Men Are Not Potatoes

Newtonian Fluids Running Down Our Legs

2012-01-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

So I'm supposed to not like Romney because he's not a conservative firebrand. Okay, I can understand that as far as it goes, but Newt Gingrich instead? Aside from being no more or no less of a conservative firebrand than the RomneyBot 9000, he's kindof icky-scary to the mushy American middle that actually determines the presidency. We all know that, right?

Newt is a weapon in the holster of a Republican leader, not a leader himself.

As far as I'm concerned, the "make it as bad as possible so we get a Reagan" vote made their point and did enough damage to the country in 2006 and 2008 - do you really need to do it again in 2012? Do you really want another Obama term, because that's the "equal and opposite" reaction we're going to get if we really put this guy at the top of the ticket.

This Better Be For Real: FDR --American Badass

2012-01-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

If I Could Take it With Me

2012-01-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

In the past humans were buried with items, or people, that might be of use to them in the afterlife, or were among their favorites.

My Logitech Harmony One universal remote is coming with me.

I'm in the process of upgrading my home AV setup - moving to a true HTPC system - with all the lovely PITA issues that come along with mucking about with hardware setups that have been in place in a room and your habits for years.

But plug the Harmony into the USB cable and you can change its settings via a pretty nice web page interface. It's lovely. Now, if I could find the genius who designed my Sony CD player remote with no on/off button...

Dropping Things from Space, the Final Frontier

2012-01-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to thump my chest for an American company doing cool things related to an American product, because there are one or two other places on the planet that could have paired the same things. Well, maybe a little chest-thumping.

More importantly, the cool factor of testing your iPad protective case by DROPPING IT ONTO THE GROUND FROM SPACE (even just weather-balloon-popping space), is just too nifto-keano.

Talk about resetting the bar:

"Hey Bob, nice holster you got there. Have you DROPPED IT FROM SPACE yet?"

"Well gee, Winston, I don't that's really a relevant test of -"

"Later, loser, I'm going to go buy some shoes that somebody DROPPED FROM SPACE."

"Oh yeah, well that's just fine, dickweed! Dammit, gotta get me a damned weather balloon and a spare .38, -grumble-..."

Moses and Aaron on a Sharp Stick!!!!!!

2011-12-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

First the Higgs Boson, now this: Mayan Ruins in Georgia Mountains!!

Tough Mudder Training

2011-12-17T05:27:00.000-08:00

So, I'll be running the Tough Mudder (again) in May of 2012.

Last year I raised about 600 bucks for Wounded Warrior and I'll probably be nagging you all again for money as that event gets closer.

My training regime has settled down into this:

Monday lunchtime: 1 hour of conditioning class. This involves 55-60 mins of exercises divided into 2 or 3 minute rounds. This usually starts with jumping rope and then exercises like pushups, burpees, planks, situps, plyometrics, ball & mace swings, Indian clubs ,tug of war, rope climb... plus some more exotic stuff that our instructor picked up in his 30 years of martial arts training. Its fighter conditioning, basically.

Monday evening. 2 hours of Muay Thai classes.

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday is the same as Monday

Thursday: rest

Friday: 1.5-2 hours of Savate classes. These are more technique-focussed, but work balance and flexibility instead of being the savage metcon of the Muay Thai workouts.

Saturday: 1- 1.5 hours of , Bag work, and weight exercises. This varies a lot. I've been doing the 300 Workout from GymJones.com, the Tough Mudder workout, or things I make up on my own using weights, rings, the C2 rowing machine etc. .

Sunday: Run day. Ive been going over to the gravel pit near my house. Nobody's there on the weekends, and its about 50-60 acres with a lot of ramps and slopes and hills. I go faster up the hills --note that I do not sprint, but I do try to go faster. I usually go for about an hour or so. As I get closer to May, I'll work in more runs.

Navy Books

2011-12-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

On the recommendation of my esteemed co-blogger I just bought these books:

Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal

Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the US Navy's Finest Hour

Usually I buy stuff like this in paperback or hard cover so I can flip back and forth between the maps and the narrative, but this time I bought them for my Kindle app on the iPad. So this is something of an experiment, if you follow me. To see if the Kindle works for a book where you want to consult a map as you go.

New Woodsman Pix ( If Anyone's Interested)

2011-12-15T17:49:00.000-08:00

Colt Woodsman (90-Something%, Box, Papers, Tool, Target)

2011-12-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

Hello Gun People,

I have recently become the owner of a Colt Woodsman Sport Model. (4.5 inch barrel)

This firearm has never been fired outside the factory (as near as I can tell), and comes with original box, papers, bore cleaning tool, hang tag, and factory target (nice group, too).

The blueing is pretty darn good, with a few small scratches. This model does not have the elephant ear grips, but it does have the crosshatching on the backstrap to indicate it can fire higher velocity .22 ammo.

If I keep this pistol around, I might shoot it, and that's definitely going to push the value down. I think a collector who really loves the Colt Woodsman would enjoy this pistol more than I would.

Anyone have any thoughts on what this might be worth? I looked in the Blue Book of gun values, but the listing is inconclusive for a Woodsman that comes with all the extra bits as listed above.

Please leave any thoughts in the comments.

Pics continue:.

What. The. HUMP?

2011-12-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Police arrest teacher who made students dress in bras and panties

Via HotAir:

An Oklahoma elementary school teacher who hosted a tree trimming party for students at her home is in police custody. Her crime is not violating a politically correct school or local policy that bowdlerizes references to Christmas. Rather, it is the unorthodox dress code that she enforced—bras and panties with a Christmas theme—as well as the age of her guests: All were third graders (h/t The Smoking Gun).
The teacher, Kimberly Crain, 48, was arrested on Friday and arraigned on charges of child pornography. Pottawatomie County District Attorney Richard Smothermon has asked that bail be set at $1 million, stating that Crain is a flight risk. Crain resigned her position at McLoud Elementary School on Thursday.

Okay, I don't have kids, so it's easy for me to say things like "if I HAD a kid there is no way in hell I would not home school them."

But if this kind of thing doesn't reinforce that stance for me then I don't know what would.

My blog-partner MeatAxe (or "Me - ay - taxi" as a friend of mine said upon first reading this little internet way-point) has heard me say on multiple occasions that, in Africa, everyone above the rank of Captain should be summarily shot just to give the place a chance to air out. Now I'm thinking that every American teacher with more than 10 years in needs to be shot into the Sun, just to be sure.

WTF?

Merry Taxmas?

2011-11-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

When I first read this one yesterday, I really thought it was a spoof that had gotten through, like when people get up in arms about an Onion article. But as far as I can tell it's real.

Obama is the Grinch.

The Hot Air article pretty much says it all:

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

... but I just wanted to share it around. Almost makes me want to get fitted for a Wookiee suit.

He Must'a Thought It Was White Boy Day

2011-10-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

But it ain't white boy day.

One more dickhead shuffled off. Only a few thou more to go.

Uganda Be Kidding Me

2011-10-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

No, seriously, Nobel Peace Prize Winner in Chief has sent a few sticks of "advisors" into Uganda. To help our stalwart Ugandan allies do ...

something or other, I'm sure.

TV Eureka!

2011-10-05T23:44:00.000-07:00

I've just figured out what the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia really is:

It's live action Aqua Teen Hunger Force, but everybody is Master Shake.

UnPrecedented President? Not Really.

2011-10-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Told Ya.

For a success, Barack Obama is a very bad politician, the worst politician to win the presidency by an electoral landslide, to never lose a major election, or to rise to the presidency from a state legislature in little more than four years.

Star Wars II: "Ahmm, a Jedi, eh? Whaddya know?"

2011-10-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Original Thoughts

I'd mellowed considerably on Star Wars by the time AOTC was announced and Trailered. I kept my geek on "simmer" and avoided any preconceptions other than

a) the title was kinda clumsy
b) there appeared to be a few Jedi fighting in it

I hadn't completely absorbed George Lucas' "it's like a cheesy Saturday morning movie serial, see?" for his title choices yet, and, busy with work and life, I simply missed the trailers that showed glimpses of dozens of Jedi hacking at crap.

But when me and some friends hit the theater, I was, more than anything, psyched to see a new Star Wars film - what, was it NOT going to have flashy lightsabers and whizzy starships? What I didn't realize was that it was also going to give me some pain mixed in with its delight.

Things I liked:

1) Different flow. The "big chase" scene being in the first act, and the last action act being relatively continuous was something not seen since the original movie, really. (Star Wars/A New Hope, - all a single space battle at the end; Empire - escape scene mixed with duel, followed by pursuit scene; Jedi - trio of space/land/saber battle, all at end; Phantom Menace - repeat of Jedi; AOTC - land
fight then land battle followed by duel then duel; Sith - double saber duels.)

2) Big Clone battle on Geonosis. This just looked spectacular and I loved every second of it.

3) Again, Ewan McGregor's Kenobi. It's just fun to watch.

4) Natalie Portman's hinder. This just looked spectacular and I loved every second of it. It's just fun to watch.

Things I liked less:

1) The "romance". Yep, pretty painful, and unforgivingly-so. Clunky dialogue, bad giggles, super-powered angst coming from nowhere, and absolutely zero subtlety. George definitely should have had someone tag in here - a better director could have at least softened the cheeseball factors with better performances out of his leads.

And come on - I've known a few manipulative and downright mean chicks in my life, and yeah, they'd cook me a meal and invite me to a cozy firelit room to give me the Big Surprise Stop Sign, but even they'd never've donned a black bondage outfit to do so. I mean, they had standards.

2) Dooku's fighting style. You go out of your way to design a different saber that hints at and, in the geeky backstory, harkens to a one-handed classical fencer pose and style, and you even FX Christpher Lee's head onto a stunt guy anyway; but in the end it's still all big sweeps and swings instead of cuts and lunges.

Blu-Ray Hubbub

Same as TPM from last week; if there are any changes in the BluRay version compared to the DVD version, I'm the wrong guy to spot them. Sound still great, the picture is perfect (maybe they cleaned up some of the digital stuff in Palpatine's office? The reds seemed a little less fuzzy than I'd recalled). A nice feature in this BluRay release is that they've cobbled together an additional commentary track for each film. It says it's "archival", and is clearly snippets of interviews and quickie comments, and I suspect even pieces of commentaries they recorded but didn't use all of. Nice to hear a few comments from some actors who aren't an embittered Carrie Fisher, for instance.

(Maybe they should have CGId in a shawl for Amidala's "I dump you hotly" scene?)

If there's a down side to the BluRay it's the gorrammed time it takes to load each new section of menu - reminds me of booting up my dad's old 8086 PC. I know part of that can be my player, but man, it's annoying, and it's not even George Lucas's fault!

Overall

I like it. I know I'm supposed to hate the whole thing because of the flubbed romance thing, but c'mon - Obi-wan Kenobi fights a Harryhausen monster! With a spear, even! Does it feel cheesy to end up spending a buttload of time on "I'm never coming back to this planet again" (oh, but we are, Luke - in 5 out of 6 movies) sandy Tatooine? Sure. Is Lucas showcasing his ability to drag mediocre performances from capable actors? Sure. Does mommy-loss, adolescent angst, and stolen love seem like a solid base on which to build a black-armored badass who chokes his way through less-than-perfect friendlies like Pee Wee Herman in a chicken factory?

No. And that's the movie's biggest failing to me. I'm simply not convinced that Anakin Skywalker can become Darth Vader - not a bit. And since this whole overarching thing is the story OF Anakin's evolution into Vader, I'd say that's a pretty big problem.

Still and all, I think it works better than The Phantom Menace, and is ultimately visually more rewarding, hence...

My rating of its place in the pack, best-to-worst:

1 - XXXX
2 - XXXX
3 - XXXX
4 - Attack of the Clones
5 - The Phantom Menace
6 - XXXX

Next up, for the non-geeks: Revenge of the Sith.

Captain, Sensors Detect Something Off the Starboard Bow

2011-09-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Uh Oh.
Cashectomy alert! Set wallet to "Empty".

Star Wars I: "Here - take-um this one!"

2011-09-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer
I am a Star Wars nerd of immense proportions; probably well into the 70s on a scale of 1 to 100. Except for the actual Laserdiscs themselves, I think I have every version of the movies ever released in the U.S. on VHS and DVD and now BluRay. I've got all the original trilogy in pan&scan and then widescreen, the Japanese import DVDs of the Laserdisc transfers, the Special Editions (I think in VHS and DVD), I've got all the Clone Wars stuff, and I even have a fan-made lightsaber I bought off of Ebay (before the really cool ones were around).

Like I said: "nerd".

With the recent release of the "Definitive" collection of all 6 movies on BluRay, I thought I'd take this opportunity to geekify and offer some opinions that no one's asked for. I'll do one for each movie, and I'm sure that's a thrill for someone. :)

EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE

Original Thoughts

When I heard that there was going to be a prequel trilogy, I was seasoned enough to know that it might be less then hoped-for, but I was not prepared for my initial visceral hatred for the film when my butt was first in the theater seat. My initial complaints were

1) The overall story was just a retelling of the Return of the Jedi (in fact I usually refer to it as "Return of Return of the Jedi" - ain't I cute?), which by now all us geeks knew was Lucas' first attempt to go back to his original vision of his space fantasy climax that involved simultaneous land, space, and personal battles, all interleaved into the final climactic resolution. He'd only enough movie and money for the space battle part in Star Wars, didn't really write Empire, did a crappy version of it in Return of the Jedi, and here we had it again in Phantom Menace (TPM). I don't want such blatant James Bondian formulae in my Star Wars movies!

2) Jar-Jar. I'm actually going to try and keep my profanity low in these posts, so I won't say more, but I'll channel a little Captain Kirk commentary: "But I mean, really."

3) Kiddie muppet movie or slice-guys-in-half space opera? Give me one or the other, please.

4) Too derivative. Far too many (IMO) of the weapon, ship, or speeder designs in TPM can be seen languishing in the margins of the various "Art of" or "Sketchbook" books of the orginal trilogy. For instance, there's a quick scene in the final space battle that is pretty much a recreation of an iconic Ralph McQuarrie production painting for Star Wars which shows Y-wings diving from high above onto the northern pole of the Death Star. In the movie shot, the Naboo starfighters are in the same attitudes as the Y-wings in the painting, and the Federation starship globe their diving on subs in perfectly for the old Death Star. One or two of these things, I feel, is fun and/or cute, but too many gets old.

5) Midichlorians. Midichlorians? Sigh. We were doing okay 'til then with "Luminous beings are we - not this crude matter", but now your ability to cheat at dice and deflect blaster bolts is dependent on not having lazy Mitochondria. I mean Midichlorians.

Blu-Ray Hubbub

If the Master List of changes some fans have been hyperventilating about includes any TPM changes other than Yoda, I'm unaware of them. Overall the HD transfer is crisp and gorgeous, and the sound is great. And the CG Yoda they did for the BluRay looks 10 times better than the puppet they originally used in this movie; sorry guys.

Overall

Smashing cutesy-cuddly muppets into canyon walls at 200MPH doesn't seem to be a good combo to me, and I kinda wish things had moved in a different direction, but TPM certainly wrote in stone the vision that George Lucas has for his creation, and watching Ewan McGregor nail a perfect "young Obi-wan Kenobi" is a delight to watch. Also, the saber fight between Kenobi and Qui-gon and Darth Maul is one of the best-choreographed fights I've ever seen on film - those three guys definitely look like they're trying to kill each other and are quite capable of doing it.

So eventually I mellowed on the movie - it's got whizzy spaceships and flashy lightsabers, and not much else does, so I'll keep it, and enjoy it for what it is (without forgetting what it could have been).

My rating of its place in the pack, best-to-worst:

1 - XXXX
2 - XXXX
3 - XXXX
4 - XXXX
5 - The Phantom Menace
6 - XXXX

Next up, for the non-geeks: Attack of the Clones.

"Look to the Skies!" No, Seriously - Right Over There!

2011-09-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

100 years ago, horse-drawn carriages were still common and on this day I found:

"Sep 23rd - Earl Ovington becomes 1st air mail pilot."

Via Tam, today I read

"It is critical that all pilots/flight crew members report any observed falling space debris to the appropriate (air traffic control) facility and include position, altitude, time and direction of debris observed," the FAA statement said.

Not too bad, Humans. Not too bad at all.

"Hey, Look at Me!"

2011-09-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

President BoyChild is at it again.

Via Hot Air:

What. A. Dick.

Dickmove, Mr. President.

How Long is a Piece of Rope?

2011-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

I coined a new ~~phrase~~ concept, at least new to me, the other day whilst discussing the 100 sci fi books list a few posts below.

There is a style of fantasy writing that is very popular that I simply cannot stand. Members of it include Game of Thrones, Circle of Time, the Feist stuff I commented about, and no-doubt innumerable others. They rarely are less than 10 books per series, with each book around 600 pages or so, and never seem to have an end in mind. The stories themselves are rarely driven by a plot, instead relying on richly-drawn character lines woven together into some sort of coherent whole that seems to be headed somewhere but is never in a hurry to arrive.

In short, rope. I don't like rope stories.

These books also seem to confuse "complexity" with "fun to read". I don't need to know how many nails are holding together a senator's chair to know he's got influence, nor do I need to follow every meal and every scolding of "the youth" to know what he's like as "the hero".

These kinds of books also seem to revel in constructing real hellscapes for the characters to run around in, full of tragic and flawed losers that fail and die off every other chapter or so.

Yay fun.

Anyway, it's just personal taste and nothing more, but, yeah.

Rope. Don't like reading it.

If You Were A DJ...

2011-09-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

...Would you follow Dion's "Wanderer" with Living Things "Bombs Below?" The guy on Underground Garage did, last night. I still can't decide if it was madness or genius.

Link Stew #2

2011-09-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

More links redolent of geekery. You must be cautious as you enter this wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Scientists monitored volunteers fitted with 15th Century replica armor as they walked and ran on treadmills. Conclusion: armor is heavy. I wonder if the test subjects were as well conditioned as actual knights, but I can't quibble with the conclusion.

Gizmodo dredges up the craziest shit sometimes. Here's an article about Nazi and Japanese plans to invade the US. This didn't seem so crazy right after Pearl Harbor, I guess.

And to continue the WWII theme, here are some excellent pictures of the war in North Africa

These are part of an ongoing Atlantic series called World War II in Photos. 12 of 20 parts are up.

For Your Consideration: Additional Range Rules

2011-09-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

We all love Col. Cooper's Four Rules of Gun Safety and I'm certainly not trying to improve on them in something as trivial as God Damned blog post.

However, I've been observing and shooters at firing ranges long enough to notice a few things that might make your range trip safer or more pleasant.

1) If you pick up a live, unfired round from the ground and intend to shoot it out of your firearm, make sure its the right caliber.

Picking up rounds off the ground with the intention of shooting them is almost always a bad idea, but I can imagine a couple cases where it might be necessary -- eg, you dump your 100 round value pack of Winchester White Box on the ground, and you'd rather not kiss 30 bucks good bye. Just make sure that they are your rounds you are picking up. A .40SW looks a little bit like a .45ACP if you aren't paying attention, and in some .45s, you can chamber it and fire it. But as the round doesn't fill the chamber, you can expect some unpleasant consequences.

2) Put your range bag where nobody will trip on it. Especially you.

This shouldn't require any explanation. Tripping over your range bag while holding a loaded firearm is a Bad Thing. Having someone else drop their $2000, tricked-out AR on concrete cause you left your bag in a dumb place will not cause them to love you, even if they should be watching where they are going.

3) When shooting someone else's firearm for the first time, make sure you know how it operates, where the safety is, and -- this is very important -- how much it will recoil.

Just this weekend at the range, I saw a man shoot his buddy's very modern muzzle-loader. This guy had obviously never fired this particular shootin' iron before, and when it went off, it produced the usual thunderclap and huge cloud of smoke and an unexpected yelp of pain from the shooter. The recoil had thrown the scope back into his head, and put a deep inch-long cut right above his eye. It bled like crazy, and the family day at the range ended rather quickly with a trip to the emergency room.

4) If you need to pick something up off the ground, put your gun down first.

This is more of a guideline than a rule, I guess. There are probably situations where it would be perfectly safe to bend down, rifle or pistol in hand and grab something off the ground. But if you're going after an en-bloc clip that your Garand just ejected (ping!) 8 feet to the right, you may muzzle-sweep someone else as your 1-handed grip on a 9.5 lb rifle is revealed to be too weak and the dangerous end goes wobbling around. (In a real live self defense emergency, don't put your gun down without a very good reason. Remember, these are RANGE rules.)

5) If you drop your gun, don't try to catch it. Also: if you drop something else while holding your gun, don't try to catch that either.

Duh.

6) Although not required, if you think that you might eject hot brass (or maybe an en-bloc clip) onto your neighbor, it's polite to let them know. This means you should be aware of how your firearm ejects, and what's around you when you are shooting. Consider it a situational awareness drill.

Little kids or new shooters are particularly deserving of a friendly heads up - a rattled new shooter might turn sideways and inadvertently injure or kill someone with an ND. I've never read any accounts of this happening, but it costs nothing to be friendly. There is not a corollary to this. If you get hit by hot brass, don't be a whiny little bitch. It's a shooting range. Put on a hat or go stand somewhere else.

7) If shooting your hand loads causes your revolver to Ka-Boom (TM), showering other shooters with bits and pieces, instead of packing your stuff up and departing without saying a word, apologize to the folks around you.

Yes, this really happened to my co-blogger. He was the shower-ee, not the shooter.

Any other suggestions? Please post them in the comments.

When You Don't Gag on Someone's Prez-Pole and No One is Around to Not Hear It, Did You Not Make a Sound?

2011-09-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

I kinda thought this was a joke at first (via Hot Air), but I think this Capehart guy is quite serious.

Obama’s fight — for respect

Now overall he seems upset that Obama's so passive in the face of Republican ignominy. Passive, is this instance of course, means not railroading through your every whim with a sniff and a reminder of "I won." Now that there are enough Republicans in the legislature to actually speak for, you know, half the country, Liberals are all sad and crying indignantly for their mommies.

"Yeah, yeah. In the grand scheme of things, the kerfuffle over the timing of President Obama’s jobs speech before a joint session of Congress is the perfect slow-news-day story that has little resonance outside the confines of the Washington Beltway. It’s the kind of thing news and political junkies chew over when there’s nothing else to do during summer’s last gasp.

Still, the hard-core move by Obama to address the nation before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 7 — the same night as a Republican presidential debate — resonated with me and more than a few others around the country because of what it symbolized. A willingness by the president to fight. But when House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued his honey-coated push back over the date, I and others said (ok, demanded) the president should deliver his speech on the day of his choosing. For me, this was not a demand rooted in politics. It was rooted in weariness at the ongoing lack of respect for the presidency and this president. "

So let me get this straight. Picking that particular night was a deliberate "fight", but when the other side in the issue actually pushed back, i.e. participated in the fight, they were wrong.

Mr. Capehart, call your dictionary - that word "fight": I do not think it means what you think it means.

So this Capehart is coming out of the gate with a dunce cap on, but let's have some more fun with him.

So first Capehart is glad that the President picked a fight. A "hardcore" fight even. (Note that a consistent comment by me on this blog is that Obama only truly "fights" against Americans and American institutions.)

Next Capehart whines about

"the ongoing lack of respect for the presidency and this president."

I quoted that for posterity, because it's beautiful. After about a 10 minute search I was able to find the following examples of Democratic legislators showing their respect for the presidency and another president:

April 30, 2007
Washington, D.C. - John Murtha suggested on Sunday that impeachment is a means of forcing President Bush to accept the will of Democrats on Iraq.

Video Flashback: Dems Shout And Boo At Bush During 2005 SOTU [Video]

Senator Webb

Rep. Stark

Obviously, if I went wider than the legislature, I could fill Google's servers with examples of far worse behavior and accusations.

So we must begin to wonder - is Capehart ignorant of the events of the last decade or so? Is he intentionally dissembling?

"As Jim Downie pointed out in his excellent post last night, Boehner’s rejection of Obama’s joint-session request is unprecedented. Mind you, this isn’t the first time this speaker thumbed his nose at this president. During one of the most dramatic moments of the debt-ceiling talks, Obama called Boehner twice to follow up on a conversation about additional revenue in the grand bargain they’d been negotiating in secret. He was told the speaker was unavailable."

This President is a pushy punk and treats Republicans like shit in public - why would anyone with an R next to their name want to take his calls?

"
And then there was Boehner’s offensive response on “Meet The Press” to questions about the persistent lie that Obama was a closet Muslim who wasn’t born in the United States. “As the speaker of the House, as the leader,” he was asked by moderator David Gregory, “Do you not think it’s your responsibility to stand up to that kind of ignorance?”

"It’s not my job to tell the American people what to think. Our job in Washington is to listen to the American people. Having said that, the state of Hawaii has said that he was born there. That’s good enough for me. The president says he’s a Christian. I accept him at his word."
"

I've read it a few times and I simply can't find anything offensive in that exchange except for Gregory's lable of "ignorance" applied to folks wanting to be sure of where their president was born.

"When George W. Bush was president, harsh things were said all the time by congressional Democrats and their leaders. Some even crossed the line. Yet, while there was disdain for the man in the Oval Office, respect for the office itself was never in doubt. I seriously worry that it’s in doubt now among some Republicans. Each petty slight by Boehner is one more chip away at respect for the presidency."

"...crossed the line." (See above)

So when Bush was president, "disdain" for the man did NOT reflect on the office (not that a little disdain for ANY aspect of government is necessarily a bad thing IMO), but with Obama, disagreement with the man DOES equate to disdain for the office. This Capehart guy must have been busy practicing on his carrots and cucumbers the day they taught logic in school.

"In Obama, we have a president more grounded and comfortable in his own skin than many of the people he has to work with to govern this country."

Oh.

" He’s bigger than most of us."

My.

"So the petty slights that get a lot of us riled up probably don’t register to him."

God.

I didn't make those preceding 3 sentences up. This WAPO guy actually wrote them.

Let's see them again:

"In Obama, we have a president more grounded and comfortable in his own skin than many of the people he has to work with to govern this country."

So comfortable that he bullies and pouts and brags like a 14 year old?

" He’s bigger than most of us."

A bigger asshole, sure. I can see that. A bigger ignoramous. A bigger socialist, even.

"So the petty slights that get a lot of us riled up probably don’t register to him."

So now the slights against your robot-god-king are petty? I thought they were bad enough to harm the very office he holds?

"He’s a thinker and plotter with his eyes on the prize down the road, not the daily hysteria taking place on the road to get there."

Hmm.

" That’s why I’m praying that when the real fight comes, the president will show Republicans — and the American people — that he’s not the pushover they believe him to be.

By Jonathan Capehart | 10:08 AM ET, 09/01/2011 "

Yeah, the "pushover" that gave us the Stimulus, Obamacare, an unauthorized war in Libya, a takeover of GM, persecution of Gibson, a Gulf permitorium, and a cockblocking of Boeing.

You know, I worry about some of these fervent Obama disciples. Because let's face it - either Obama is the first non-crooked pol to come out of the Chicago machine in 100 years or he's just been getting superb blocking from the press during his run. When he's done fucking this country like his personal two-dollar whore, hopefully in 2012, someone's going to actually start shining light on whatever skeletons are in his closets (Rezko, anyone?), and if any of them are remotely serious, jokers like this Capehart idiot are going to go cata-fucking-tonic.

And as amusing as that will be, I worry that, in his stumbling, he might accidentally impale someone with his giant dunce cap.

Gobble My John Thomas, Quicktime.

2011-08-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

That's pretty much all I wanted to say.

"Pain, Kirk?"

2011-08-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, my god. I just remembered that Chevy Chase had a talk show for a little bit.

A Stew of Links To Enrapture the Unwary

2011-08-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

This one is a 2-fer. Interface geeks and Star Wars nerds rejoice: Dan O'Bannon and the the tactical displays in Star Wars.

H/T to Borepatch for this one: Armor Penetration and the Medieval Longbow.

Found this in Wired. Ever wanted to see a Zombie-decapitating Slingshot? Didn't know that you wanted to see that until just now? The Slingshot Channel on Youtube.

From My Cold. Dead. Hands.

2011-08-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

For all the usual reasons and also because this was so much fun. (Pix of the scenario shoot I mentioned in an earlier post)

Full Geek Ahead!

2011-08-22T23:35:00.001-07:00

Oh, all right. :) (Ones I've read or am reading bolded. Ones I started and never intend to finish starred. My personal comments italicized.)

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Once every year or so)
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
*4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert (Read the first one. Boooooooooring,)
*5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (read the first one. Is he kidding?)
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (on my shelf, embarrassingly never read. I'm just not a Bradley guy.)
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan (Dear lord, no.)
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson (snoozer. Put it down with the last page unread, never picked it up again. I assume something awful happened.)
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore ("Rorshach threw him down an elevator shaft.")
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss (huh?)
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien (I'll be in my bunk.)
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson (the first 3 were bearable. The second 3...)
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange, Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
*66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist (first couple, if this is the one with tree-Elves and a thousand characters)
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (Fuck Terry Brooks and his jerk-off ripoff "Sword of the Rings" asswipe substitute.)
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn (Would've been nice if he'd've bothered to see the movies first.)
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock (Blood and souls for my -- Oh, just whatever.)
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
*95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

Recoil Therapy: Summer Installment

2011-08-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Its been a couple weeks of intense gunnuttery up here in NH. A couple weeks ago was the NE Bloggershoot, which ran like a Swiss watch due to the unstinting efforts of our community organizier JayG of MArooned and our host doubletrouble.

It was great to see everyone again, especially since I missed last year. High points for me: shooting Old NFO's SCAR-H, learning a lot from the assembled multitudes, and seeing the size of the hole we shot in the backstop plywood. Video highlights for anyone curious can be found here:

Last Sunday we had a 2-gun scenario shoot at the range I belong to. A little background -- our outdoor range has a short side and a long side with a 100, 200 and 300 yard range.

The scenario was simple: returning from a tourist trip to Mexico, a gunfight breaks out in front of you and you need to defend yourself against some hombres determined to kill you. Thankfully you packed appropriately. (Realistically, I don't think I'd go to Mexico with a full size SW 1911 on my belt and a Colt AR in the trunk, but it was more fun that way then, say, harsh language and thrown rocks.)

We were in teams of two, and started in a pickup truck that had been parked out on the short side. On the comnand we bailed out, took cover behind a barricade and shot at 8 targets from 25 - 40 yards away. A little long for pistol work but we managed to take out all the targets.

Then we ran to the long side of the range to simulate a rifle duel with another group of bad guys. I was at a disadvantage here shooting over iron sights, but my partner had a scoped Ruger 10/22. Between the two of us we knocked out 6 of the 8 targets. Tricky, since I couldn't actually see at that range if I was hitting anything.

Of course, we made enough tactical errors in not taking cover appropriately or engaging targets in the wrong order to convince the judges that we would have both died.

But great fun. Just try to keep me away from the next one.

"John and Judy Know What to Do When the Atom Bomb Goes Off!"

2011-08-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

A random plug for the documentary The Atomic Cafe.

I guess that, as an unapologetic Hawk, this movie shouldn't be one of my all-time favorites, but it has been for a long time, because in my opinion it is pure genius: Chillingly effective - yet still vastly entertaining - in its message.

But at the very least, to quote John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles:

"WOW! I mean that was close. We can laugh about it now, we're alright."

.45 Long Colt = DoublePlus Good

2011-08-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Brought a buddy to the range this weekend (hey buddy!) for some recoil therapy. I won't lay claim to a New Shooter, but he did have fun, and did quite well. I was careful about explaining the basics and pointing out my own bad habits, but mainly we put lead downrange into bullseyes and zombies.

We started with my S&W .22, and what can I say about the sheer randy fun of popping .22LR that hasn't already been said? And the 22A-1 is a wonderful piece - nice and heavy and sweet to shoot. My only issue is with the magazines - after about 50 rounds they start misfeeding the last or second-to-last round. Are new mag springs necessary or can I get away with stretching out the ones in there already?

We moved on to my Ruger GP-100 and had fun with a box or so of .38. The guy I bought this one from had a fantastic trigger job done on this one so it's like squeezing butter with every round. Another nice trainer gun, and fulfills the basic gun slot of a workaday .357. My buddy really liked this one - he has good instincts.

I then dug out my Taurus PT-145 for some much-needed practice, and did much better than last month. Still not great, but I'm getting used to the snap and compensating better (probably overcompensating as a matter of fact), and my groups are much better. My buddy did not like this gun, which is reasonable for a new shooter trying out a teeny half-plastic blaster in .45ACP.

Then we finished up with my fave revolver - the Ruger Vaquero in .45LC. I tell ya, I may never compete in pin leagues or go to Sig school or take the time to develop the ability to eradicate the 10-ring at 50ft with my Steyr M9, but I can sure as shinola put a .45 caliber bullet in center mass at 21 feet without aiming. This time around I'd say I did it about 39 times out of 40. No drawing allowed at Bill's so I just rest my arm hanging over the shelf of my lane, relaxed, then pull up to between my beltline and chest, slip the hammer back and BANG. Hole in target.

The ergonomics on the big SA revolvers just work for me, and I find them exremely pointable and shootable. Very instinctive - I can see why they were so pre-eminent for so long. Too bad it's not practical for me to strap one on for my carry piece here in the Twin Cities.

I'm On A Boat!

2011-07-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I was this weekend anyway. Buddy of mine has a cabin up on Miles Bay at Lake of the Woods, Ontario, CA. To say it's secluded and beautiful is to say that Albert Einstein was "gifted". This year he took me and another buddy, and of course, Sam the Dog.

So, pack the Jeep, drive 6 or so hours due North, pack the 18-footer at the marina, motor out to the West another 25 minutes or so, tie up at the dock, unload boat, pour drink, light cigar, begin vacation. It's a small island with 3 family cabins on it, maybe 8 acres, heavily pine-wooded. I don't fish, myself, but it's apparently Walleye heaven for those who indulge.

We played lots of wargames, kayaked around the islands, drank, smoked, and cracked wise at each other, and generally had an awesome time.

The only real adventure was Saturday. Normal berth for the boat is the East side of the floating dock, and Friday night the wind shifted to a nasty East wind. We woke up Saturday to a 20 knot wind blasting from the East that raised whitecaps and knocked the boat against the floating dock. The whips and lines held, but we had to watch for a few hours as the boat and dock shoulder-slammed each other - not a pretty sight but it was too dangerous to be messing with.

Finally we got a relative lessening and out we went. We got the owner in the boat and me and the other guy tried to cast him off.

Hard to do when the floating dock is rolling 30+ degrees in 2-foot swells. But at least it wasn't raining.

We got the whips undone and were working at the bow and stern lines when I saw a nice roller coming in and yelled a warning. I'm sure we looked quite comical as I dropped face up, spread-eagled on the dock clutching a cleat, the other guy dropped face down, and our buddy in the boat let go of the stern line he was trying to unclip and sat down hard. But none of us lost fingers or went in the drink.

Even after we finally got the lines unclipped, we failed to throw the lines in the boat, and the bow line fouled the prop for a bit. Once our buddy got that fixed he motored around to another family's dock on the other side of the island, we ran over and got him tied up, then we went back up to the cabin and relaxed a bit, started telling stories about how exciting it all had been. By the third time we'd each retold our part of the story to each other there were giant Kraken trying to pull us all under while Jap Zeroes were strafing the island and alien frogmen were trying to afix demo charges to the boat.

The other few days the weather was wonderful. I kayaked a little, anointed Sam the Dog as King of the Island and let him run loose and dig up whatever trouble he could find (none), watched the bald eagles over on the next island (much quieter this year than the previous two years), read in the sun, smoked a lot of cigars and drank a lot of rum. At night I saw the Northern Lights for the first time, watched satellites track overhead, and marvelled at the Milky Way and far-off thunderheads. And smoked cigars and drank rum.

Trust me, you're jealous.

Naughty Tea Party - No Zakaria Biscuit for You!

2011-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Did Fareed Zakaria just drop a penny into a fountain, screw his eyes shut, and transcribe his wish into a bunch of words?

WAPO.

In the standoff over the debt crisis, it’s easy to point the finger at the Tea Party.

Right, because it's really annoying when a group of citizens starts getting involved in the democratic processes of our republic by pressuring representatives to do what they were actually elected to do.

And the result - a likely acceptance of the Gang of Six vaporlegislation by an isolated set of sackless Republicans - is exactly the kind of outcome the Evil Tea Partiers heaved themselves out of their day jobs to achieve. So they're really ruining things so far, huh?

And it was the Evil Tea Party folks who ran a gangster congress for two years that cut the Republicans out of every major meeting and negotiation, right? And their Evil Tea Party president?

And there's certainly no pandering to or pressure from the Lefty Progressive lobbyists and narrowcasters and activists. Good thing, that.

I wonder - did idiots like Mr. Zakaria turn Newsweek into a brand worth $1.00 or did constant shilling for a tripe-filled buttrag that was only worth $1.00 turn folks like Mr. Zakaria into hollow, unreadable water carriers?

Yummy Beastie Parts

2011-07-21T00:33:00.000-07:00

I have a new love, and it is bottom round sirloin.

Words.

All those words are stupid. It should just say "Remove from package, begin ripping chunks off with incisors and eat until sick, glaring paranoiacally over your shoulders for thieves as you chew."

I bought about 8 pounds of this stuff for this last weekend's MST3K and Rifftrax shindig, and only kabobed about 6.5 pounds. A half pound of that went straight in my mouth as I cubed it for the marinade. (For those of you grossed out by eating raw beef, too bad. Better yet, buy some nice fat-trimmed bottom round sirloin steaks, look at them, imagine eating them raw, get grossed out, then put them on ice and mail them to me.)

I'll be trying different grilling methods on these for the rest of the summer, but I can't imagine that it'll need much more than a sprinkle of salt or rub, show it a picture of the hot coals, then toss it on a plate.

Almost Over Already, This Summer Is

2011-07-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

I really like Star Wars. Even the prequels.

There. I said it.

I've got a lot of proto-posts whizzing around in my golova, but nothing's touching down very long. It's been a terrifically busy spring-summer so far and, if things keep thinging along the way they have been, it's looking to get even busier come summer-fall.

I've been out on the bike more so far than the previous two seasons combined; finally realize what the dealer and my buddy meant when they said that a 650 would seem big at first but would eventually get too small; can't wait for my HighNoon shoulder rig to get here; really really need to get some bids in on a new upstairs bathroom, and bought my own copy of Chaos in the Old World because, well heck - we play it so often I shouldn't have to make anyone else drag their copy over.

It's been a pretty great summer so far, so here's to hoping it gets even more so:

Shut Down

2011-07-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the MN state government is shut down, whatever that means. Dem Governor Dayton, pop-eyed crazoid that he is, refused to compromise with the Repub state houses and for the want of (last I heard) closing a $38 million dollar gap in plans, the vast Inefficiency Engine that is MN state government is shut down.

Basically it boiled down to Dayton wanting to increase spending (by ridiculous amounts) and raise taxes to pay for it, and the repubs wanting to close the state deficit and decrease spending to pay for it. The details are detaily but that's the gist of it. And of course, republicans are making their stand because they're bad people that want to do bad things.

I know it's early, but so far I'm okay with it.

MenAreNotPotatoes-Shoot

2011-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

My partner in bloggy mayhem, MeatAxe, is in town for a few days for secret cabal meetings, and he's crashing here at SmasherTopia. Coincidentally, a nice-sized package of ammo arrived at my door on Friday, so yesterday we packed up some of my boomsticks and headed over to one of the indoor ranges around town.

We shot my

Steyr M9
Taurus PT-145
Ruger Blackhawk .38/.357
Ruger Vaquero .45LC

and discovered or reaffirmed the following things:

1) MeatAxe is a scary-good pistol shot.
2) Except for the SA revolvers, I am a mediocre pistol shot who needs to practice more. I will credit myself with being fairly decent at the casual "point and shoot" cowboy style with my revolvers though.
3) Shooting is fun.
4) Shooting big target zombie clown through the nose-hole is fun.
5) My Taurus ate another 120 rounds or so, the last 20 being 185gr JHPs, with nary a hiccup or cough.
6) I am satisfied with my control of the .45, but am still shooting way too low - being used to the M9's trapezoidal sights makes it harder for me to use the standard post on the Taurus.
7) I didn't bring enough ammo.
8) Sitting outside cleaning guns and smoking cigars while MeatAxe BBQs up a fantastic set of ribs is the Right Thing To Do.
9) Watching the RiffTrax of 300 while eating said ribs and drinking rum and bourbon is also the Right Thing To Do.

Lucky Smokel*

2011-06-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Whenever I make a Bad Gun Mistake, which is thankfully not very often, I always make sure I tell my gunny friends about it, and my good friends who are not gunnies too. I believe the retelling serves as both a nice plate of crow for myself and a lesson for others, and also helps make it real. A mistake kept to oneself can, through the mists of time, become something else entirely - with enough time, not a mistake at all.

We are, each of us, fabulously successful at rewriting our own histories for ourselves.

Today it wasn't a Bad Gun Mistake, it was a Bad Motorcycle Mistake. And Jay or any other rider reading, please feel free to berate me, because a broken neck is just as deadifying as a .XX caliber hole in one's insides.

The Leadup:

Had a GREAT day on the bike. I mean great. Energized as all get-out at the end of it, I took a side route to a buddy's house (rider and gunnie too) to tell him about it. Happened upon an intersection that I've passed through many times, but NEVER with a green. Heretofore I'd always had to stop and accelerate from zero MPH through it and into the

TIGHT DOGLEG TURN

that immediately follows.

Today, pumped-up and jumped-up and spoiling for fun, I noted the green, checked oncoming traffic across Route 10, noted none, pictured the turn in my head and judged my speed, and thought "no problem".

The Event:

I crossed 10, leaned into the left-hand portion of the turn, saw the right-hand coming quick, realized I was going too fast, eased a bit on the throttle and started to straighten, checked traffic - all clear, saw that I was going to cross the center line

CROSS THE CENTER LINE

right after the median point, tapped the brakes fore & aft to help me cut the turn, and started to lose the rear wheel.

Horrible feeling, that.

I immediately goosed the throttle, which straightened me out, but now I'm going, at speed, in the far opposite lane. A quick check of traffic ahead shows some sort of SUV/minivan ahead. I'd say it was headed for me, but we all know I was headed towards it. In motorcycle jargon, we call this "trying to get yourself killed."

The Result:

Looked like plenty of space ahead, and a quick over-the-shoulder confirmed nothing else around, so I cut back over onto my own GORRAMMED SIDE OF THE ROAD, waved feebly at the SUV/minivan who passed me a LOT closer than I'd figured for, unpuckered, and continued at a fair and measured pace to my destination.

The Lesson:
I WAS GOING TOO GORRAMMED FAST.

Well, I'd never hit that intersection greened before, but that should have been all the more reason to not go too gorrammed fast.

Sure, there was probably sand from the median point right where I tapped brakes, but if I wasn't going too gorramed fast, I'd've never been near that sand in the first place, now would I?

Sand or not, what the hell was I doing hitting a tight dogleg at 20+ MPH? Going too gorrammed fast, that's what I was doing.

Hey, I made it, right? Well Hell's Bells, the only reason I get to ask that question is because I was going too gorrammed fast.

I didn't panic, right? Well, extra sparkly kudos for me, because I wouldn't have had a chance to panic if I'd not been going too gorrammed fast.

But at least I remembered "THROTTLE THROTTLE THROTTLE" when I needed too, right?

Too.

Gorrammed.

Fast.

So, anonymous SUV/minivan driver, thank you for being alert and I'm sorry for probably scaring the bejesus out of you; and fellow riders, let the admonishment begin.

* When I was a wee lad, I couldn't pronounce "motorcyle" so I called them smokels. Still do.

Its Good to Be The King

2011-06-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Check out Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's new personal photographer

Here's a link to the story on Forbes

Is It Just Me, or Is It Not Getting Hot in Here?

2011-06-13T08:42:00.001-07:00

Another handful of nails for the Carbon coffin:

Via Hot Air:

The evidence is powerful, straightforward, and damning. NASA satellite instruments precisely measuring global temperatures show absolutely no warming during the past the past 10 years. This is the case for the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, including the United States. This is the case for the Arctic, where the signs of human-caused global warming are supposed to be first and most powerfully felt. This is the case forglobal sea surface temperatures, which alarmists claim should be sucking up much of the predicted human-induced warming. This is the case for the planet as a whole.

I've been saying it for 20 years. It's basic science. You pose your theory and you test it, and if the results 100% contradict your hypothesis, your theory is disproven and you move on from it. If you refuse to do this you are not practicing science.

End of line.

Tom Friedman is Full

2011-06-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

...of guilt.

Apparently he's forgotten all the other scares about resources and food and oil and water and air that have been around for centuries, and how none of them played out at all, and feels so bad about being at the top of the food chain and using up scarce resources that he goes to... Yemen.

This is not science fiction. This is what happens when our system of growth and the system of nature hit the wall at once. While in Yemen last year, I saw a tanker truck delivering water in the capital, Sana. Why? Because Sana could be the first big city in the world to run out of water, within a decade. That is what happens when one generation in one country lives at 150 percent of sustainable capacity.

And how did this whiner GET to Yemen? Did he take Shank's Ponies the whole way? Row a dugout? Jump real high and wait to come down when Africa rotated to underneath him?

Naw, I bet he rode on one o' them aero-plane contraptions and even had a crappy in-flight sandwich and bag of pretzels.

That's a lot of Carbon there, Tommy. All to get you to Yemen. Did you need to be in Yemen? (And really, does anyone really need to be in Yemen?) Do you cry yourself to sleep each night over the guilt of going to Yemen and spitting all of that death-smoke out of your sky demon to get there? Or are you just eager to make sure no one else gets a chance to go to Yemen? (Umm, thank you?)

The inherent mental ass-hattery required to be a member of the Environment Religion is truly astounding. There is simply no real thought behind it - it doesn't stand up to two seconds of applied science and every single sacrament (warming, acid rain, cooling, overpopulation) has been shown to be false or falsified. And I have good friends who believe this stuff - I'm embarrassed for them.

But anyway, the question remains - does Tommy Friedman want to squat in front of a mud hut and paw grubs out of a wooden bowl all his life? Or does he want to fly to Yemen so he can write articles about how we should be the ones doing that?

I know how I'd bet, and I've got a full boat: Earths over Tommies.

A Bummer

2011-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not one for much sentiment, but the sudden passing of Joel Rosenberg is worth noting to me. I'd never met the man, but I'd heard him on the radio and benefit from his drive for 2nd Amendment rights in general and concealed carry rights for Minnesota specifically, every day.

So long, sir.

Science, Bitches!

2011-05-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

Dark matter, my ass:

The student conducted a targeted X-ray search of vast structures known as "filaments of galaxies", which stretch across the vast expanse of space. Examining data the research team had already gathered, her analysis of material confirmed that mass was present in the filaments.

"If we're looking very, very long distances from Earth we're detecting mass, but if we're looking closer to Earth we only see about half the mass that we're expecting to see. This is what is called the missing mass problem.

"People have theorised that this mass has settled in filaments that extend between clusters of galaxies, so we tested and confirmed this prediction by detecting it in the filaments," the Australian media quoted Amelia as saying.

Remember, ladies and gents, when you have to invent something as dumb as "dark matter" to describe your missing mass, you're not looking hard enough.

The More Things Change....

2011-05-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

First read this article from the Guardian

Parachute Regiment to lose £5-a-day danger payment
Proposed army cuts may affect 4,000 military personnel including soldiers returning from Afghanistan

Then, read this:

TOMMY
by Rudyard Kipling

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
    O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
    But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
    The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
    O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
    But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
    The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
    O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
    Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
    But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
    The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
    O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
    While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
    But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
    There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
    O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
    But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
    An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
    An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Small Chunks of Free Time - Begone With You!

2011-05-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not really a big computer gamer, but I play a lot of boardgames and wargames and have spent a fair amount of time with a character sheet in my hands, and I am a huge nerd. And a buddy pointed me to this a month ago:

Desktop Dungeons.

All I can say is, Elf wizard with the fireball glyph? Shit just got real.

Liberalism and its Discontents

2011-05-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Never thought I'd be telling my reader to go read a Ted Rall piece.

But this description of how his criticism of Obama from the left is being kept out of the press by editors who don't want to see criticism of The One is fascinating. You should read it, but here are some quotes from people who refused to run Rall's work:

"I am familiar with and enjoy your cartoons. However the readers of our site would not be comfortable with your (admittedly on point) criticism of Obama."

· "Don't be such a hater on O and we could use your stuff. Can't you focus more on the GOP?"

· "Our first African-American president deserves a chance to clean up Bush's mess without being attacked by us."

And there's one guy quoted in here that made me gape with disbelief:

"So what should I think about [the war in Libya]?," asks Kevin Drum in Mother Jones. "If it had been my call, I wouldn't have gone into Libya. But the reason I voted for Obama in 2008 is because I trust his judgment. And not in any merely abstract way, either: I mean that if he and I were in a room and disagreed about some issue on which I had any doubt at all, I'd literally trust his judgment over my own. I think he's smarter than me, better informed, better able to understand the consequences of his actions, and more farsighted."

Tough Mudder. Done.

2011-05-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me for my little trot up and down the gentle rolling hills of VT. Here are a few stats on the race:

10 miles long

13,000 feet of overall elevation change

7000 feet of climbing

28 different obstacles including 4 12-foot walls, a 15-foot jump into 45 degree water, a log carry up and then down a very steep slope.

I finished with very sore knees about 4.5 hours after the 10:20 am start time. And lunatic that I am, I have pre-registered for next year. But I'm bringing Advil with me next time.

Middle of May

2011-05-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

And yesterday I had the heat on.

How's that whole Sun thing working out? Still pretty cold? Yeah, I thought so.

"Wipe Them Out. All of Them. Yes, Even My Huckleberry.""

2011-05-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

So, our health care system is so terrible that it needed to be plowed with salt last year, but starting with a call to the clinic at 10:30am and ending with me walking back in the door of my house at 1pm, I and my awful cough/laryngitis had a non urgent-care appointment, saw a nurse and a doc, got throat swabbed, blood drawn, and chest X-rayed, chest listened to; and tested out negative for Strep, bronchitis, and pneumonia. All in 2.5 hrs.

Yeah, that's... awful. Let's never have to put up with that again.

--

And for the curious, the Doc confirmed what I'd figured - my pollen allergies are simply kicking in and having fun with the soft tissues and upper respiratory that my bad cold this last weekend ravaged. So my lucky coworkers get to have another couple of days of listening to me cough like Doc Holliday and wheeze like Emperor Palpatine.

BHO vs. OBL - the Fawning

2011-05-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

(Triggered by a conversation on a political forum I frequent.)

I am so tired of this Boy President and his coterie of high-priced handjobbers.

"But Smasher," they say, "you have to credit President Obama for making the tough decision to take out OBL in Pakistan - if it'd gone wrong he'd take all the blame, so since it went right he gets a bunch of credit."

I just don't see it that way. Every other foreign policy decision by Obama has either been of the "America sucks" type or the "whatever, stop bothering me" type. Why anyone would imagine this one was the one time where he sweated and worried is beyond me.

And the whole "he took the risk" line is silly too. Every president takes risks with every decision he makes. It's part of the job. Giving the President of the United States credit for allowing the assassination of the man responsible for something like 9/11 is like giving me credit for going to work every day.

The only thing that impresses me (other than the sheer awesomeness of the teams that pinned OBL and shined him) is the fact that Obama took the smart route of dumping the body at sea. My hat is off to him for that, although I rather suspect that the ocean might have some objections on that point.

Tough Mudder Here I Come

2011-05-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

As the long time readers of this blog (both of you) know, I'll be running the Tough Mudder on Mt. Snow this Saturday. The race covers 10 miles up and down the mountain, and 28 obstacles including stuff on fire, and a 10,000 volt shock.

Tough Mudder is a fund raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. So far I've raised nearly 500 bucks for this worthy organization.

Please sponsor me and help out the men and women who have been hurt in the service of our country.

https://www.raceit.com/Fundraising/donate.aspx?event=2937&fundraiser=r797650

Here's a little more on the race: www.toughmudder.com

And here is the Wounded Warrior Site: www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Thanks to my friends and family who have already donated.

"He Has Joined the Choir Invisible"

2011-05-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

So Bin Laden is an ex-parrot now.

a) That's awesome.
b) I vote they put the body at Ground Zero and charge $100 a pop to piss on it. We'll have the Debt paid down in a week.

Hybrid Car Ravages Earth, Mother Gaia Cries

2011-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Women, Children Affected Most

Nothing puts a smile on my face like an electric car spontaneously catching fire and spewing black smoke into the atmosphere. Nothing, that is, except the same car catching fire again four days later:

(Cue crying Indian)

Engineers from General Motors Corp. and insurance representatives investigating whether a Chevrolet Volt or its charging station caused a fire last week that destroyed a garage in Barkhamsted were surprised Monday when the unplugged hybrid electric car began smoldering, four days after the early morning blaze.

Now, since no one got hurt except in the pocketbook, that's entertainment.

Guns, and the Obtaining of Same

2011-04-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

So some money recently fell out of the sky into my lap parts, and I figure some of it should go to a gun. Some other of it is going to one of the following:

A cabinet humidor - because I smoke a fair amount of cigars, ordering them online in bulk is super effing cheap IF you have the storage space for them, and let's face it - it's extravagent and cool.

A new laptop. Because I need one.

But after those I'm still going to have some cash to throw around. At the moment nothing boomstick-wise is jumping out at me, but here's the list of possibles:

A new SA revolver. The modern stuff is fun and all, but I have to say, my first best destiny in handguns is a big ol' hogleg. My shooting style groks old-school cowboy guns bigtime.

A coach gun. For cool points I wouldn't mind an external hammer double-barrelled shotgun.

A 1911. I don't have one. Seems wrong somehow.

A CETME. I like the looks and heft, and the size of the bullet it throws.

A Ruger Mini-14 offering. I stumbled on these the other day. I like the looks of the wood-furnitured one with the 20 rd mag, and MeatAxe says 5.56 is fun to shoot. I rate this one as VERY tempting.

A CMP M1. No explanation needed.

Now, if I committed to any of the last three I'd need to also commit to finding a good outdoor range, so that's a factor.

Anybody want to chime in with advice?

Lefties, Thy Name is Mud

2011-03-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

'Tis wondering strange.

A few years ago, when we attacked Iraq after almost a year of prep and prop and primp, AND a Congressional smiley face sticker, my lefty friends couldn't let a game night go by without bracing me on the topic and forcing me to give an opinion or defense on every news blurb and event they could parrot.

But now, after Chimpy McObamaHitler has attacked little Libya with no warning, whining, or waiting, they are silent on the topic. And I know that if I were to go out of my way to bring it up with my most opinionated friend, I'd get an instant roar of emotional white noise in response, and who needs that when we're trying to manage a 4 to 6 player game quickly and efficiently?

It's almost as if their politics are more driven by the man behind the plan than the plan itself.

Rectal Cranial Inversion Epidemic In Brussels

2011-03-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the EU assf@!kery has reached a New Low.

The EU on Monday unveiled a "single European transport area" aimed at enforcing "a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers" by 2050.

The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail.

Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of "zero" for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities.

Siim Kallas, the EU transport commission, insisted that Brussels directives and new taxation of fuel would be used to force people out of their cars and onto "alternative" means of transport.

"That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres," he said. "Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour."

Best comment so far is from London Dave, who says "Thank goodness we won World War 2, and a bunch of crazed totalitarian Nazis didn't get to enforce their crazy will on the rest of us."

Atom Smasher 1: Whiners 0

2011-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

All of you hoping that technology will continue to be the savior of the human race -- Behold. I give you the artificial leaf.

If you've finished marvelling, I remember something my esteemed co-blogger once said when irked by some whining about the depletion of the Amazon rainforest. "Fuck it. If we wanted to, we could just build another one."

I know this artificial leaf doesn't create oxygen, but I suspect that's just a matter of time.

The Stench of Hypocricy Rises Into My Nostrils...

2011-03-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

President Obama is congratulating Brazil on its plans to drill for oil offshore.

“By some estimates, the oil you recently discovered off the shores of Brazil could amount to twice the reserves we have in the United States. We want to work with you. We want to help with technology and support to develop these oil reserves safely, and when you’re ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers. At a time when we’ve been reminded how easily instability in other parts of the world can affect the price of oil, the United States could not be happier with the potential for a new, stable source of energy.”

Just so we're clear, this is the same guy who called a moratorium on drilling last summer and refuses to issue new drilling permits, causing the loss of about 20,000 jobs -- if the administration's own figures are to be believed. US domestic oil production is expected to drop by 220,000 barrels per day in 2011.

This Is Just Plain Cool

2011-03-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

Don't recall how I ended up here, but you should check out this Wikipedia entry on the Voynich Manuscript, a 240-page,14th-century book written in code that nobody can break.

.

Here's a quote from wiki: "The Voynich manuscript is a handwritten book thought to have been written in the early 15th century and comprising about 240 vellum pages, most with illustrations. Although many possible authors have been proposed, the author, script and language remain unknown. It has been described as "the world's most mysterious manuscript".

If You Aren't Already A Libertarian...

2011-03-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this transcript from the Ohio Supreme Court, in which it takes 10 pages of questions and answers for a clerk making 64k a year to admit if his office has a photocopier or not:

Marburger: During your tenure in the computer department at the Recorder's office, has the Recorder's office had photocopying machines?

Cavanagh: Objection.

Marburger: Any photocopying machine?

Patterson: When you say "photocopying machine," what do you mean?

Marburger: Let me be -- let me make sure I understand your question. You don't have an understanding of what a photocopying machine is?

Patterson: No. I want to make sure that I answer your question correctly.

Cavanagh: Dave, I'll object to the tone of the question. You make it sound like it's unbelievable to you that he wouldn't know what the definition of a photocopy machine is.

Marburger: I didn't ask him to define it. I asked him if he had any.

Patterson: When you say "photocopying machine," what do you mean?

Marburger: Let me be clear. The term "photocopying machine" is so ambiguous that you can't picture in your mind what a photocopying machine is in an office setting?

Patterson: I just want to make sure I answer your question correctly.

Marburger: Well, we'll find out. If you can say yes or no, I can do follow-ups, but it seems -- if you really don't know in an office setting what a photocopying machine is, I'd like the Ohio Supreme Court to hear you say so.

Go read the whole thing. It gets better.

"WA-

2011-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

R!"

Libya? Really? We're stacking mission hours and writing up Raytheon P.O.s because of Libya?

I thought a "rush to war" was bad?

Wounded Warrior and Tough Mudder

2011-03-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

As all you dedicated readers know, I'll be doing the Tough Mudder race on Mt. Snow this May 7.

Here is the fund raising link that the Tough Mudder created for Wounded Warrior.

https://www.raceit.com/Fundraising/donate.aspx?event=2937&fundraiser=r797650

If you donate to sponsor me, the money will go towards helping injured service members.

Here's a little more about the Wounded Warrior Project:

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Feel free to share these links with anyone you think might be interested

Dodged A Bullet There..

2011-03-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Glad I've moved out of CT.....

A bill introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly (Raised Bill Number 1094) by anti-gun state Sen. Martin Looney (D) would ban the possession of any magazine (rifle, pistol or shotgun) capable of holding more than 10 rounds. If this bill passes, law-abiding gun owners will have to begin surrendering their magazines by July, or face confiscation by the state police and a felony charge. Again, this proposal would not only ban the sale of these magazines, but would make simple possession a felony. Any gun owner found in possession of any magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds will be in violation of this proposed law, regardless of whether it was legally purchased.

This draconian measure will also affect non-gun owners as all Connecticut tax payers will be forced to foot the bill for the extraordinary process of having police confiscate -- from law-abiding citizens -- the millions of magazines already in the state.

Making matters worse, manufacturers including Colt, C Products, Mec-Gar, OKAY Industries and Metalform will be directly affected by this legislation. That means a loss of jobs and tax revenue to the state.
Arbitrarily limiting magazine capacity and threatening law-abiding gun owners with confiscation and felony charges is beyond the pale. These magazines are utilized every day for home defense and the shooting sports. As part of the 1994 "Assault Weapons" ban, the production of higher capacity magazines was halted. This gun-control strategy soon proved to be a failure. A comprehensive study by the Centers for Disease Control -- hardly a pro-gun entity -- looked at the full panoply of gun-control measures, including this ban, and concluded that none could be proven to reduce crime. Another study, commissioned by Congress, found that bans were not effective since "the banned weapons and magazines were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders."

Giant Cave on Moon -- Site of Future Base?

2011-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just what the headline says, boys and girls: there's apparently a huge cave on the moon.

Should You Work For Free?

2011-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

In case you've ever wondered, here's a handy flowchart that can help you decide.

Things I Didn't Need To Know

2011-02-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

From an article in the WSJ (membership required) about how great it would be to eat bugs.

The average person consumes about a pound of insects per year, mostly mixed into other foods. In the U.S., most processed foods contain small amounts of insects, within limits set by the Food and Drug Administration. For chocolate, the FDA limit is 60 insect fragments per 100 grams. Peanut butter can have up to 30 insect parts per 100 grams, and fruit juice can have five fruit-fly eggs and one or two larvae per 250 milliliters (just over a cup). We also use many insect products to dye our foods, such as the red dye cochineal in imitation crab sticks, Campari and candies.

I was happier when I was ignoranter.

I Have Waited Years....

2011-02-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

... to see this headline:

And while I'm sorry to hear that so many people have died protesting the regime in Libya, I'm encouraged by the thought that Col. Khadaffi may have a date with the tallest lamp-post in Tripoli in short order.

Who Ordered the Skeleton?

2011-02-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

Damn Straight, courtesy of the Daily Mail.

While Gwyneth, with her willowy figure, exercise addiction and macrobiotic fussiness, seems to drive most ordinary women insane with resentment, most men are oblivious to her wan perfection.

We happily flick through the paper until we hit upon a small shot of Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks’ ample bosom, or Kelly Brook buying wallpaper while wearing a large sheepskin coat.

While Gwyn is proud of her taut, yoga body, men aren’t enthused. Men don’t hang around in pubs talking about how many sit-ups their wife can do. While shots of the stick-thin Gwyn might appeal to women, men prefer lumps, bumps and wobbly bits.

Yep. I mean, let's face it - the last people a woman should listen to about body ideals or clothing styles are gay dudes.

Ladies, fashion guys are gay, and gay dudes think girl parts are gross and disgusting, and to no one's surprise, they neither want to look at them nor even have them around. And what do gay dudes want to look at? Young men. So what do they try to make women look like? Young men.

It all makes sense, but it also makes nothing most men want.

In Soviet Russia....

2011-02-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Sauron is good guy.

Rampant Gadgetry

2011-02-18T11:56:00.001-08:00

Stepped into the 21st century yesterday - got myself one of them fancy smartphone thingies. Shiny! One of these days I'll figure out how to use it.

I will have to say that of all the new tech that's emerged in the last decade, it's the casual and robust configurable touch-screen UIs that truly floor me.

15 years ago they were a fantasy from ST:TNG, now it's in my pocket.

My Favorite Acronymns

2011-02-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

SOCMOB: Standing On (the) Corner Minding (my) Own Business. This is the usual state of a victim before a vicious predator know as 'SomeDude' accosts them.

YSLE: You Stupid Lemon Eater

BOCTAOE: But Of Course There Are Obvious Exceptions. Oft paired with YSLE, above.

BOHICA: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

Today Was A Good Day

2011-02-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Today I:

Built lego spaceships for both my sons and played Blockus with them.

Went to the shooting range and shot 100 rounds of .45 from my SW1911, 60 out of my new Colt AR (Heavy Target Barrell) and about 20 out of my M44 Mosin Nagant Carbine

Came home to a clean house and a glass of Russells Reserve (10 year old Bourbon, 90 Proof)

Ate a large portion of Beef Wellington for dinner.

New Rifle

2011-01-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

I got a little bonus at work and look what happened to follow me home. Can I keep it?

Its a Colt AR, with a heavy target barrel. I took it to the range a week or so ago and test fired 50 rounds through it. No problems at all, other than the shooter was freezing cold.

BOHICA

2011-01-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

I read in the NYT that President Obama is preparing to make a speech about gun control in the next few weeks. With all respect to a sitting president, I need to hear a leftist Chicago politician jack his jaws about gun control like I need an asshole on my forehead.

But Mama - He's a Magic Man

2011-01-20T11:53:00.001-08:00

So the latest "thing" in medialitical circles is something about "rhetoric". The good lefty anti-superstition, anti-religion punditry is worried about a set of words they fear have powerful conjuring abilities - words like "killing", "crosshairs", "and "target".

These words of power have the ability to create action out of nothing merely if uttered.

I hate to point this out to the oh-so-intellectual left, but... that smells like magic and wizardry to me.

- 10 points for Gryffinleft.

From the Henry Rollins School of Training

2011-01-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned, some of the folks here at work have a team for the Tough Mudder race on Mt Snow this May. Its a tough, very challenging course and as a bonus we're raising money for Wounded Warrior.

And as you might expect, there's been a lot of talk about weight loss, training and fitness around the office, some of if useful and some of it... sorta... strange.

I don't want to gore anyone's sacred cow, so I'll spare you most of the details. But I don't think that adding 5 grams of cinnamon to your coffee every morning, or buying $150 trail running shoes is going to make it any easier to run 8.5 miles up a mountain and haul my ass over an 12-foot wall. While wet and muddy.

Maybe people feel like its bragging to talk about miles run or pounds lifted or meters rowed, but to quote Henry Rollins, "200 pounds is always 200 pounds." Eating extra cinnamon or wearing fancy shoes doesn't make that bar any lighter.

Are We Still Talking About This?

2011-01-06T11:25:00.001-08:00

I was struck over the last couple of days by a few things I saw linked over at Big Hollywood - Michael Moore doing his racism projection dance about Obama onto conservatives, John Stewart and his Obama = Luke Skywalker thing.

My reaction was "who cares?" Sure, I still think the President is a creature of low character and high dudgeon, but after the midterm blowout, what does it matter anymore? A few more executive orders to strangle the economy, a few more foreign policy moves designed to weaken the nation, sure; he'll do that. But without the House his ability to hurt this country in substantial ways is incredibly diminished.

So, is he a completely lame duck yet? Nahh, not really, but he was pretty lame to start with, and he's limping pretty badly at this point. I'm in favor of letting him waddle to a corner and quack to himself for his remaining term, and after that we can clean up and forget about him.

2011

2011-01-02T13:29:00.001-08:00

I have to say, 2010 was pretty darned good to me and my mom and my sisters. If 2011 is even "as good", then that'll already be a win.

And I just watched the A-Team movie - any guy who can't have fun watching that has some serious problems, IMO.

Finally, Some Gun Related Activity

2010-12-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

Ive missed going to the range since the summer due to working 2 jobs, job hunting, moving and house hunting. Now that we're finally settled in NH, I signed up at Major Waldron's up in Barrington. Expect some gunny-related posting soon.

Happy Life Day!

2010-12-25T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hands up, everyone who just finished watching the Star Wars Holiday Special with Rifftrax like I just did.

Anyone?

Anyone got eyewash, I mean?

Happy Life Day everyone!

Tag Team WTF?

2010-12-11T01:03:00.000-08:00

No, seriously, I have nothing more complex to say:

Tagging out.

Obama's not a president, he's a gimmick.

Which I pointed out 3 years ago.

Snowpocalypse Now

2010-12-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

The Twin Cities are being warned about a possible eleventy-million inches of snow this weekend. Or something.

I, having partaken in the blind luck of taking this Friday off, and having nothing of import planned for this weekend, and having a full liquor cabinet, humidor, firewood stack, and a dog who loves snow like Ron Jeremy loves gullible checkout counter floozies, will consider this a solid win.

Happy snowfall, fellow babies!

Confucious Say "That's Awesome!"

2010-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I was reading through TextsFromLastNight (NSFW) and ran into the best conversation-starter/work-ender question ever. Absent the context of the TFLN post, I'll post it here:

"Who would win in a fight - a pterodactyl that poops chainsaws or a bear with machine guns for feet?"

Me, I'm betting on the bear. And when I mentioned it just in passing at work my team (including me) instantly devolved into a half hour of arguing. If we'd had a white board handy we could have covered it with our "logic".

And man, it was fun.

Fixed it for Ya.

2010-11-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

So someone named John Arquilla writes an article for the San Fran Chronicle called "U.S. not prepared for Mumbai-like terror attacks".

It starts with

It took the 10 terrorists just 10 minutes to overwhelm Mumbai's defenses when they struck in November 2008.

A reasonable description of the day's events follows, and then some suggestion that we need to emulate Euro-style decentralization of anti-terror forces and put small groups in every major city. Maybe we should. Maybe we've already done it. Maybe it's a good idea - I don't know. But then near the end we get

All of which suggests that the American people are likely to act on their own if government doesn't protect them against the kind of threat that is so clearly looming.

Damn straight, Skippy. And you can leave off the "if government doesn't protect them" part. Sure, something like this would cause mayhem and death here just like anywhere else, but it's not going to end well for the knuckle-draggers, especially if they choose the wrong cities. Houston, anyone?

Now, a little earlier in his article the author gives a little away with the following line:

And there is another hard truth: The next Mumbai-, Baghdad- or Karachi-style attacks could happen in San Francisco.

Actually, they would have to happen in SF, or some equally de-boned metro area. Probably a school or university, somewhere safe from all those naughty guns, because most anywhere else here means 720 virgins hitting the on-deck circle in short order. So basically, I thought I'd fix the article's title for the author:

"John Arquilla not prepared for Mumbai-like terror attacks."

There. That's more accurate.

"Curse Your Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal!"

2010-11-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

Crazy busy lately, work and home. Pretty satisfied with the 11/2 results, and I'm not sweating the Republicans yet. Maybe in a few weeks or months, but right now I'm generally pleased with the results.

A few weeks ago a friend suggested I host a big Firefly marathon day, and we settled on yesterday. She's a foodie, and a talented cook, and we decided that for Firefly we should do lots of Chinese food and fruit, and I figured I'd do a brisket for the latecomers, and that I'd run the afternoon piece and she'd handle the evening. Plan was to hit "play" at noon, for folks to each bring some Chinese food to share, show up whenever and for however long they wanted, and we'd probably be closing out the series and moving to the movie Serenity at around midnite. A buddy made a boatload of chili to contribute to the theme of "space cowboy" food. No telling how many (or how few) would show, but it promised to be a big slice of fun.

I spent the last few days powercleaning the house, fixing the downstairs toilet, and getting sundry alcohol and brisket junk piled up. And I picked up a nice top round for a big plate of garlic- and red wine-soaked beef bites for folks to nibble on.

Everything went pretty much according to plan except that my erstwhile co-host took ill and couldn't come, almost no one brought any food except desserts, and the sky spat weak drizzle that turned everything into a frozen hell by around 10pm. So my feet hit the floor at 9:13am (early for me on a Saturday) and I spent the entire time in the kitchen. The entire time.

I felt like Laura Petrie. Good thing we had the chili and the top round.

The weather sent most people scurrying for their cars to skate home by around 11:30pm and I spent about an hour or so cleaning the kitchen because if I didn't, I know I'd've let it sit until next Saturday.

I was finally able to sit down around 12:30. AM. And that's literal. My buttocks didn't hit chair for pretty much 15 hours. Ouch. But I was able to catch most of the last episode, Objects In Space.

That seem right to you?

We decided that starting the movie at 1:30am was silly even for the couple of wouldn't-drives/couldn't drives, but a couple of us did watch some Robot Chicken and smoke cigars for a close-out. And the stay-overs woke up and cleared out by noon today.

I didn't really do much today. And it'll be a while before I save up enough hosting points to try something like that again. But we had a great time, my brisket was praised to the heavens, I drank some good booze, ate good chili and smoked a good cigar, everyone got home safe in spite of the ice, and I even got to poke my head out of the kitchen and sing a few lines of the Ballad of Jayne with some other silly people.

All in all, I have to say that it was a mighty fine shindig.

We Sure Got Dumb and Mean In A Hurry.

2010-11-03T07:53:00.001-07:00

Wow, the electorate sure got stupid in a hurry. Just 2 years ago choirs of angels sang as we elected Obama, and all was right with the world. Now the voters are greedy, small minded, easily-manipulated morons. That was quick.

Barum Harum Hoom Hom Hroom

2010-11-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

2am, looks like the MN House and Senate are safely R, but the Governorship will go to a recount, and recounts in Dem-controlled states result in Dem wins.

So Emmer goes down to Dayton, the cowardly alcoholic pop-eyed creepy guy. And my next governor.

Yay me.

Sorry folks, we tried.

Hoom Hom

2010-11-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

Weird.

Looks like Minnesota will have a Republican Governor AND a Republican house/senate come tomorrow.

Barring recounts run by Democrat Sec State Mark Ritchie, of course.

Market Research

2010-11-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

For my part time and full time jobs for a long long time, I stuck with phone bank market research. You know, the guy that called you at dinnertime and opened with "Hello, I'm Bob from QuestionSearch Market Research and tonight we're asking questions about mouthwash."

Or fast food. Or cigarettes. Or drinking and driving. Or HBO.

I've asked a lot of people a lot of questions. Interestingly-enough, I've been propositioned over the phone and threatened over the phone. I've talked to drunks on the phone, felons, fugitives, people in the process of shooting heroin, and the head of the U.S. Forest Service under Bush I.

One of the more popular scales to register opinion on is the follwing:

5 - Excellent
4 - Very Good
3 - Good
2 - Fair
1 - Poor

So far from my POV I'd call tonight as a solid 4. If the freak-wave had crashed in carrying folks like O'Donnell and McMahon, I'd be wondering if I could go higher than "Excellent", but as it stands it looks like we meet exectations and romp the House and gain strong in the Senate. To me that's Very Good. We can fight a strong holding action from the House because the House has the purse strings.

Locally things are still way up in the air. As I've learned in Minnesota so far, nothing is out of consideration.

Oh Yeah!!!!???

2010-11-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Scene: Polling Place in Portsmouth, NH

I am at the Register Today counter, filling out a form.

Lady: mumble mumble. Oh, I'm doing 5 things at once...

Me: (trying to be nice) That never works out so well for me.

Lady: I mean this in the nicest way, but that's because you're a man.

(Short pause)

Me: I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you must be a Democrat.

Lady: ... frosty silence.

Happiness is a Warm Ballot

2010-11-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

MeatAxe is correct, in that every Republican we put in to replace a Democrat starts the game with a big red X on his back, but for me, that's for tomorrow. For today and tonight, I'm just going to enjoy the returns.

Tomorrow will be my day to worry about an out-of-control lame duck Congress and a petulant, rebuked, paranoid, adolescent and angry President. Worrying about what Republicans might do will be for some day after that.

On Clocks and Cleaning

2010-11-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Reading tea leaves is always tricky. It looks as though the Democrat party is about to get what they richly deserve, (...waits for the cheers and raucous howls of derision to die down...) although its not yet clear if the electorate will deliver a mild slap upside the head or beat them like a rented mule.

Lets be cautious, though.

What drives the voters is not be a sudden conversion to Republican principals of smaller government and fiscal conservatism. Just like in the last election, the electorate is pissed off and is about to let the man in charge and his buddies know it.

Which means that the next set of ample buttocks planted in those House and Senate offices better fix some of the problems or they'll get kicked even harder in a few short years.

Milton Friedman outlined the problem and the tendencies of those in power much better than I could:

"There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money. Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch! Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get. And that’s government.”

Lets not get cocky, guys. OK? Please?

I Am Not A 'Tough Mudder'. But I Play One On The Internet...

2010-10-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Quick update on the last 3 months: Put my CT house on the market. Got a new job in New Hampshire. Quit my old job. Moved to NH. Started the new job. Unpacked all the boxes.

Whew. Its been busy. The folks at my new company are really great, and they seem to really believe in the employees having a life outside the office. One of the guys there sent around an email about entering an endurance/obstacle course/race called the Tough Mudder (www.toughmudder.com) and within a few days, there was an official company team.

This race is no joke. 8 miles up and down Mt. Snow in Vermont, through waist-deep mud, crawling through tunnels, swimming through ponds. Slush. And the last bit of the course is on fire. Woot.

I'm not entirely sure that I'll finish, but I'll give it my best shot. The best part is we're raising money for Wounded Warrior.

Anyone done an event like this have some good advice on training, shoes or the types of medication I should try to shake this particular psychosis?

Oh, and I got a new tattoo. Work in progress. Pix to follow when it's finished in mid-Nov.

Baby's First iPod

2010-10-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

So, because no one makes boomboxes anymore, and I need an MP3 player thingie to listen to my RiffTrax, I got my first iPod this week.

Pretty neat. These things might catch on.

"Oooh, That Dog Musta Been Sick."

2010-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Pass it to find out what's in it? That's what dogs do when they're hungry.

Seriously, the President would gain 10 %age points in approval if he would let the Republicans repeal this thing and start over.

Worst. Bill. Ever.

"In passing ObamaCare, Democrats argued that it would provide a net relief to the budget deficit in its balance of new taxes and fees, drastic cuts to Medicare Advantage, and the subsidies it would provide to Americans making $88,000 a year or less. A new study commissioned by Families USA, a group that supports ObamaCare, shows that the Democrats and the CBO badly miscalculated the level of subsidies provided. In the first year (2014), 28 million Americans would have eligibility for more than $110 billion, outstripping the Congressional/CBO estimate by almost 600%:"

600%. Not bad, fucktards.

When You Have An Empty Hole, Everything Looks Like A Congresscritter

2010-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

So now that the Chilean miners don't need their hole anymore, I think we should just send an email to every Congresscritter telling them that at the bottom of the hole are

1) $1 million in untraceable donations
2) a photo of their electoral opponent with a hooker.

Wait a couple of days, plug the hole, and "I'll have a Coke, then."

Things I Learned Today

2010-10-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

1) Lack of sleep can lead one to make decisions and judgements with unpleasant consequences

2) A&D Ointment ( a thick white paste used for diaper rash and skin irritations) comes in a tube remarkably similar in shape and size to a toothpaste tube.

3) A&D Ointment neither cleans teeth as well or tastes as good as regular toothpaste.

Just checking...

2010-10-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

Now that its been a few years, does anyone* really miss Saddam Hussein?

*Anyone worth a shit, I mean.