooling around emitting enough carbon per minute to grill a steak.

Hmmmmm, speaking of Steak!  That's what's for dinner!  Because I read that beef takes more resources than any other food to get to market.  It doesn't even have to be true!

I have the beeleeves and teh feels that it's worse for the planet than tofu.

If Earth Day tells us anything it's that beliefs and feels are vastly more important than facts.

Not Floridaman!

Stealing a web domain at gun point?

But then, Cedar Rapids...