the rest of me

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

2011-12-15T19:15:00.001-07:00

Habeus Corpus suspended today. The terrorists have won.
We're done here.

Raccoon From Hell

2011-12-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Seen several places in the last few days, most recently at Pissed's place, comes this entertaining tale about a man, a rifle, a flashlight, and a raccoon. Click through to Pissed's then again to read.

By the way, after the earlier post about the lion issue, this is another reminder to use something capable of more than one shot without that laborious reload.

Make That One Shot Count

2011-12-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

Seen here.

You're out lion-hunting with your buddies in the African bush. You have only a muzzleloader at your disposal.

While stalking your prey, which happens to be a pretty formidable predator itself, you realize that you've pissed off a lion and instead of you hunting it, it's the other way round.

Watch this:

It doesn't get any closer than that.

You have one shot. That's it. Make it count.

This also reinforces to me that if I ever find myself heading to Africa, I'll make sure I have a rifle that's capable of more than one effing shot without a slow, laborious reload. I'll keep my .308, thanks.

9mm Bleg

2011-12-14T07:57:00.004-07:00

I very much like my 1911. But recently I've been thinking about a medium-sized 9mm.

How about it blogosphere: what's a new, good-quality, reasonably-priced* medium to full-sized 9mm these days?

*I'm a cheap bastard.

Gun Technique

2011-12-11T13:06:00.001-07:00

I'm skimming shooting videos on YouTube and I'm seeing a somewhat peculiar trend. I mean, other than the astoundingly dangerous stuff like fingers on triggers, no muzzle control, etc.

Why do so many people pick up a firearm -- pistol, rifle, shotgun, whatever -- and lean away from it?

You've all seen it so frequently that I believe many people think it's perfectly normal.

Is it because the firearm is too heavy to heft onto target?

Are you afraid of the recoil, so you figure leaning backward will help you absorb it?

Grab onto the damned thing, get it on target, and lean into it while pressing the trigger.

If it's a rifle or shotgun, then mount it. Get a firm grip, get the butt into the pit of your shoulder and pull it in tight. You are not working for the gun, it's working for you. Control it.

Another somewhat concerning thing is the lack of appropriate shooting attire while shooting anything other than a revolver.

Ladies: That cute little top that makes you look so adorable with your cute little cleavage out there? Seriously -- don't do that. You will eventually get hot brass down your shirt -- and hot brass will cause at least second-degree burns pretty much instantly.

Guys: Similar thing here. If you're wearing anything with a loose or unbuttoned collar, either tighten it up, button it up, or untuck it so anything that drops in there will fall out the bottom.

Okay, rant done. Going to range. Back later.

Cannery Raid A Fabrication?

2011-12-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Reported this the other day, but now looks like it's fake. But many news stories these days are so unbelievable, yet turn out to be true.

Insights into the Hollywood Shooter...

2011-12-10T17:26:00.001-07:00

People keep asking why he did it. Well, if the witness statement in the video here, at 2:40 is accurate -- and I'm inclined to believe that it is -- then we know exactly why he did it.

To What End?

2011-12-10T10:35:00.001-07:00

So, you tell us to prepare, and we do. Now you're trying to find out who's prepared? This looks an awful lot like an attempt to identify and punish the successful.

--

Direct to the original.

Bring Me Diesels!

2011-12-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

And affordable ones at that! Looks like I'm not the only one.

Run away!

2011-12-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Seen at Pissed's place comes this video of cloaked alien space ship next to Mercury.

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!

No, I'm not serious.

It is not a cloaked ship. It's merely an image processing artifact caused by the averaging method used to gather more detail from photographs of subjects that have extremes in brightness.

Nobody on this planet has any idea what an actual cloaking device on an alien space ship will do when bombarded with solar plasma.

Your Cult Movies... Give Them To Me...

2011-12-09T14:03:00.001-07:00

Spotted (started?) at Peter's place comes this:

NPR has an article about a forthcoming book, '100 Cult Films'. They invite readers to nominate a 101st movie, with the winner's selection being used on air.

I agree with Peter's take that many of them are just simple pornography. However, here's the whole list -- I've marked off those that I've seen.

2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988Angel of Vengeance, Abel Ferrara, 1981
Bad Taste, Peter Jackson, 1987
Baise-moi, Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh Thi, 2000
Begotten, E. Elias Merhige, 1991
Behind the Green Door, Artie Mitchell, Jim Mitchell, 1972
La belle et la bête, Jean Cocteau, 1946
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Russ Meyer, 1970
The Big Lebowski, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, 1998Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, 1982Blue Sunshine, Jeff Lieberman, 1978
Brazil, Terry Gilliam, 1985Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale, 1935
The Brood, David Cronenberg, 1979
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene, 1920
Café Flesh, Stephen Sayadian, 1982
Cannibal Holocaust, Ruggero Deodato, 1979
Casablanca, Michael Curtiz, 1942Un chien andalou, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí,1928
Coffy, Jack Hill, 1973
Daughters of Darkness, Harry Kümel, 1971
Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero, 1978Deadly Weapons, Doris Wishman, 1974
Debbie Does Dallas, Jim Clark, 1978
Deep Red, Dario Argento, 1975
Dirty Dancing, Emile Ardolino, 1987Django, Sergio Corbucci, 1966
Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, 2001
Don't Torture a Duckling, Lucio Fulci, 1972
Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton, 1990Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Aristide Massaccesi, 1977
Emmanuelle, Just Jaeckin, 1974
Enter the Dragon, Robert Clouse, 1973
Eraserhead, David Lynch, 1977
The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi, 1981
Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999
Flaming Creatures, Jack Smith, 1963
Freak Orlando, Ulrike Ottinger, 1981
Freaks, Tod Browning, 1932
Ginger Snaps, John Fawcett, 2000
The Gods Must Be Crazy, Jamie Uys, 1981Godzilla, Ishirô Honda, 1954The Harder They Come, Perry Henzell, 1972
Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby, 1971
Häxan, Benjamin Christensen, 1922
Hellraiser, Clive Barker, 1987The Holy Mountain, Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973
The House with the Laughing Windows, Pupi Avati, 1976
I Walked with a Zombie, Jacques Tourneur, 1943
Ichi the Killer, Takashi Miike, 2001
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh, 2008
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don Siegel, 1956Invocation of My Demon Brother, Kenneth Anger, 1969
It's a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra, 1946The Killer, John Woo, 1989
Lady Terminator, H. Tjut Djalil, 1988
The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, 2001–3Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, George Miller, 1981Man Bites Dog, Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, 1992
Manos, the Hands of Fate, Harold P. Warren, 1966
The Masque of the Red Death, Roger Corman, 1964
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 1975Near Dark, Kathryn Bigelow, 1987
Nekromantik, Jörg Buttgereit, 1987
Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero, 1968Pink Flamingos, John Waters, 1972
Piranha, Joe Dante, 1978
Plan 9 from Outer Space, Ed Wood, Jr, 1959
Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon, 1985
Reefer Madness, Louis Gasnier, 1936
Repo Man, Alex Cox, 1984
Ringu, Hideo Nakata, 1998
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jim Sharman, 1975Rome Armed to the Teeth, Umberto Lenzi, 1976
The Room, Tommy Wiseau, 2003
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975
She Killed in Ecstasy, Jesús Franco, 1971
Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven, 1995
Soul Vengeance, Jamaa Fanaka, 1975
The Sound of Music, Robert Wise, 1965Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977–2005Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, Todd Haynes, 1988
Suspiria, Dario Argento, 1977
Tank Girl, Rachel Talalay, 1995
Tetsuo, Shinya Tsukamoto, 1989
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper, 1974
This Is Spınal Tap, Rob Reiner, 1984Thriller: A Cruel Picture, Bo Arne Vibenius, 1974
Thundercrack!, Curt McDowell, 1975
El Topo, Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970
The Toxic Avenger, Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman, 1984
Two-Lane Blacktop, Monte Hellman, 1971
Two Thousand Maniacs!, Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1964
The Vanishing, George Sluizer, 1988
Videodrome, David Cronenberg, 1983
The Warriors, Walter Hill, 1979
Witchfinder General, Michael Reeves, 1968
Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson, 1987
The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming, 1939

So, what is that? 23 of 'em?

Wait a minute -- how in the world is Idiocracy not on the list? Shaun of the Dead? Hot Fuzz? Red Dawn? Hitchhiker's Guide? Army of Darkness? Willow? VHF?

Seems like there's some variability in the definition of "cult" as used in "cult films".

Also, because I think it bears stating: just because I've seen any particular movie it doesn't mean that I necessarily liked it: ehem Dirty Dancing? Spinal Tap? In my defense, I was young and there was the affection of a young lady at stake.

Logic, FTW

2011-12-08T20:12:00.001-07:00

From NC Guns, comes an analysis of this anti-gun statement:

...we register every car on the road, and if you want to have a toy that sends a 150 gram cop killer bullet at 2800 miles per hour, it's just common sense that we need to register them.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. But the breakdown on that site is pretty good. Especially the charts.

And I this part is great:

I’ll make you a deal, honey. If I ever get a gun that shoots a 150 gram bullet at 2,800 Miles Per Hour and has nearly 87,000 Foot Pounds of muzzle energy, I’ll register it. Until then, leave the gun regulations to people who know what the hell they are talking about.

Though, personally, I'd rather not register any firearms. When I do something illegal with my firearms, then we'll have a talk and you can persuade me to surrender them. But until then, leave me alone.

Really?

2011-12-08T20:00:00.001-07:00

Principal who suspended a nine year old boy for calling a teacher cute has been forced out. Well, he said he retired.

Actually, what he said was, "One mistake in 44 years, and I'm not given the benefit of the doubt. I really don't believe I was treated fairly."

Suspending a nine year old for calling a teacher cute isn't fair. It's downright destructive.

Sadly, until the whole tarring and feathering thing regains popularity in this country, I'm afraid there will be far more cases of this kind of Zero Thought nonsense coming out of the schools.

Throttle, Brake, Turn, Throttle, Brake, Turn...

2011-12-08T14:09:00.001-07:00

Pissed posts this. It's a speed run up Mt. Washington. I'll admit, that's impressive. I wouldn't do it.

Here in Colorado, while we have lots of mountains and we have the highest paved road in North America: Mt. Evans. I run up that one a few times per year. Except we can't race on it.

We can, however, race up Pikes Peak, which is just a few hours South of Mt. Evans -- the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

So, here are a few runs up that bad boy:

The time record up the hill:

Here's one on an electric motorcycle -- just not the same without the rumble of a gas engine:

Guns, Kilts, and Stuff

2011-12-07T13:04:00.001-07:00

Spotted here. Iain Harrison talks about caliber, kilts, and kegerators over at My Gun Culture.

Couple things: Sporran carry is a good option if you have a larger sporran. I like the Nightstalker, which used to be available from Stillwater Kilts. For a slightly less-traditional-looking sporran, you could use something like the Combat Admin Pouch, which may be finding its way into my own kilt rotation.

Some of the ladies' under-skirt and thighband options may be pretty good, too. Be cautious, though -- you should have a mechanism that does not rely on friction (or worse, a tourniquet) around your thigh to support and secure your pistol.

Holiday Trees

2011-12-07T12:35:00.001-07:00

Jay gets me thinking with this post. Go read it, this page isn't going anywhere.

First: I'm atheist.

Second: I have two christmas trees in my house. Though I am slacking a bit in getting just one of them up and decorated this year. I still call them christmas trees because, well, that's the term that's been used as long as I've been alive.

Let's move on.

Now, recognizing, of course, that there's no reference in the Christian bible of evergreen trees being associated with the birth of Jesus Christ -- and the birth of Jesus Christ is, of course, why people like to call it Christmas anyway, I have to ask: would the protesters have preferred that they call it a Winter Solstice Tree? Or maybe just Pagan Tree? That is, after all, where that particular symbol originates.

That said, the fact that they're using what I think is a far less logical "Holiday Tree" term pisses me off, too. They also say things like, "Happy holidays!" as to not offend any non-believers. The problem, specifically, they don't actually say which holiday is being recognized.

So, which holiday is it? Christmas? Yule? New Year's Day? Thanksgiving? MLK Day? President's Day? Labor Day? They're all holidays, aren't they? So, just which fscking holiday are you recognizing anyway?

Fine. We'll do it this way:

I intend putting up a Holiday Tree of my own, but I'm going to do one in July. I'm going to put red, white, and blue lights on it, hang an assortment of various cartridges from its boughs, branches, and limbs, and maybe buy myself a new firearm to wrap in some festive paper to place beneath it... I'm calling it an Independence Tree.

Pearl Harbor Day

2011-12-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

70 years ago; December 7, 1941, the Japanese fleet bombed the American Navy in Pearl Harbor, drawing us into the second world war.

As a Nation, we learned some painful but important lessons after that attack and in the years of our involvement in that war.

Those lessons have been lost in the collective memories of the majority of our many peoples.

Wake up.

Agreed

2011-12-05T07:37:00.001-07:00

F**k 'em. Vote them out -- all of them. Assuming, of course, that voting will actually accomplish anything.

Me and Friends in Bars

2011-12-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

This is why I don't go out to bars with friends.

Wrong Diner

2011-12-05T07:21:00.001-07:00

And another:

Though, honestly, it could've been a bit funnier if the line were delivered to the perp instead of the camera.

Somebody Picked the Wrong House

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

Spotted over at Uncle's.

Oddly, I've kind of been thinking about checking out that very Glock.

My Heroes vs. Your Heroes

2011-12-04T10:56:00.001-07:00

This sums it up pretty well:

Here's the difference: Cowboys are real. Vampires aren't.

--

Update: Forgot where I spotted this, but just realized it was from here.

Disconnect, Logical

2011-12-04T09:55:00.001-07:00

If PBS is supposed to be publicly-funded, commercial-free television, then why is its weekday morning programming for kids peppered with commercials, er, I mean, "sponsorship" from profitable companies whose primary customers are those same kids?

Brutal Week, Appropriate Quote

2011-12-02T17:07:00.001-07:00

We've had a pretty rough week, this, at the office. A number of small issues, several still unexplained, have affected various aspects of our production systems -- ultimately affecting our customers.

Another engineer was asked to describe one of the rather long outages for upper management. He sent only this:

"We experienced a stage one resumé-generating event."

Lots of engineers were indeed busy updating their resumés just in case they would need them a few days from now.

Wirecutter Nails It...

2011-12-02T15:47:00.001-07:00

With this. I agree.