In My (Humble) Opinion

Assault Weapons, Guns, Gun Regulation, and Guns in Schools

2018-03-08T11:56:00.002-05:00

AR-15s, Assault Weapons, Gun Regulation, and Guns in Schools

Me and why I’m writing this:

I have been asked for information and for my opinions on topics related to guns numerous times by friends, colleagues, and acquaintances multiple times in the days following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While I am sure I am not the best person to address all the questions I have been asked, I do view my perspective as useful to those who do not have the experiences I have.

In terms of my general political stance I would describe myself as a libertarian leaning, non-party affiliating, active citizen. I understand that information may cause some people to write off my opinions immediately and/or stop reading right now, but I am going to assume that if you fall in that category, you’re not really looking for information or informed opinions anyway…you’re probably just looking for another person in favor of whatever your particular viewpoint happens to be to make you feel better about believing what you already believe... That being said, I think my perspective is useful in the discussion around school shootings and gun regulation because I am a non-politically conforming gun rights advocate (i.e. the NRA would probably not give me a good score if I were a politician, but I do support the retention and even expansion of rights of lawful gun owners) as well as a secondary school teacher. I spend every day in the environment in which these tragedies take place and I also enjoy hunting, shooting sports/competition, and just guns and shooting for fun.

So, let’s start with a little education about some of the hot topics related to school shootings and gun violence. I’ll lay out a little information (not necessarily meant to persuade anyone one way or another) about some things that many people do not understand with regard to guns and related topics. **Brief disclaimer: most of my knowledge of gun laws is limited to the federal laws and the laws of the State of Michigan**

Background Information/Education

Assault weapons, AR-15s, and semi-automatic hunting rifles:

The first thing I think needs to be addressed under this umbrella is that most people and certainly the media (probably most people because of the media) are misusing the terms “assault weapon” and “assault rifle.” Assault weapon has been coopted to some extent and is harder to define in it’s original form because it was used as the defining term of the ban of certain gun types from 1994-2004. The legislation that banned those weapon types used the term assault weapon incorrectly and the term has since taken on a meaning different from its original use. The term assault rifle has not really had that happen to it yet and, therefore, you can still easily do a web search for “assault rifle” and see exactly what I will talk about here. The terms “assault weapon” and “assault rifle" are meant to refer to weapons that are select fire and magazine or cartridge fed. Select fire is a term most non-gun people (and probably a decent number of gun people who aren’t AR people) are not familiar with, so I’ll help you out on that one. Select fire is something that is specific to military weapons for the most part and refers to the ability to select whether the gun is on safe, semi-auto, burst, or full-auto modes. Most guns that have select fire switches do not have all of those options, but do include at least 3 of them. For instance, most rifles that our military uses come in one of two configurations: safe, semi, and burst or safe, semi, and auto. A gun with safe, semi, burst options would allow the user to have the trigger not function (safe), fire one round for each pull of the trigger (semi), or fire a very rapid burst of rounds (usually 3 rounds) with each pull of the trigger. A gun with the “auto” setting would naturally keep firing rounds very rapidly until there are none left to fire. So, this select fire ability on an assault rifle is much of what makes it an “assault rifle” and what makes it different from other weapons. There are also “machine guns” which are always fully automatic and do not have the ability to be switched to a semiautomatic firing mode.

The difference, then, between these “assault rifles” and an AR-15 rifle that is available to normal civilians should be reasonably obvious. While they look similar and have some similarities in their secondary or tertiary functioning, the primary distinction that makes something an assault rifle is not present. AR-15s, while they often have the same selector switch, are only able to switch between "safe" and “semi” - meaning they are only able to fire one round for each pull of the trigger. Because of this lack of select fire ability, the AR-15 rifles that the media and many individuals are referring to as “assault rifles” are not what they are being called. Honestly, that’s mostly just semantics, but I find that it’s important to have semantics correct if a reasonable discussion about a topic is going to take place. As a note of interest, the AR in AR-15 does not stand for assault rifle, but actually stands for ArmaLite Rifle - if you don’t believe me, you can look that one up too. Anyone interested in this topic might do well just to spend some time on wikipedia (I know, not a great source, but if you know almost nothing about a topic, it’s a good place to get some cursory information) - look at the different types of rifles, the evolution of rifles for both hunting and military purposes, etc.

Now, the one other common definitional item that distinguishes an “assault rifle” is that it has a detachable magazine which feeds ammunition into the firearm. That, to me, is a very archaic thing to point to as it is true of almost any modern rifle. The detachable box magazine was developed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, was first patented in 1904 and came to wide use and production in the 1940s and '50s due to the patent expiring. Since then, a vast majority of rifles (even those that are not semiautomatic - look at most bolt-action rifles) are fed by a detachable box magazine. …on the topic of magazines, many “gun people” get bent out of shape when people refer to that as a “clip” - I’m not sure why. They are referring to the same thing just using a different, more colloquial term - like saying gun instead of firearm..not something to be concerned with from my perspective.

Let’s think for a bit about rifle power now since that’s another aspect that seems to be mentioned a lot by news media. There is a lot of talk about “high powered semiautomatic rifles” in conjunction with the talk about AR-15s and other “assault weapons” or “assault style weapons.” There is little conversation in the news that makes it more clear that the people writing these stories don’t know guns. Most gun people will be able to tell you this, but the idea that an AR-15 is a “high powered rifle” is really quite laughable. Compared to many other options of rifles out there used for hunting (I would even hazard to say MOST hunting rifles), the .223 caliber round used by AR-15s is incredibly weak and underpowered. It is, in fact, weak enough that the US military has been working towards getting rid of it in favor of a more powerful caliber for a decade or so…but government changes happen very slowly. If you want to know more about the relative power of the AR-15, take a look at some of these sites and their comparisons to other popular hunting calibers: SWGGun .308 vs .223 Wilderness Today - .308 vs 30-06 Trek Warrior - .223 vs .308 Also, see this chart which diagrams a whole bunch of calibers and what they are/can be used for in hunting. It doesn’t give a lot of sense for caliber except for in looking at what size animal each is recommended for:

Borrowed from BassPro at: https://1source.basspro.com/images/article_
images/Don_Sangster/Rifle_Ammo/RifleAmmoBuyingGuide_chart.jpg

My Opinions:

Alright, now we move on why you’re obviously really reading this: for my personal opinions :) I’ll split this into my opinions on a few categories, but I will also include various bits of related opinion within each section. So here’s what I’ll express my thoughts and opinions on: gun purchase regulations, gun bans, gun magazine capacity, open and concealed carrying, and guns in schools.

Before getting into some of that stuff, I will acknowledge that I do lean in a libertarian direction in

that I generally support people’s rights to do what they want unless they are infringing on the rights of others. I am not usually in favor of removing rights for anyone unless there is a clear reason to remove those rights. I will also say that I view rights somewhat differently than many people. I believe that in the United States of America, we should pretty well have the right to do whatever we want as long as we aren’t infringing on those same rights for other people.

Gun Purchase Regulations:

Personally, while I am fully in favor of law-abiding citizens being able to purchase guns of many different sorts, I do also support tighter regulations on the purchase of firearms. I think certainly universal background checks as well as closing of gun show and private sale loopholes are things that should have happened a long time ago. There is no reason a firearm should be able to be sold without any kind of background check - those wholes in the background check regulations provide a clear way for people who aren’t allowed to have guns to get them. Anyone who is not legally allowed to own a gun knows they can very easily get one without even paying black market prices just by going to a gun show or buying from someone off a classified listing or whatever.

Another hot topic in the news right now is the legal age to purchase firearms. I think I can see an argument for increasing the age, but not any better argument for that than for increasing the legal age for smoking or driving or any other dangerous activity…and those aren’t going anywhere so I’m not sure why firearms should. There are a lot more teens who kill themselves and each other with cars than they do with guns. That’s not to say the firearms purchase age shouldn’t change, but if I were choosing how my legislators spent their time, it would be on other things. Age doesn’t concern me all that much.

I am not sure exactly how other regulations could/should be tightened, but I am certainly in favor of some strengthening of current regulations. In particular, I think there is an argument for things like drunk driving charges and domestic abuse being disqualifies for firearms purchases. It seems to me that if you have a record of making poor choices or choices that are harmful to other people, you forfeit your right to possess potentially dangerous items. But similarly to the age topic, I think there should be a lot stronger penalties with regard to drivers licenses for people who make those sorts of choices as well…so that’s a bit of a tough one for me when looking at restricting guns while not restricting other things I see as parallels.

European Drivers License Levels
courtesy of Wikipedia

That being said, I think a drivers license is another great parallel to draw. Driving a car is a “right” of sorts in the US or at least access to earning that privilege is a right. I am hugely in favor of citizens having the right to earn qualification for a privilege. I would love to see some comprehensive reform in firearms regulation that looks like the drivers license system. Needing to pass basic written and practical tests to prove competency and proficiency with the device you’d like to operate and then regularly scheduled updates to that license. Why can’t we have firearms license with varying levels just like drivers license? There are at least a couple levels of drivers license from learners permits to permanent licenses to motorcycle endorsements and commercial operators licenses. It seems to me that same principe could be applied to firearms and allow for a lot more public safety without actually taking away the rights of anyone who actually should still have those rights.

In general, I think that people who oppose new gun regulation are concerned that their guns might be taken away from them or that they won't be able to purchase new guns in the future. And given much of the public media sentiment, I think that is a legitimate fear. However, I think there are perfectly good ways to increase the reliability of making sure guns don't end up in the wrong hands without people like myself needing to worry about it. Taking universal background checks and waiting periods (these often go together as the waiting period allows time to complete the background check) as examples, I'm not sure why anyone who has nothing to hide would have issues with that. Sure it takes a little extra time, but is that such a big deal that you're willing to risk someone with a violent criminal record getting their hands on a gun just so you don't have to wait 3 days?

Gun Bans:

I’m not particularly in favor of most or really almost any all-out bans on guns. I do think there are probably some things that don’t belong in the hands of most people, but, at the same time, I think even kind of crazy weapons should be purchasable by people who have had extensive background checks and with proper regulation. As a hypothetical, if a person has been trained in using automatic weapons in the military, had no disciplinary issues while in the military, has had no issues since (even very minor ones), why should that person not be allowed to own and operate an automatic weapon as a civilian? The conversation around these sorts of things is always the “why would anyone ever NEED that” kind of thing. As I said earlier, I’m definitely libertarian leaning if not fully libertarian, so I don’t think that question of whether someone needs something really bears any weight at all.

There are lots of things we, as Americans, don’t need, but still want and are able to have. If a person has no history of violence, mental instability, poor choices, etc. and would like to own a potentially dangerous item (regardless whether it’s a firearm or something else), I see no reason that right should be denied them. That being said, there should absolutely be a multitude of checks to see if there are reasons for that person to not be allowed to own said dangerous item.

It’s not necessarily a good analogy in this situation, but I liken it to a lot of other things like cars. If I had the money to buy a retired Formula 1 car and followed the proper regulations to transport it and drive it only on tracks that legally allow it and things like that, why shouldn’t I? For that matter, the same could be said for a decommissioned tank or better yet, a private jet. A TON of damage COULD be done with a Gulfstream G650, Boeing Business Jet, or Airbus AJC320 if someone so desired, but if a private citizen or corporation wants one and follows the proper regulations to purchase and operate it, there is nothing to stop them from doing just that. Personally, I don’t see why guns should be any different. I’m all for more and tighter regulations as you move up to more dangerous weapons, but I don’t see much reason for all out bans.

Gun Magazine Capacity:

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. If you are legally allowed to own the gun and shoot as many rounds as you’d like through it, why should there be a limit to the magazine size? As with the gun bans opinion discussed above, if a person has demonstrated no reason why they should not be allowed to own a firearm, then they should be allowed to own a firearm. And if they are allowed to own the firearm, why limit the magazine? If there are people who shouldn’t have those large magazines, then they probably shouldn’t have the gun in the first place. It seems logical to me that we should work on that problem rather than the secondary issue of magazine size. Work on keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not have them and you don’t need to worry about magazines.

Open and Concealed Carrying:

Alright, this is where things get somewhat specific to Michigan and will certainly vary in application to other states. However, my understanding is that there are a lot more similarities than there are differences across most states with regard to these types of regulations.

Currently, in Michigan, it is perfectly legal to openly carry any legally owned firearm in the vast majority of public places. It is, in fact, even legal for a parent of a child attending a school to openly carry into that school if the person also has a CPL (Concealed Pistol License). While I don’t particularly have a problem with this, I think many of my above concerns with regard to firearms purchases would need to be addressed for me to be fully in favor of the current legal status of open carry. If we could be pretty certain that the only people with guns were people we have no reason to believe would use them inappropriately, I see no reason open carry laws should change. However, that’s not currently the case (again, as previously discussed).

It seems to me that Michigan’s (and many other states’) laws need to change for the sake of public safety. Personally I hope gun purchase laws change and not open carry laws, but they can’t both stay the same and have any reasonable expectation of safety from people who shouldn’t be carrying firearms…Again, I think a multi-tiered licensing system for firearms ownership and operation much like we have for driving is the way to go. There could be levels for things like ownership without ability to carry at all (must be locked when transported outside the home), open and/or concealed carrying, and maybe even adding in things like calibers, capacities, etc. I don’t know exactly where that could or should go, but I think the principle works and there should be a way to apply it in a way that does not take away the rights of any law abiding citizens.

I’ll try to avoid being repetitive, but I think the concealed carry laws need overhaul as well. Anyone who is going to be carrying a firearm in public should have more required training, be required to pass certain proficiency tests, and have some amount of both legal and psychological counseling. Most of the courses I’ve taken have been quite good, but many still don’t stress enough the idea that if you are carrying a firearm in public, the purpose of doing that is that you might need to use it…and there are a lot of horrific legal and psychological ramifications of that eventuality - it may well end up being the worst day of your life if that ever does occur. Again, I think the licensing around carrying a firearm in general should be more stringent in education and testing as well as more all-encompassing of the purpose of carrying a firearm.

Guns in Schools:

This is, of course, one of the big topics right now and I think it's best to split it into a couple categories based on some of the ideas being thrown around. There are a number of ideas out there

related to allowing guns in schools including allowing CPL holders to carry in schools, training some teachers along side law enforcement to carry guns in schools, having gun lockers that only trained staff can access, and probably others.

I think some of these ideas have potential merit if and only if the teachers themselves are completely on board with it and do not feel like they are being pressured into carrying a gun AND if the other regulations already discussed are updated. As I've already said in this article, I think that our purchase laws as well as our carry laws need to be updated and made more strict. People should need to have significantly more training if they wish to carry a gun in public as opposed to just carry when they are in their home. And frankly, the training required right now, isn't all that difficult or comprehensive.

Unless the training and licensing system got a significant update to require more training, to require better/more ongoing training, and to be a more comprehensive education on what it means to carry a gun, I don't think simply allowing people with CPLs to carry in schools is a good plan. A CPL is not all that hard to get in Michigan. I can attest that I have been in classes with people who now have their license who have terrible situational awareness, are poor critical thinkers, and don't react well to stress. I'm not sure why those people are able to gain the legal ability to carry a firearm outside their homes. I don't think they should probably be carrying guns at all, but I certainly don't think they should be bringing guns into schools with the very limited training they posses.

Allowing schools the opportunity to have staff go through some sort of extensive training to obtain a separate license to be able to carry a firearm in a school seems like a good idea to me given the way our laws currently work. And maybe someday if our laws change to what I think they should be, that could be integrated into a larger licensing system, but for now, maybe it's just a separate thing. What I envision for this is essentially a teacher needing to go through the police academy (and pass) and then continue doing all the training required of law enforcement officers. A teacher who had gone through that training and keeps up a regiment of qualified training should be allowed to carry a firearm in their place of work almost regardless of what that place is - and I would include schools in that.

I think having gun lockers in schools is a bad idea. I would have to see some detailed plans of how that would work to offer more specific thoughts, but it seems like a bad idea to me to have firearms in a safe somewhere in a school. It seems like it leaves too much opportunity for them to get into the wrong hands without actually providing any extra security or reactive measure - it would probably take too long for the trained personnel to get to them for it to do any real good.

All of that aside, I think most of the ideas of having guns in schools are only going to be any good as reactive measures to active shooter situations and probably only limited good at that. I hear people espousing these guns in schools ideas as preventative measures, but it seems to me that they are only preventative to a point. The vast majority of the school shootings that occur are not perpetrated by a person who intends to live through the experience. That, to me, suggests that these people would probably not be dissuaded from their plans by the presence of armed personnel at the school unless the presence was so overwhelming that they couldn't do what they wanted to do at all. I don't have any problem with highly trained individuals being allowed to carry guns in schools, but I also think it is not as big a deal as many people are making of it and I think there should be much higher legislative priorities with regard to keeping schools safe.

One last thing that needs to be considered with all this talk of arming teachers is the relationship involved. What many people who are in favor of this aren't thinking about is that we teachers love our students dearly - even the ones that cause us a lot of headache and trouble. I hope I never have to find out first hand, but I have to imagine that taking the life of any person would be an incredibly difficult thing to do and would have a lot of lasting psychological difficulty associated with it. However, if you add into that equation the fact that you might be taking the life of someone you've spent countless hours trying to advance and help succeed in and out of school, I can't imagine needing to make that decision let alone dealing with the aftermath of it. These school shooters are often portrayed by the media as monsters, but the fact is that most of them are normal kids who are abnormally troubled. They are not demons or monsters or anything else of the like - they are kids making VERY bad decisions, but kids nonetheless.

More Solutions to School Shootings:

We teachers would do just about anything to protect our kids because we love and care about them - just look at the stories of heroism from the last few shootings as evidence. But most of us are much more likely to sacrifice our own lives to save our kids than we are to take a life to help save our kids. Along these same lines, I think teachers, as a whole, have been pretty outspoken regarding what we would like to see happen to try to help prevent future violent events in our workplaces; we would like there to be money given to schools specifically earmarked for the salaries and resources of counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

By most measures, public schools in the United States are horribly under funded in many ways. One of the worst issues, however, is the lack of enough student support staff to actually provide adequate support to our students when they need it. Keep in mind as well that this is coming from someone who is in a SPECTACULAR school with regard to support staff. We all hear about and think about teacher/student ratios and class sizes and things like that. Those are, of course, important with regard to student learning, but with regard to supporting students as healthy human beings and helping them plan their futures, ratios of counselors, social workers, and psychologists to students is significantly more important. There are very good schools that I am intimately familiar with that have 3-4 counselors, a part time social worker, and no psychologist for upwards of 1200 students. This is not necessarily due to any major fault on their part except what I see as incorrect priorities - there just isn't money to do everything that really should be done in schools. Even the best public schools in the US have aspects of their operation that are horribly under funded.

Here's the real problem, in my opinion: people have no perseverance, memory, or forethought. The American public has no apparent ability to continue to work on fixing a problem for any length of time nor do they have the ability to work on long-term solutions to complex problems. We, as a society and culture, seem to fixate on quick fixes for everything and never actually make the major changes that are necessary to bring about a better future. If you want a fix to gun violence, work on a fix for violence in general. And if you want a fix for violence, you should probably work on figuring out what the causes or at least the predictors of violent behavior are and work on that. That takes effort, though, and we Americans don't want to work - we just want things handed to us. So let's ask the government to just hand us a quick fix for school shootings and see how that goes instead of spending the time and effort it would take to fully understand the problem and work toward a solution...that'll probably go well...

2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R Brake Upgrade

2016-07-08T17:35:00.002-04:00

Recently I warped a brake disc. Turns out that even a VERY minor warping of one of those front discs causes significant wobble and shake while braking - I knew this in principle, but not having ever actually experienced it, I didn't have a full understanding. Within about 50 miles, I went from everything being perfectly fine and normal to being afraid to use my front brakes - and nothing odd happened to cause this as far as I know...it just happened.

My garage buddy for the day :)

So, I looked around at the options for buying new and used rotors and wasn't at all happy with what it was going to cost. I was going to be spending hundreds on new rotors and at least a hundred on used ones as well. So I went to my usual online stomping grounds, zx6r.com, to see if anyone had any other ideas for me. And sure enough, someone did :)

So, thanks to PowerGroove from zx6r.com for selling me a full brake system off a 2012, I decided to resell the master cylinder I had previously purchased and planned on swapping to (from a 2007 ZX6R) and just put on the the whole 2012 setup since I had to pull the discs off anyway.

This is not really a how-to since the whole process is INCREDIBLY easy. I'm more writing this to let people know that this is a really quite easy project to improve an 05/06 ZX6R and that it is a direct swap of ALL parts! I literally just unbolted the old stuff and bolted on the new stuff. The only old parts I kept were the bracket for the reservoir and the stainless steel brake lines that I already had on my 2005. So, all told, I swapped over the master cylinder, the reservoir and rubber hose to the MC, the calipers, and the rotors.

It took me about a week and a half to actually get it done, but that was due to some extra steps I put in and because I only have a bit of time here and there while the baby is napping (actually, work was more of the problem than the kid...). I also had new tires put on after I took the wheels off and swapped the rotors, so that took a couple days as well. Seriously though, I'd bet that even with the extra time I put in that most people wouldn't, I probably only spent about 3-4 hours on this.

Since I was pulling the front wheel anyway, I also decided to get new tires put on...a rear was BADLY needed ----->

So, for new rubber, I went with Bridgestone Battlax S21s based on some recommendations and hoping I like them...I guess we'll see:

I know some will disagree with this, but the other steps I mentioned above were related to the color of the brakes. I know many other owners don't, but I really love the gold accents that came stock on my bike and didn't want to lose that on the front brakes, so I decided to make it happen with the replacements as well. I used a high temp chemical resistant engine enamel on them so I hope it holds up long term...if not, I guess I'll have to figure something else out:

I forgot to take a picture completely before I started painting...

I did a silver base coat before putting on the gold

Caliper (and color) comparison:

Having just gone out for about an hour ride and I'm super happy with how everything feels. The tires are absolutely spectacular - felt like the bike was glued to the road!

As for the brakes, well, I'm glad I wasn't expecting to be shocked by the difference. They are certainly better than they were, but they aren't THAT much better. I don't feel like there is any noticeable difference in stopping power while max braking, but that's a little hard to compare 2 weeks apart, so maybe there is and I'm just not noticing it. Honestly, I don't really care about that, though, because my previous brakes had enough overall braking power to lock up the front if I used them wrong...I don't really need more than that, do I?

Anyway, the lever feel, on the other hand, is a huge improvement. It is so much more linear and predictable than it was previously. I don't know how to expand on it more than that, but the brakes feel great!

Overall, if you've got an 05/06, I'd say it's worth the relatively modest price to upgrade the brakes

PetSafe Ultrasonic Bark Collar (PBC00-13925) Review

2016-02-23T06:52:00.000-05:00

This collar is exactly as manufacturer describe it, so I can't fault them too much on that. However, I found it to be FAR too sensitive to be useful.

To elaborate a bit on that, this collar definitely went off every time my dog barked, so I guess that is a good thing. Unfortunately, it also went off every time my kid made a loud noise, every time my dog jumped off the couch and landed on the wood floor (not that loud), every time the doorbell went off, etc. It went off and "punished" my dog for things that were not barking and not what it should have been responding to.

The only place I found this device to be useful was placing it next to my dog's crate at night when there weren't other noises that would make it go off. It did seem to help a small amount in keeping her from barking at night while she was in her crate, but after a while she seemed to just get used to the noise and simply ignored it.

If you are looking for a device that will bother your dog every time there is a loud noise in your home (or outside), then this is a great product for you. If, however, you are looking for a device that will help you control your dog's barking by creating an association barking and a disturbing ultrasonic noise, then this is the wrong product for you. Your dog won't learn anything about barking by wearing this, he/she will simply learn to hate all loud noises because they are immediately followed by an ultrasonic tone...

Speed and Strength Customer Service Review

2014-09-11T18:58:00.003-04:00

Nobody wants to read a long boring post about customer service, so I'll keep this as short as I can:

- Tuesday at work, I went on Speed and Strength's website and sent a message to customer service saying that the thumb of my left glove (their white Seven Sins gloves) was falling apart after only about 2000 miles on it (while the right was still perfectly fine). Keep in mind, I was just writing to inform them that I was a little disappointed that they didn't last longer.

- Within an hour, I got a reply to my email asking me for a copy of my receipt and some pictures of the glove.

- Tuesday night after work (maybe 8:30pm), I took some pictures and sent them to the lady along with a copy of the receipt.

- At 9:30am Wednesday morning, I had an email telling me that there were new gloves that were shipped out already that morning. And today (Thursday) when I got home from work, they were waiting for me at my door.

Like I said above, I only wrote to tell them that I was a little disappointed with the lifespan of the gloves and that I'm not sure why the left one started falling apart before the right. I asked for absolutely nothing and was honestly not expecting to get anything at all - I was just providing some feedback to the company. But within 2 days of writing to them on the website the first time, there were brand new gloves at my door - that's absolutely incredible customer service!

Moral of the story: Speed and Strength has excellent customer service and I'll certainly be purchasing their products again given how strongly they stand behind them!

05/06 Kawasaki ZX6R GP Shift (reversed shift) Conversion

2014-06-02T20:12:00.001-04:00

Since I started riding sport bikes, I have heard a lot of people (especially those who do track days) talk about converting their bikes to GP shift. Initially, I didn't know what that meant and didn't really care too much since I didn't feel that, as a new rider, changing anything about the shifting of my bike would be a good idea. If anyone reading this doesn't know what that means, it basically reverses the direction of shifting so that, from neutral, 1st gear is up and 2nd through 6th gears are down.

I'm told that this is useful at the track to avoid hitting your toe on the ground when trying to upshift in a left-hand corner (makes sense, but never experienced that myself). For me, it seemed like an interesting idea after riding for a couple years because timing of upshifting is so much more critical than downshifting (for me).

Well, after thinking about it some, I decided to try it out on my 2005 ZX6R and it turns out it's a lot easier than everyone I had talked to made it seem. I was told by numerous people that it can't be done easily (like it can on many other ZX6R's) on the 05/06 ZX6R's because the frame gets in the way of the shift linkage. While this is true to some extent, the frame getting in the way does not actually preclude doing the conversion. All that needs to be done is to shim the pivot point so that the linkage will clear the frame - not a big deal.

So, if you are attempting this conversion yourself, you'll need a few things:

10mm wrench
6mm allen wrench
about 3/8in worth of washers that will fit on the pivot bolt for the shift lever

All you need to do is to use the 10mm wrench to loosen and take out the bold that holds the external shift linkage to the internal mechanisms. Before doing this, take note of where your shift lever is in relation to the frame or something as you will probably want to get it back to being at about the same angle it is currently.

After removing this, you need to flip it upside down and put it back onto the post so that the shift lever is at about the same angle it was before you flipped it over. You'll notice, now, that it won't go all the way on because the arm of the shift linkage comes into contact with the frame. That's ok, leave it for now and come back to it in just a moment.

Now use the 6mm allen wrench to loosen the pivot bolt for the shift lever until it comes out far enough that you can get the other piece all the way onto it's post and put the bolt back in and tighten it up (you won't need to mess with that again).

Now all you need to do is take that pivot bolt all the way out and put some washers on it so that it will stay where you have it right now. To do this, just use your 6mm allen wrench to back it all the way out of it's housing leaving the actual shift arm connected to it over the smooth portion of it. Then put on a few washers and put it back in. Do this until you are happy with the clearance between the shift arm and the frame.

The following photos are how it should all end up looking if you've done it properly. From the back:

From the side:

From the front:

As you can hopefully see, I used 3 washers (ones I had laying around) to shim out the shift pivot so that the linkage would clear the frame. If anything is unclear, please be sure to comment and ask so that I can make sure to address any issues!

Lord of the Rings: War in the North Riddles

2013-12-18T20:18:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of the game, your character starts out talking to Aragorn in the Prancing Pony in Bree. Sitting at the bar is a hobbit by the name of Tedder Hedgegrow, from whom you can quite easily earn 750 silver coins. All you need in order to earn this nice little beginning-of-game-boost is answer his riddles correctly. And luckily for you, I have the answers for you:

Riddle	Answer
The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?	Darkness
Each morning I appear at you feet all day. I will follow no matter how fast you run, yet I nearly parish in the mid day sun. What am I?	Shadow
I’m always hungry, I need to be fed. The finger I touch, will soon turn red. What am I?	Fire
Always running never walking. Often murmuring never talking. Has a bed but never sleeps. Has a mouth but never eats. What is it?	River
At night come they come without being told. At day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?	Stars
My life can be measured in hours. I serve by being devoured thin, I am quick, fat I am slow, wind is my foe. What am I?	Candle
I drive men mad for want of me. I’m easily beaten, but never free. What am I?	Gold
The more of these you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?	Footprints
What is it you must keep after giving it to someone else?	Your Word
What is it that’s so fragile, even saying the name can break it?	Silence
What belongs to you that others use more than you do?	Your Name
I’m found deep in the earth. When beaten and burned I can become a blood thirsty killer. What am I?	Iron

Grand Theft Auto 5 Cheat Codes (Xbox 360 and PS3)

2013-09-18T10:06:00.002-04:00

Xbox 360 Cheats
Spawns:

Airplanes/Helicopters

Spawn Buzzard (attack helicopter) B B LB B B B LB LT RB Y B Y
Spawn Stunt Plane B Right LB LT Left RB LB LB Left Left A Y
Spawn Duster Right Left RB RB RB Left Y Y A B LB LB

Cars/Vans/Trucks/Carts

Spawn Comet RB B RT Right LB LT A A X RB
Spawn Rapid GT RT LB B Right LB RB Right Left B RT
Spawn Limo RT Right LT Left Left RB LB B Right
Spawn Trashmaster B RB B RB Left Left RB LB B Right
Spawn Caddy B LB Left RB LT A RB LB B A

Bikes

Spawn Sanchez B A LB B B LB B RB RT LT LB LB
Spawn PCJ RB Right Left Right RT Left Right X Right LT LB LB

Items

Give Parachute Left Right LB LT RB RT RT Left Left Right LB

Player:

Levels

Raise Wanted Level RB RB B RT Left Right Left Right Left Right
Lower Wanted Level RB RB B RT Right Left Right Left Right Left
Recharge Ability Meter A A X RB LB A Right Left A

Modes

Drunk Mode Y Right Right Left Right X B Left
Slidey Cars Y RB RB Left RB LB RT LB
Fast Run Y Left Right Right LT LB X
Fast Swim Left Left LB Right Right RT Left LT Right
Slow Mo Aim X LT RB Y Left X LT Right A (can be entered up to 4 times for increasing effect - 5th time disables)

Combat

Explosive Melee Attacks Right Left A Y RB B B B LT
Bang Bang (explosive gunshots) Right X A Left RB RT Left Right Right LB LB LB
Flaming Bullets LB RB X RB Left RT RB Left X Right LB LB

Misc

Skyfall (makes you fall from the sky) LB LT RB RT Left Right Left Right LB LT RB RT Left Right Left Right

World:

Change Weather RT A LB LB LT LT LT X
Slow Mo Y Left Right Right X RT RB (can be entered up to 3 times for increasing effect - 4th time disables)

PS3 Cheats

Spawns:

Airplanes/Helicopters

Spawn Buzzard (attack helicopter) Circle Circle L1 Circle Circle Circle L1 L2 R1 Triangle Circle Triangle
Spawn Stunt Plane Circle Right L1 L2 Left R1 L1 L1 Left Left X Triangle
Spawn Duster Right Left R1 R1 R1 Left Triangle Triangle X Circle L1 L1

Cars/Vans/Trucks/Carts

Spawn Comet R1 Circle R2 Right L1 L2 X X Square R1
Spawn Rapid GT R2 L1 Circle Right L1 R1 Right Left Circle R2
Spawn Limo R2 Right L2 Left Left R1 L1 Circle Right
Spawn Trashmaster Circle R1 Circle R1 Left Left R1 L1 Circle Right
Spawn Caddy Circle L1 Left R1 L2 X R1 L1 Circle X

Bikes

Spawn Sanchez Circle X L1 Circle Circle L1 Circle R1 R2 L2 L1 L1
Spawn PCJ R1 Right Left Right R2 Left Right Square Right L2 L1 L1

Items

Give Parachute Left Right L1 L2 R1 R2 R2 Left Left Right L1

Player:

Levels

Raise Wanted Level R1 R1 Circle R2 Left Right Left Right Left Right
Lower Wanted Level R1 R1 Circle R2 Right Left Right Left Right Left
Recharge Ability Meter X X Square R1 L1 X Right Left X

Modes

Drunk Mode Triangle Right Right Left Right Square Circle Left
Slidey Cars Triangle R1 R1 Left R1 L1 R2 L1
Fast Run Triangle Left Right Right L2 L1 Square
Fast Swim Left Left L1 Right Right R2 Left L2 Right
Slow Mo Aim Square L2 R1 Triangle Left Square L2 Right X (can be entered up to 4 times for increasing effect - 5th time disables)

Combat

Explosive Melee Attacks Right Left X Triangle R1 Circle Circle Circle L2
Bang Bang (explosive gunshots) Right Square X Left R1 R2 Left Right Right L1 L1 L1
Flaming Bullets L1 R1 Square R1 Left R2 R1 Left Square Right L1 L1

Misc

Skyfall (makes you fall from the sky) L1 L2 R1 R2 Left Right Left Right L1 L2 R1 R2 Left Right Left Right

World:

Change Weather R2 X L1 L1 L2 L2 L2 Square
Slow Mo Triangle Left Right Right Square R2 R1 (can be entered up to 3 times for increasing effect - 4th time disables)

Cheats to Come:

We have it from relatively credible sources that the following cheats should be available (based on looking at the code of the game?) at some point:

Invincibility
Give Weapons
Full Health and Armor
Super Jump
Moon Gravity

Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA5) Achievement List

2013-09-17T16:32:00.001-04:00

The following are the viewable achievements for Grand Theft Auto 5 including the title, (Gamer Score Points): and what you need to do to get it:

·      Solid Gold, Baby! (50 points): Earn 70 Gold Medals on Missions and Strangers and Freaks.
·      Career Criminal (100 points): Attain 100% Game Completion.
·      San Andreas Sightseer (30 points): Explore all of Los Santos and Blaine County.
·      All's Fare in Love and War (10 points): Purchase Downtown Cab Co. and complete a private fare.
·      TP Industries Arms Race (10 points): Purchase McKenzie Field Hangar and win the arms race.
·      Multi-Disciplined (30 points): Attain a gold medal in all applicable hobbies and pastimes.
·      From Beyond the Stars (15 points): Collect and return all spaceship parts.
·      A Mystery, Solved (15 points): Solve the mystery of Leonora Johnson.
·      Waste Management (15 points): Purchase the old dock and collect all nuclear waste.
·      Red Mist (20 points): Complete all Rampages.
·      Show Off (30 points): Complete all Stunt Jumps.
·      Kifflom! (30 points): Complete your path to enlightenment... or not.
·      Three Man Army (20 points): Survive 3 minutes on at least a 3 star Wanted Level with all three characters together off mission.
·      Out of Your Depth (5 points): You're gonna need a bigger boat...
·      Altruist Acolyte (5 points): Deliver an unsuspecting victim to the Altruist Cult.
·      A Lot of Cheddar (20 points): Spend a total of $200 million across all three characters.
·      Trading Pure Alpha (10 points): Make a profit over your total investments in the stock market.
·      Pimp My Sidearm (10 points): Fully mod a weapon.
·      Wanted: Alive Or Alive (10 points): Deliver a bail bond target alive.
·      Los Santos Customs (10 points): Fully mod a vehicle.
·      Close Shave (20 points): Complete all Under the Bridge and Knife Flight challenges.
·      Off the Plane (5 points): GTA Online: Complete the Introduction.
·      Three-Bit Gangster (10 points): GTA Online: Reach Rank 25.
·      Making Moves (30 points): GTA Online: Reach Rank 50.
·      Above the Law (80 points): GTA Online: Reach Rank 100.
·      Numero Uno (20 points): GTA Online: Obtain first place in all competitive game types.
·      The Midnight Club (20 points): GTA Online: Use custom vehicles to win 5 races.
·      Unnatural Selection (20 points): GTA Online: Complete all 10 waves of a Survival.
·      Backseat Driver (10 points): GTA Online: Direct a driver to 1st place as co-driver in Rally Mode.
·      Run Like The Wind (20 points): GTA Online: Survive for a day with a Bounty on your head.
·      Clean Sweep (10 points): GTA Online: Finish a Gang Attack without dying and kill at least 10 enemies.
·      Decorated (50 points): GTA Online: Earn 30 Platinum Awards.
·      Stick Up Kid (10 points): GTA Online: Hold up all 20 Stores.
·      Enjoy Your Stay (20 points): GTA Online: Participate in everything Los Santos has to offer.
·      Crew Cut (5 points): GTA Online: Complete a Job as a member of a Crew.
·      Full Refund (10 points): GTA Online: Kill the thief that mugged you.
·      Dialling Digits (5 points): GTA Online: Call for gang backup for the first time.
·      American Dream (10 points): GTA Online: Own an Apartment, Garage and an Insured Vehicle.

The following are the 11 secret achievements:

·      Welcome to Los Santos (10 points): You repo'd a car and raced it through the heart of a sun-soaked metropolis.
·      A Friendship Resurrected (10 points): With friends like this who needs enemies?
·      A Fair Day's Pay (10 points): It's time for a little getaway.
·      The Moment of Truth (10 points): You have uncovered the truth about Brad.
·      To Live or Die in Los Santos (40 points): Completed the final mission.
·      Diamond Hard (20 points): You cleaned out Vangelico to pay back Martin Madrazo.
·      Subversive (20 points): You stole an experimental super weapon from Merryweather... and gave it back.
·      Blitzed (20 points): You performed a classic blitz play.
·      Small Town, Big Job (20 points): You made a big impression at the Paleto Bay Chicken Festival.
·      The Government Gimps (20 points): You recovered sensitive information from a highly defended federal building.
·      The Big One! (20 points): This ain't no dream no more.

2005 ZX6R Overhaul (Cosmetic Transformation)

2013-07-01T11:45:00.001-04:00

A few months ago I bought the bike I've wanted for years, a 2005 ZX6R. It was not quite as pretty as I might have liked, but it was VERY well cared for and a great price (plus I enjoy doing body work, so I don't mind buying ugly).

Anyway, here's how she started out - the day I brought her home:

The first thing I did was to take off as many of the decals as I easily could and replaced the stupid windscreen and put on some new rubber. Very quickly I discovered, to my dismay, that the Monster logo still on the bike in the picture at the right, as well as the "Cabron" and the star seen on the pictures above were not decals, but painted on. I was planning to leave some of this work until this winter, but vulgar hispanic slang isn't the kind of thing I want painted on my vehicle...so I started work sooner than anticipated.

I initially planned to just sand and prime the lower fairings (to rid her of the vulgarity), leave the Monster logo, and leave the rest of the work until winter (which is why the lower piece is missing in the above picture)...but I had so much fun that I that I just didn’t want to stop…so I started stripping everything off of her to sand, prime and eventually paint.

By this point, I had already come up with the “concept art,” if you will, and knew basically how I wanted her to look once all was said and done. In order to accomplish this, as this stripping, sanding, and priming was going on, I ordered a whole bunch of extra goodies to go on to her. I ordered Kawasaki Green rim tape, gold shorty levers, black and gold bar ends, gold windshield and fairing bolts, carbon fiber triple tree decals, plastic stencil sheets, carbon fiber vinyl, a HID conversion kit, and some supplies to modify the headlights (make it so that both are used for both high and low beams). Most of these little accessories went on as I got them in the mail with the exception of the windshield and fairing bolts, of course.

While everything was taken apart, I also took the opportunity to install a SpeedoDRD, a Gorilla 8007 alarm, and lime green Core stainless steel brake lines. I also took the opportunity to remove the PowerCommander 3 the previous owner had installed (so I could sell it and buy more goodies), flush the brake fluid, flush the coolant, change the oil, and adjust the suspension.

The idea for the final look was to make her a bright metallic/pearl green and put some carbon fiber vinyl on as accents. The paint came from a local place that mixed it up custom for me (and pretty cheaply). When they handed the paint to me over the counter, however, they told me that it would really be best to paint it over white otherwise the color wouldn’t turn out right. Since everything was already primed and finish sanded, I just sprayed two coats of white over all of it and called it good.

When it finally came time to actually lay the paint on, I invited myself and my grandpa over to my

dad’s house to use his garage and yard to work in. The green went on much thinner than I expected and, consequently, we ended up doing extra coats on many of the parts to make sure the coverage was complete – which it was in the end. After taking a break for lunch, we laid down two coats of clear (which needs to go on much thicker than I’m used to putting anything on) and I let the parts all hang overnight.

When I came back the next day to pick everything up, I couldn’t have been happier with what I found. Overnight, the clear coats had self-leveled as they dried – which was expected – but had done so to a much greater extent than I had expected. When I took a part out into the sun to check out the final product, I swear if it wasn’t lime green I could have used it as a mirror it was so smooth!

The whole thing was finished off with the carbon fiber vinyl bits I cut out in the hopes that it would work well with the green. I really wanted to stay away from the boring black or white stripes and stuff that everyone else does with Kawasaki green.

After putting all the carbon fiber vinyl decals on their respective panels, I put the whole thing back together and this is how it turned out:

Comets, Asteroids, Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites

2013-02-21T11:24:00.001-05:00

I had a visitor at my work today who interrupted me while I was talking about the movie Armageddon to tell everyone within shouting distance that a comet almost hit Earth a few days ago and a piece of it broke off and hit Russia. This illustrated to me that with all this stuff in the news lately about an asteroid coming near Earth and a meteor blowing the windows out of Russia, people are a bit confused about the terminology being used - not to mention how confused they are about what actually happend. Before I move on to actually talk about terminology, let's clear up that the asteroid coming near Earth and the meteor that hit Russia were completely unrelated.

Comets - Comets are pieces of mostly ice, some rock, and organic compounds that can be up to several miles in diameter. They formed in the outermost parts of our solar system, beyond the orbits of our outermost planets - we get to see them because their orbits out there were disrupted. It is relatively common that a comet will come far enough into the center of the solar system that the ice gets vaporized by light from the sun and forms a kind of atmosphere called a coma, while the dust that was at the center, gets pulled out into a tail. A common misconception with comets is that their tail is opposite their direction of movement - like a tail of anything moving though our atmosphere would. However, the tail of a comet actually opposes the sun because it is the sunlight moving past he comet that pulls the tail out.

Asteroids - An asteroid is an object that is usually composed of mostly rock - many have some amount of metal (mostly nickel and iron), but the amount varies. They are generally quite small but anything from a small bolder sized rock up to something hundreds of miles in diameter can be classified as an asteroid. Asteroids orbit the sun and really don't do much normally. They have very regular, predictable orbits and the vast majority stay within particular zones of orbit, called belts, that never intersect with any planets.

Meteoroid - Any small particle orbiting the sun in our solar system is referred to as a meteoroid. The size of a meteoroid can range anywhere from a grain of sand, to a bolder-sized object. These objects are known as meteoroids as long as they are orbiting the sun and not hitting anything. As soon as they enter our atmosphere, their designation changes.

Meteors - A meteor is what we commonly call a "shooting-star." A meteor is a very small meteorite that has entered Earth's atmosphere and relatively quickly burns up due to the speed it is moving at and the friction with the air with which it comes in contact.

Meteorites - A meteorite is a meteoroid that enters the atmosphere, but doesn't completely burn up as it enters. Any meteoroid that hits the ground is classified as a meteorite. These are generally the larger objects and are more often than not made out of more densely packed, often metallic material. Most meteorites that have impacted the surface of Earth have are believed to be fragments resulting from the collision of asteroids.

Cydia Tweak to Change iOS Default Browser

2013-01-17T11:16:00.002-05:00

Safari haters who have jailbroken iOS (iPod, iPhone, iPad) devices, I have good news for you! Developer Ryan Petrich recently created a tweak that allows users to set their default browser just like you can on a computer. BrowserChooser is free to install and does exactly what it is advertised to do. It completely takes away the annoyance of having apps open links in Safari rather than your preferred browser.

To get this tweak you will need to add Ryan Petrich's repo to your list of sources in Cydia. To do this, go to Cydia, then Manage, then Sources and tap the Edit button in the top left and then the Add button in the top right. Once you have the menu up to add a source, type in rpetri.ch/repo. Once you have entered the information, Cydia will add Mr. Petrich's repo as a source so that you can find the desired tweak.

Now you need to go to Search in the lower right corner of the Cydia main screen. In the search bar at the top, type in "BrowserChooser" and you should see BrowserChooser come up. From there all you need to do is tap on it to open it up and tap Install to install it.

After installed, you can open the app and tell it to use any other installed browser as your preferred default browser. Once this is done, other apps may have links that say "Open in Safari," but this tweak will force them to open in your chosen browser instead.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Aftermarket Fuel Pump

2012-12-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

The picture to the left here is my 2001 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, Lola. Lola is fun, fast, and good looking, but far from perfect (especially mechanically). Recently, I was on a pleasant ride having just filled Lola up with gas, when she completely lost power and started feeling like she was running out of gas. As it turns out, it was actually the fuel pump dying. I considered trying to repoint the pump, but given that I've never done that before and didn't know if that would actually even fix the problem, I decided to investigate another route.

I did a ton of research trying to find aftermarket options to replace the pump because the OEM pump costs about $200 from Kawasaki. Everyone I talked to in every forum I visited said the same thing, "there are no other options, just suck it up and replace it with the OEM pump." None of those people realized just how stubborn and cheep I am :)

I didn't want to spend $200 on a stupid fuel pump, so I went about another option. I started trying to figure out what the specifications on the OEM pump are so that I could try to match it up myself. As it turns out, it's pretty easy to find out that the OEM fuel pump for my bike has a cut-off pressure of between 1.6 and 2.4 psi. However, nobody seemed to have any clue what the flow rate would be. I got guesses everywhere from 5gal/hr to nearly 50gal/hr - not all that helpful. In the end, I just decided I didn't care that much.

I called Facet, a company that makes about a million different fuel pumps and asked to talk to an engineer. The engineer I talked to told me that based on the specs I wanted it to meet, and she gave me the NAPA part number for the pump I should get. The pump is NAPA number 610-1052 and has a cut-off pressure of 2-3.5 psi and a flow rate of 28 gal/hr. I bought it from my local NAPA store and spent an afternoon swapping out all the tubing, figuring out where to mount it, and getting it connected to the same power source as the original pump.

After getting everything put back together and hooked up properly, I took Lola out for a ride (in November......in Michigan). It was not nearly as pleasant as the ride that started the whole process, but, on the other hand, she ran better than she ever has :)

Moral of the story: if the OEM version of whatever you're trying to replace seems to expensive, there's always an aftermarket alternative.........even if it's a pain to figure out what it is...it always exists

Motorcycle on Wheels

2012-11-09T21:59:00.002-05:00

There's really no writing going into this, but I needed to share this photo. I pulled this off an add for a car I was looking at online a couple days ago and it is still making me laugh:

Migrating Macs - Outlook Calendar Issue

2012-07-20T09:13:00.000-04:00

This is another one of my posts highlighting some of my issues with computers. I am quite certain, at this point, that most of my issues are at least partly self-created. Whatever the case with that, however, they do always need to be solved.

My most recent issue was with migrating from one mac to another. They actually make this process incredibly easy to do so I'm not going to talk about that at all, but I had a few problems after it was completed - mainly with Outlook 2011.

The biggest issue was that after I migrated everything, Outlook imported the new data very nicely, but it put all my mail, contacts, calendar events, etc. into the "on my computer" folder instead of the regular default folders. What I mean is that instead of putting everything into the normal location they would go to when you create a new contact or calendar event or whatever, it was all in a different location. Mostly this was not too big an issue.

To fix this problem for the contacts and mail, I simply selected all using command+A and draged them all to the folder I wanted them in - no big deal really. The big problem was the calendar. I would have loved to do the same thing with the calendar, but could not figure out how to select all the events so I could drag them. I spent a few days messing around with trying to import the calendar in different ways, syncing them both with a separate calendar, etc. and couldn't get anything - then I found the solution I had been looking for. Here's what I had to do:

Go into the calendar tab on the left and click the "organize" tool bar tab
In the "organize" menu, choose "list" - this will allow you to drag and drop
Click in the search bar, then choose the "advanced button in the tool bar below
Click the drop-down menu that appears below the tool bar and choose "Folder"
Then make the other two say "Is" and "On My Computer"

This allowed me to see all calendar events for all time in a list, use command+A to select all and drag them to the other calendar folder.

Hopefully this solution will be helpful to other people - I know it alleviated many of my frustrations.

Motorcycle Helmet Law and Seatbelt Law

2012-07-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

Dear readers,
It's time for another rant. Today's topic: Michigan's change to the motorcycle helmet law and the comparison to our seat belt law.

For those of you who don't know me personally, I enjoy having fun and I enjoy somewhat dangerous activities now and then. However, I always partake in these ventures in the safest way possible. For instance, I ride my motorcycle quite often in the summer, but in addition to always wearing my helmet, I also always wear full riding gear (armored pants and jacket, gloves, boots...). I also always buckle my seat belt, never drive if I can feel any effects of alcohol, and think if you do anything other than that, you're an idiot. However, that doesn't mean I think you shouldn't be allowed to do (some of) those things (I do think it should be illegal to drive after drinking).

This is maybe a little different from how most people look at these sorts of things, but then, I'm not most people. In my (humble) opinion, one of the best things about this country is our liberty. The Oxford dictionary defines liberty as "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's behavior or political views." It is, in short, our freedom from having other people's opinions forced upon us. Now, the obvious and necessary restriction on that liberty is if we are endangering other people with our behaviors - hence the law against drinking and driving.

Michigan voters seem to think (and I agree) that the requirement for motorcyclists to wear helmets was infringing upon their liberty - it was an oppressive restriction on motorcyclists' behavior. The issue, for me, comes in when we start to also consider Michigan's seat belt law.

If someone can help me understand why we are spending gobs of money on the "Click it or Ticket" advertising campaign for our seatbelt law and, at the same time, getting rid of the helmet law, I'd appreciate it. Personally, I'd rather have them just get rid of both laws, but it's honestly the apparent inconsistency that bothers me more than anything else.

I was planning on writing more, but I've now thought better of it. As always, please feel free to comment and let me know where we disagree.

Easy Ford Focus Sunroof Reprogram

2012-06-01T10:57:00.001-04:00

I drove to work today in my 2002 Ford Focus SVT with my sunroof open and windows down and everything worked fine. When I got to work, I closed the sunroof and still everything worked fine. When I went back out after work, I tried to open my sunroof and it wouldn't open. While jamming the button trying to get it to work, I hit the forward side of the button and it started venting, but then, of course, when I tried to close it with the backward side of the button, it still didn't work.

I got home and was all set to tear the button out and diagnose a wiring problem or something, but decided to call a Ford dealer first and surprisingly they were actually very helpful. They told me that this is a relatively common problem and that what's happening is the logic controller for the sunroof got confused somehow, but that it is easily reprogramed. In fact, the steps for the reprogram are right in the owners manual for the car.

Here's what you have to do:

Fully vent the sunroof with the forward side of the button (tilt the back of the sunroof up all the way)
Press the same button (the forward part that closes/vents the sunroof) again and hold it for about 30 seconds - the owners manual says to hold it until you see the sunroof move, but mine never did so maybe don't worry so much about that
Then release and immediately re-push the same button holding it again - this time it should start moving. It should close, then slide backwards all the way, then slide forward all the way and end up closed again. Don't release the button until it is fully closed (if you accidentally do, then just start this process over again at step 1)

Your sunroof should now be fully functioning again. If you press the backward button now, it should open exactly like it is supposed to. If there is some sort of larger malfunction in the unit, it will enter safety mode on step 3 and will move in about 2 second intervals - if this happens you just need to keep pushing the button over and over until it closes and then you need to probably bring it in to have it diagnosed.

Good luck and happy driving!

Treyvon Martin Shooting & Stand Your Ground

2012-04-28T09:37:00.001-04:00

I would like to preface this post in a few ways before I actually begin expressing my own thoughts and opinions here:

Firstly, I am not an expert on law (of any sort - let alone gun laws). I will express my thoughts and views based on my understanding of Michigan's gun laws including how they are enforced and how they are put into practice based on my limited training and reading. I will relate this understanding and experience to the shooting of Treyvon Martin in Florida and how that situation has been handled.

Secondly, I am not an expert on the situation surrounding the shooting of Treyvon Martin. I have read a decent amount in the news and have tried to get the best understanding I can of what actually happened, but I am not an expert.

Here is what I understand to have transpired on the night of this shooting incident:
- Treyvon Martin went out to a nearby 7/11 convenience store during a break in a basketball game. He was on his way back home having purchased skittles and tea when the shooting occurred.
- George Zimmerman saw Martin wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up and identified him as a safety concern for the neighborhood. He called the local police non-emergency phone number where he told them about the perceived threat and informed them that he was following the person. He was clearly informed by the police that he should absolutely not follow the person - he followed anyway and some interaction occurred that resulted in Zimmerman shooting Martin.

Now, on to my actual thoughts and opinions...

I have no idea what actually happened during the altercation that clearly took place. I'm not even completely clear on how/why the altercation took place to begin with. I'm not sure whether to believe that Zimmerman lost Martin and then encountered him again (as he claims). I'm not sure whether to believe that there was any interaction except the brief exchange of words and the shooting. Keep in mind that when I say that I don't know if I should believe these things, I mean exactly that. I'm not sure what to believe about it - I have know idea whether to believe many of these statements or not because there is not much evidence to back most (really any) of it up.

However, no matter what you believe about what happened, George Zimmerman should have been taken into custody right away when the police arrived. It is certainly important to know eventually what happened during the interaction that took place, but when the police first showed up, it shouldn't have mattered one bit. Zimmerman should have been taken into custody immediately.

Apparently this is not the way it works in Florida, but it should be. My understanding is that the Florida Stand Your Ground law says that the police officers who respond are not to arrest the shooter if he/she has a reasonable explanation of the encounter that accounts for their need to shoot. This is certainly not the exactly what the law says, but I believe it captures the idea behind it.

Michigan has a law very similar to this Stand Your Ground law they are talking about with regard to the shooting and in every shooting course I've ever taken, they are very clear about a couple of things - 1) that you should try to call 911 on speakerphone so that there is a record of what happened and 2) that you will be arrested when the police show up. Almost without exception, no matter how things happened and what reasons you have when the police show up or what proof you have of your need to shoot in self defense, you will be arrested. Then, if the story checks out and it seems like you are innocent, you'll be released and not charged. This is the way most of these laws are intended to be used.

In order to protect the public from a person who could potentially be a homicidal maniac, the shooter needs to be taken into custody until it is determined that there was a justifiable cause for the shooting. The fact that this was not done with George Zimmerman is already, in my (humble) opinion, a huge breach of proper procedure when dealing with a shooting case of any kind. Regardless of whether Zimmerman actually did shoot Martin in self defense or not, he should have been taken into custody immediately - and from there it could have been assessed whether he should be charged or released.

I understand that this may not be the way the laws in Florida are written and enforced. I'm not sure of the particulars there, but it seems to me that this situation illustrates one of two possible problems. Either the laws in question are written as I have described and are simply not being enforced or used in that way or the laws are actually not written to work the way I have described above. Either way, something needs to change - the laws either need to be enforced properly or rewritten to work in a way that keeps the public safe. Whether or not this shooting was handled in accordance with Florida law, the police response illustrates one of two major flaws with the current situation surrounding the Stand Your Ground law.

With all that being said, I want to acknowledge a few other thoughts. First, that the death of Treyvon Martin, regardless of why/how it happened, is a terrible thing. He was a young man whose life never should have been cut short because of what appears to be a tragic misunderstanding between two people. Second, I hope that this situation does not cause people to believe that we should have tighter gun control laws. Treyvon Martin's death was not the result of our gun control laws - it was the result of poor decision making which, unfortunately, no amount of legislation (at least while preserving our liberties) could ever correct. No matter what version of the story you believe regarding the events of that night, what happened was the result of bad decisions - the same way they happen all the time ending in car crashes that kill people. We don't blame the cars and we shouldn't blame the guns - it's the poor choices (and possibly lack of experience and training) in both situations that causes problems.

Halo CE Anniversary Skull and Terminal Locations

2012-04-10T19:43:00.001-04:00

Skull Locations:

Iron -  Level: Pillar of Autumn

Location: Located behind a cryo tube at the beginning of the level.

Effect: "Death carries a heavy price. Dying in co-op resets you at your last saved checkpoint. Dying solo restarts the level."

Mythic -  Level - Halo

 Location: Beneath the waterfall at the beginning of the level.

 Effect: "All covenant AI have twice the health. All Sentinels have energy shields."

Description: Immediately after stepping out of the crashed drop ship, immediately turn right and head for the enormous waterfall. It will be behind a rock near the waterfall.

BOOM -  Level - Halo

Location: Just before entering the underground tunnel.

Effect: "Explosions have twice the damage radius. Light fuse, run away."

Description: After getting the warthog dropped off, proceed like normal, but instead of going down into the trench towards the tunnel mouth, go around the cliff edge on the right side - you will see it in the middle of the ledge there after traveling along it for a moment.

Foreign -  Level - Truth & Reconciliation

Location: Behind the door that the 3rd set of hunters emerge from in the hangar bay.

 Effect: Covenant weapons: How do they work? Player cannot pick up or use Covenant weapons."

Description: When you enter the large hangar bay (the room with the large shielded openings that the Pelican uses to drop off marines) kill all of the enemies, but ensure you're close to the far right-side of the room when you finish them off. When the music suddenly picks up, be ready to go through the doors that open. Without an enemy near them, they won't open again. The skulls will be just inside.

Famine -  Level - Silent Cartographer

Location: The top of the small plateau on the Beach.

Effect: "Weapons dropped by AI have half the ammo they normally would. You ight want to pack an extra magazine."

Description: From the start of the level, after exiting the Pelican immediately turn around and begin walking the other direction. You'll eventually come to a part of the island with a large piece of land right in the middle of it with a ramp going up the side. Scale it and the skull will be waiting at the top (Likewise, if you wait until after you activate the security console, the plateau will be immediately ahead of you as you exit the building. A scarab will now be crashed beside it.)

Bandanna -  Level - Silent Cartographer

Location: At the end of the tunnel on the ceiling in the Security console building (Warning: Grenade jump necessary.)

Effect: "Infinite Ammo."

Description: Go into security building and head down the tunnel that leads to the control console. Go into the open room, than grenade jump on top of the structure to find this skull.

Fog -  Level - Assault on the Control Room

 Location: In the center of the room immediately before you set foot into the canyon. (Warning: Grenade jump necessary.)

Effect: "The motion tracker is disabled. You'll miss those eyes in the back of your head."

Description: After crossing the first bridge and taking the elevator down to the ground floor, the skull will be on a raised platform in the center of this room and will be surrounded by fog. It will require a grenade jump to reach it

Malfunction -  Level - Assault on the Control Room

 Location: On one of the pipes sticking out of the giant gorge in the large underground room.

Effect: "Every time you respawn, a random element of your HUD is disabled."

Description: When you enter the tunnel and you come to the large room, you will notice pipes that stick out of the gorge in the middle on both sides. Not 100% certain which pipe the skull is on yet, but there aren't many to pick from. Will update this segment as more definitive information is made available.

Recession -  Level - 343 Guilty Spark

 Location: Located to the left of the Facility in a little drop behind a shade turret.

Effect: "Every shot is worth twice the ammo. Save those bullets, playa."

Description: When you cross the fallen tree, you'll see a shade turret blow up and assault rifle fire coming from the structure. Instead of going inside, immediately go to the left and keep against the back wall. you'll come to a turret with a small drop behind it. Slide down the drop carefully and the skull will be waiting for you at the bottom.

Black Eye -  Level - The Library

Location: In the back of one of the vents before entering the Index chamber for the first time. (Warning: Grenade jump necessary.)

Effect: "Your shields only recharge when you melee enemies. Bash your way to better health!"

Description: On the first floor at the beginning of the level, you will notice squarish openings in the ceiling that the flood use to enter the level. Before entering the round, yellow room, find the vent closest to that door and do a grenade jump into it. The skull will be waiting for you.

  Eye Patch -  Level - The Library

Location: Behind the Index on the final platform.

Effect: Auto aim features disabled for all weapons. You'll miss it when it's gone."

Description: Instead of running onto the platform to grab the Index, instead go around as far from the Index as you can. The skull will be waiting on the ground right behind it.

Pinata -  Level: Two Betrayals

Location: On the snowy ledge directly above the exit to the underground tunnel.

Effect: Punching enemies makes them drop grenades. Beat them 'til candy comes out!"

Description: In AotCR, there will be a wraith tank on it as you're entering the tunnel. This time, get to the end of the level and grab the banshee, than fly back and land up there to grab your skull.

Grunt Birthday Party -  Level: The Maw

Location: On a railing near where Foehammer is shot down.

Effect: "Kill a grunt with a headshot and see a spray of confetti, to the delight of children everywhere."

Description: If you stop the warthog on the spot where Foehammer is supposed to pick you up, the skull is on the end of the pipe/railing thing in front of you and to your right just before you leave that bridge.

Terminal Locations:

Level- Pillar of Autumn

Location: At the beginning of the level make you're way to the bridge. After talking to Keyes and regaining control of the chief, find the glowing red computer console to find the terminal.

Level- Halo

Location: After entering the underground tunnel, proceed like normal, but instead of jumping the gap like normal, find a small side tunnel in the immediate area and you'll find the terminal at the end of it.

Level- Truth and Reconciliation

 Location: After defeating the Zealot on the Bridge, just stand on the raised platform in the center.

Level- Silent Cartographer

Location: When heading for the Security Building, you'll encounter two hunters in the center of the island. The terminal will be located on the wall of the structure in the center of this area.

  Level- Assault on the Control Room

 Location: Toward the end of the level you will come to the Pyramid with the Control Room at the top. You'll notice a long, flat piece of the structure running straight down the middle of it and going into a crevice in the ground below. Go inside this crevice and you'll find a terminal mixed in with a large amount of hidden ammo supplies.

Level- 343 Guilty Spark

Location: After making your way to the Elevator that will allow you to escape the underground facility, you'll find the Terminal above the doorway you came out of. It can be reached by activating the Elevator, than timing it correctly and jumping off onto the platform below (this may take a few attempts, but the elevator can be activated as many times as needed.)

Level- The Library

Location: On the third floor, you'll come to a room with a large circular room (the Index platform will be above it. Go right and use the crouch jump to jump over the barriers and you'll come to a room that looks like the rest of the level, but is disconnected from the regular game. The Terminal will be plain as day before you even reach it.

  Level- Two Betrayals

Location: In the control room at the beginning of the level, walk around the the circular platform and you'll find the terminal directly across from the control console.

Level- Keyes

Location: After finding Keyes absorbed into the Proto- Gravemind, kill the Covenant and Flood that attempt to ambush you, than search the sunken crevices to the side of the raised platform. The terminal will be down inside one of the two.

  Level- The Maw

Location: Play the level like normal until you reach the Cryogenic Storage Bay where Sentinels will be busy fighting the Flood. Once you climb the ladder to the upper level, go to the back of that room where the computers are. A glowing Control console on the computer island-type thing holds the final terminal.

Skyrim: The World-Eater's Eyrie / Skuldafn Temple / Sovngarde / Dragonslayer Walkthrough

2011-12-29T17:19:00.001-05:00

This quest is relatively straight forward and probably does not require a lot of guidance, but there are a few stages that are more tricky and there are a couple of puzzles to solve.

This quest is first initiated when you use the Call Dragon shout on the Dragonsreach Porch to call Odahviing and trap him. Once you have him trapped and have a conversation with him, you end up getting him to reveal the location of Alduin's portal to Sovngarde and then flies you to Skuldafn.

Once you get to Skuldafn, there will be a number of high level Draugr (wraiths and deathlords) before you get to the door to head inside the Skuldafn Temple. I did not count exactly, but there are at least 8 Draugr (some deathlords, some wights, etc.) and there are two dragons. Be careful not to attract the attention of everyone all at once or it will be a very difficult fight.

Head up all the stairs and around the broken tower and up the stairs again to get up to the door that says Skuldafn Temple. This is where you want to go. You can check out the North and South Towers out here if you want as well, but there is not much to tell in them except some more Draugr. Once you get inside the Skuldafn Temple, you will enter a big room with a number of Draugr that come after you almost at once. Kill them and continue forward. You will end up heading up some stairs into a room where more Draugr will attack you. After you kill them, you'll probably notice there are three of the infamous pillars and two gates in front of you. The two side pillars need to be positioned so that the symbol that faces the nearest fire bowl matches the one carved there. The center pillar needs to match the symbol above the gate you want to open.

If you face the pillars from the gates, to open the right gate, you need to see bird - bird - bird and the left gate you should see bird - snake - bird. This is what is shown in the two pictures at the right. The right gate has a chest with not much in it and nothing else behind it. The left gate is the one you need to go through in order to continue with the quest.

After going through the left gate, you will go up some stairs to the left and end up on the walkway above a room with a single Draugr Wight below you. As you approach him, a Deathlord and another Wight will also begin to attack you. After you kill the three of them, head straight through where the Draugr Deathlord came out of. There will be frostbite spiders you need to kill in this area, but they shouldn't be much of a problem. Kill them and continue on along the corridor until you reach the double iron doors. Through these doors are another two Draugr - a Deathlord and a Wight. As soon as you open the doors you will notice another pillar. After killing all enemies you will probably notice that there is no exit from this room. The pillars are what provide the exit to you.

The picture on the left shows you the location we are talking about and will be the reference frame used for explaining the solution. While looking forward towards the wooden bridge that will drop, the pillar on your right needs to be set to the bird, the one to your left needs to be set to whale, and the one behind and below you needs to be set to snake. So that puzzle solution from left to right would be whale - snake - bird. These symbols come from the symbols shown in the mouths of the people corresponding to them. Going across the bridge will allow you to access a door that again is labeled Skuldafn Temple. You need to continue through this door to continue with the quest.

When you go through these doors you will enter a room that has another three Draugr in it. There is a Deathlord, a Wight, and a Scourge. Defeat them and continue up the stairs, across the bridge, and through the corridor to the spiral staircase. At the top of the spiral stairs is a room with three more Draugr and a gate that needs to be opened by lever. directly across the room from the gate is an iron door behind which is flammable oil on the floor which can help kill the Draugr. If you go through that door and turn left 180 degrees you'll see a lever that will lift the gate so you can continue forward.

As you continue forward through the passageway ahead, be careful of the flammable oil trap. When you turn left at the end of the corridor with this trap, straight ahead will be a puzzle door and a Draugr Death Overlord guarding it. Kill the guard and take the Diamond Claw from him to get through the puzzle door. The solution from top to bottom is wolf - moth - dragon (as shown at the right).

This door will allow you to enter a room with a word wall in it. This word wall gives you a word for the Storm Call shout. There are no more Draugr in this section of Skuldafn so you may go straight up to the word wall and then continue on without worries. If you continue toward the quest marker, you will get to a door that says Skuldafn. Be prepared before leaving through this door. After you leave the door, you will be in an area with three Draugr Deathlords, a Draugr Scourge, two Dragons, and a Dragon Preist. Be especially careful of the Dragon Priest as he has a staff that will do 50 shock damage per second. You can get to him before he grabs the staff, however, if you move quickly. He will start heading for it as soon as you go out the door - he is out the door and to the left and then up the stairs. Get to him as quickly as possible, but still try to avoid having all enemies attacking you at once.

Also, the wooden planks that go to a tower straight ahead of you as you exit the door, follow them before going through the portal. All the way at the bottom there is a chest with, among other things, a flawless diamond in it.

Once you have defeated all the enemies, you will be able to get to Alduin's portal to Sovngarde. To use the portal, you need to activate the Dragon Seal, then you can simply walk into the portal. If the Dragon Priest has not yet reached his staff, then all you need to do is to walk into the portal.

Once you have gone through the portal, you will need to make your way through the mist to get to the Hall of Valor. You will meet a soldier quite quickly who will tell you how to get there and will follow you. You need to simply keep walking through the fog and get to the bridge. When you get to the bridge to the Hall of Valor, you will meet Tsun with whom you need to talk and later fight in order to gain admittance to the Hall of Valor.

Once in the Hall of Valor, you will speak with Ysgramor who will tell you that they were all commanded by Shor not to attempt to fight Alduin, but that there are three who have been waiting for me to come which would be their cue to join you and drive Alduin out. As it turns out, these are the same three people who you saw fighting Alduin when you read the Elder Scroll to learn Dragonrend. Follow them back outside where you will finally get to kill Alduin. I found it easiest to use Dragonrend to keep him on the ground and attack him that way.

Once you have killed Alduin, there are some awesome animations as he dies and then you just need to go talk to Tsun again to be sent back to Nirn. When you talk to him and tell him you want to go back home, he teaches you a shout to bring a hero from Sovngarde to aide you - the Call of Valor shout. This is officially the end of the main quest. Congratulations on completing an Elder Scrolls game.

Skyrim: No Stone Unturned / Stone of Barenziah Locations

2011-12-20T23:34:00.001-05:00

When you talk to Vex in the Ragged Flagon about the unusual gem you found, she tells you that they are stones from the crown of Queen Barenziah. The crown was stolen, but was clearly dismantled and the gems are scattered all over the place. There are 24 total and on their own they are basically worthless, but if all 24 are found, they could be incredibly valuable. This conversation starts ends the miscellaneous quest to bring the unusual gem to an appraiser and begins the No Stone Unturned quest.

These Stones fo Barenziah really are scattered all over the place, but are mainly concentrated in places you need to visit for various semi-major quests. Quests like the Dark Brotherhood, Theives Guild, College of Winterhold, Stormcloaks/Legion, etc. often bring you within reach of these objects. However, for your convenience, I have put together a list of exactly where each of them is. I'll be updating the details as I go back through the game for a second time.

Location	Notes
Whiterun	Halls of the Dead Catacombs (in the first room, go down the left stairs and it will be to your left)
Whiterun	Dragonsreach (Jarl's room)
Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary	Astrid's room. Still accessible after the Death Incarnate quest.
Whiterun	Jorrvaskr (Kodlak's room)
Solitude	Blue Palace (Jarl's room)
Thalmor Embassy	Elenwen's Solar on the second floor.
College of Winterhold	Arch-Mage's Quarters
Black-Briar Lodge	East of Riften (second floor bedroom, next to bed)
Riften	Mistveil Keep (Jarl's room)
Markarth	The Treasury House (end table in Thonar's bedroom, which is the left from the front door)
Windhelm	Palace of the Kings Upstairs (Wuunferth's Room)
Markarth	Understone Keep - Dwemer Museum (on a table in the first room to the left)
Fellglow Keep	Northeast of Whiterun (straight up the stairs and to the right)
Stony Creek Cave	Just North of the Ansilvund Burial Chambers (last room on the table)
Windhelm	House of Clan Shatter-Shield
Solitude	Proudspire Manor (must be purchased for 25 000 gold)
Pinewatch	In a house west of Helgen there is a secret hideout accessible from the basement.
Yngvild	The island northeast of Dawnstar (bedroom behind the throne in Yngvild Throne room)
Dainty Sload	Ship along the coast southwest of the Solitude Lighthouse (last room on the table)
Sunderstone Gorge	On the table with two bodies in front of the Dragon Word Wall.
Dead Crone Rock	On the stone table opposite dragon word wall.
Ansilvund Burial Chambers	Northeast of Shor's Stone and due north of Riften.
Rannveig's Fast	After falling down the trapdoor in front of the chest and Dragon Word Wall)
Hob's Fall Cave	On the northern coast, directly between Dawnstar and Winterhold. Near the alchemy set.

If you have any trouble finding any of these Stone of Barenziah locations, please let me know. As I said, I'll be updating as I go through the game again, so if I need to revisit any particular part sooner rather than later, I can do that.

Skyrim: Dragon Armor Creation and Stats

2011-12-20T11:37:00.002-05:00

The following are two tables showing the items needed to create dragon armor and the armor rating of it once created. Keep in mind that a smithing level of 100 is necessary to create dragon armor as is the perk for dragon armor smithing.

Here is a helpful bit of info if you are trying to figure out how much dragon stuff to sell and how much to keep in order to make your dragon armor.

A full set of Dragonplate (heavy) armor requires:

6 Dragon Bones
13 Dragon Scales
10 Leather Strips

A full set of Dragonscale (light) armor requires:

14 Dragon Scales
7 Iron Ingots
4 Leather
10 Leather Strips

Heavy Dragon Armor

Items Used	Item Created	Created Item Properties
Dragon Bone × 2 Dragon Scales × 3 Leather Strips × 3	Dragonplate Armor × 1	Heavy Armor Armor Rating = 46
Dragon Bone × 1 Dragon Scales × 3 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonplate Boots × 1	Heavy Armor Armor Rating = 17
Dragon Bone × 1 Dragon Scales × 2 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonplate Gauntlets × 1	Heavy Armor Armor Rating = 17
Dragon Bone × 1 Dragon Scales × 2 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonplate Helmet × 1	Heavy Armor Armor Rating = 22
Dragon Bone × 1 Dragon Scales × 3 Leather Strips × 1	Dragonplate Shield × 1	Other Armor Rating = 34

Light Dragon Armor

Items Used	Item Created	Created Item Properties
Dragon Scales × 4 Iron Ingot × 2 Leather × 1 Leather Strips × 3	Dragonscale Armor × 1	Light Armor Armor Rating = 41
Dragon Scales × 2 Iron Ingot × 1 Leather × 1 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonscale Boots × 1	Light Armor Armor Rating = 12
Dragon Scales × 2 Iron Ingot × 1 Leather × 1 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonscale Gauntlets × 1	Light Armor Armor Rating = 12
Dragon Scales × 2 Iron Ingot × 1 Leather × 1 Leather Strips × 1	Dragonscale Helmet × 1	Light Armor Armor Rating = 17
Dragon Scales × 4 Iron Ingot × 2 Leather Strips × 2	Dragonscale Shield × 1	Other Armor Rating = 29

Blogger Comment Notification via Email

2011-12-20T11:10:00.000-05:00

I blog somewhat frequently and have not been very much in the habit of checking for comments on my posts (especially older posts). Often, when I remember to check my comments, I find that there were comments I wish I would have responded to earlier, but hadn't noticed. If you, like me, have had the frustration of blogging regularly and not always checking for comments on old posts, there is a solution.

If you go into your blogger settings on the bottom left side of your home page, then go to the "mobile and email" section, there is a way to set up notification. Then in the box where it says "Comment Notification Email," simply type your email address and you will receive notifications when you get comments on your posts.

Skyrim Dragon Shouts (with locations)

2011-12-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Skyrim Smithing Tip

2011-12-05T18:08:00.001-05:00

This is not a huge tip, but if you are looking to get into smithing and have a very low skill level, this will help you. All you need to do is go to the smith just inside the Whiterun gate. Her name is Adrianne Avenicci and if you go to her and talk to her, she will give you the opportunity to learn about smithing from her. She will give you materials and tell you to make things with them and them bring them back to her.

This provides a great way to learn how smithing works as well as actually gain experience and level up if you are a low level. The best way to level your smithing up is always by crafting items and she gives you the opportunity to do this without spending any money on it yourself.

Also, once you've done this part, a great way to keep earning experience is to go out on the plains near Whiterun (or other places) and kill animals. When you kill things like deer and elk and even smaller things, you get their hides which you can use on the tanning rack to create leather. With this leather, you can create hide or leather armor. This is by far the cheapest way to create armor pieces to gain experience.

The following is a table that shows what skill levels are necessary to get weapons and armor to various quality levels with and without the smithing perk. It also shows what increase in damage or armor rating this yields after crafted.

Quality	Skill Required		Increase Yielded
Quality	Without Perk	With Perk	Armor	Other
Fine	14	14	+2	+1
Superior	31	22	+6	+3
Exquisite	65	40	+10	+5
Flawless	100	57	+13	+7
Epic	134	74	+17	+8
Legendary	168	91	+20	+10

For example:
Your smithing skill level is 42 and you have the dwarven smithing perk - you can improve dwarven items to exquisite quality. However, if you don't have the perk, then you can only improve dwarven items to superior quality.

Skyrim Potion Ingredient Effects

2011-12-02T18:21:00.001-05:00

Effect	Ingredients
Cure Disease	Charred Skeever Hide, Hawk Feathers, Mudcrab Chitin, Vampire Dust
Damage Health	Crimson Nirnroot, Deathbell, Ectoplasm, Falmer Ear, Human Flesh, Human Heart, Imp Stool, Jarrin Root, Nightshade, Nirnroot, Red Mountain Flower, River Betty, Skeever Tail, Small Antlers, Troll Fat, Void Salts
Damage Magicka	Butterfly Wing, Chaurus Eggs, Daedra Heart, Eye of Sabre Cat, Glow Dust,Hagraven Feathers, Hanging Moss, Human Heart, Jarrin Root, Luna Moth Wing, Namira's Rot, Nordic Barnacle
Damage Magicka Regeneration	Bear Claws, Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Chicken's Egg, Glow Dust, Hanging Moss, Human Heart, Jarrin Root, Nightshade, Spider Egg,Spriggan Sap
Damage Stamina	Blisterwort, Blue Butterfly Wing, Bone Meal, Canis Root, Crimson Nirnroot,Cyrodilic Spadetail, Giant's Toe, Jarrin Root, Nirnroot, Rock Warbler Egg,Spider Egg
Damage Stamina Regeneration	Creep Cluster, Daedra Heart, Frost Mirriam, Giant's Toe, Histcarp, Juniper Berries, Large Antlers, Silverside Perch, Skeever Tail, Wheat
Fear	Blue Dartwing, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Daedra Heart, Namira's Rot, Powdered Mammoth Tusk
Fortify Alteration	Grass Pod, River Betty, Spriggan Sap
Fortify Barter	Butterfly Wing, Dragon's Tongue, Hagraven Claw, Tundra Cotton
Fortify Block	Bleeding Crown, Briar Heart, Honeycomb, Pearl, Slaughterfish Scales, Tundra Cotton
Fortify Carry Weight	Creep Cluster, Giant's Toe, Hawk Beak, River Betty, Scaly Pholiata, Wisp Wrappings
Fortify Conjuration	Berit's Ashes, Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, Bone Meal, Frost Salts, Hagraven Feathers, Lavender
Fortify Destruction	Beehive Husk, Ectoplasm, Glow Dust, Glowing Mushroom, Nightshade, Wisp Wrappings
Fortify Enchanting	Blue Butterfly Wing, Hagraven Claw, Snowberries, Spriggan Sap
Fortify Health	Bear Claws, Blue Mountain Flower, Giant's Toe, Glowing Mushroom, Hanging Moss, Wheat
Fortify Heavy Armor	Ice Wraith Teeth, Sabre Cat Tooth, Slaughterfish Scales, Thistle Branch, White Cap
Fortify Illusion	Dragon's Tongue, Dwarven Oil, Mora Tapinella, Scaly Pholiata, Taproot
Fortify Light Armor	Beehive Husk, Hawk Feathers, Honeycomb, Luna Moth Wing, Skeever Tail
Fortify Lockpicking	Falmer Ear, Namira's Rot, Pine Thrush Egg, Spider Egg
Fortify Magicka	Briar Heart, Ectoplasm, Histcarp, Jazbay Grapes, Red Mountain Flower,Tundra Cotton, Void Salts
Fortify Marksman	Canis Root, Elves Ear, Juniper Berries, Spider Egg
Fortify One-Handed	Bear Claws, Canis Root, Hanging Moss, Hawk Feathers, Rock Warbler Egg,Small Pearl
Fortify Pickpocket	Blue Dartwing, Nordic Barnacle, Orange Dartwing, Slaughterfish Egg
Fortify Restoration	Abecean Longfin, Cyrodilic Spadetail, Salt Pile, Small Antlers, Small Pearl
Fortify Smithing	Blisterwort, Glowing Mushroom, Sabre Cat Tooth, Spriggan Sap
Fortify Sneak	Abecean Longfin, Beehive Husk, Frost Mirriam, Hawk Feathers, Human Flesh,Powdered Mammoth Tusk, Purple Mountain Flower
Fortify Stamina	Chaurus Eggs, Garlic, Large Antlers, Lavender, Slaughterfish Egg, Torchbug Thorax
Fortify Two-handed	Dragon's Tongue, Fly Amanita, Troll Fat
Frenzy	Blisterwort, Falmer Ear, Fly Amanita, Hagraven Feathers, Human Heart, Troll Fat
Invisibility	Chaurus Eggs, Crimson Nirnroot, Ice Wraith Teeth, Luna Moth Wing, Nirnroot,Vampire Dust
Lingering Damage Health	Imp Stool, Mora Tapinella, Orange Dartwing, Slaughterfish Egg, Slaughterfish Scales
Lingering Damage Magicka	Hagraven Claw, Purple Mountain Flower, Swamp Fungal Pod, Torchbug Thorax, Wheat
Lingering Damage Stamina	Butterfly Wing, Chicken's Egg, Nightshade, Small Antlers
Paralysis	Briar Heart, Canis Root, Human Flesh, Imp Stool, Swamp Fungal Pod
Ravage Health	Cyrodilic Spadetail, Eye of Sabre Cat, Giant Lichen, Jazbay Grapes, Silverside Perch, Skeever Tail
Ravage Magicka	Frost Mirriam, Grass Pod, Lavender, Orange Dartwing, Red Mountain Flower,White Cap
Ravage Stamina	Bee, Bone Meal, Deathbell, Honeycomb, Thistle Branch
Regenerate Health	Garlic, Juniper Berries, Luna Moth Wing, Namira's Rot, Nordic Barnacle,Vampire Dust
Regenerate Magicka	Dwarven Oil, Fire Salts, Garlic, Jazbay Grapes, Moon Sugar, Salt Pile, Taproot
Regenerate Stamina	Bee, Fly Amanita, Mora Tapinella, Scaly Pholiata
Resist Fire	Bone Meal, Dragon's Tongue, Elves Ear, Fire Salts, Fly Amanita, Mudcrab Chitin, Snowberries
Resist Frost	Frost Mirriam, Frost Salts, Hawk Beak, Moon Sugar, Purple Mountain Flower,Silverside Perch, Slaughterfish Scales, Small Pearl, Snowberries, Thistle Branch
Resist Magic	Bleeding Crown, Chicken's Egg, Crimson Nirnroot, Hagraven Claw, Lavender,Nirnroot, Tundra Cotton, Void Salts, Wisp Wrappings
Resist Poison	Beehive Husk, Charred Skeever Hide, Falmer Ear, Garlic, Grass Pod, Mudcrab Chitin, Slaughterfish Egg, Thistle Branch, Troll Fat
Resist Shock	Blue Dartwing, Glow Dust, Glowing Mushroom, Hawk Beak, Pearl, Pine Thrush Egg, Snowberries, Swamp Fungal Pod
Restore Health	Blisterwort, Blue Dartwing, Blue Mountain Flower, Butterfly Wing, Charred Skeever Hide, Daedra Heart, Eye of Sabre Cat, Imp Stool, Rock Warbler Egg,Swamp Fungal Pod, Wheat
Restore Magicka	Briar Heart, Creep Cluster, Dwarven Oil, Ectoplasm, Elves Ear, Fire Salts,Frost Salts, Giant Lichen, Grass Pod, Human Flesh, Moon Sugar, Mora Tapinella, Pearl, Red Mountain Flower, Taproot, Vampire Dust, White Cap
Restore Stamina	Bear Claws, Bee, Charred Skeever Hide, Eye of Sabre Cat, Hawk Beak,Histcarp, Honeycomb, Large Antlers, Mudcrab Chitin, Orange Dartwing, Pearl,Pine Thrush Egg, Powdered Mammoth Tusk, Purple Mountain Flower, Sabre Cat Tooth, Silverside Perch, Small Pearl, Torchbug Thorax, Wisp Wrappings
Slow	Deathbell, Large Antlers, River Betty, Salt Pile
Waterbreathing	Chicken's Egg, Histcarp, Nordic Barnacle
Weakness to Fire	Bleeding Crown, Frost Salts, Ice Wraith Teeth, Juniper Berries, Moon Sugar,Powdered Mammoth Tusk
Weakness to Frost	Abecean Longfin, Elves Ear, Fire Salts, Ice Wraith Teeth, White Cap
Weakness to Magic	Creep Cluster, Dwarven Oil, Jazbay Grapes, Rock Warbler Egg, Salt Pile,Scaly Pholiata, Taproot, Torchbug Thorax
Weakness to Poison	Abecean Longfin, Bleeding Crown, Chaurus Eggs, Deathbell, Giant Lichen,Pine Thrush Egg, Sabre Cat Tooth, Small Antlers
Weakness to Shock	Bee, Giant Lichen, Hagraven Feathers, Void Salts