Wyoming is apparently about to become the 4th state to adopt "constitutional carry" which allows anyone not otherwise prohibited from purchasing a gun in the first place to carry a gun concealed.
The bill has passed the legislature, and has been sent to the (Republican) governor. I'm guessing it will be signed.
Amusingly, during the debate phase, some representatives of the law enforcement community objected to it saying it would encourage dangerous people who couldn't pass a background check to begin carrying concealed firearms. Evidently in Wyoming, the felons are law-abiding enough as to refrain from carrying weapons without a permit. I knew the folks up there were a pretty hard-nosed bunch, but this exceeds my expectations.
Anyway, congratulations to the people of Wyoming. Colorado has such a bill in the legislature, but given the legislative makeup, I don't see it getting anywhere. Maybe next time.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Common Sense Gun Laws
Over at the Huffy Pest, Paul Clolery is suggesting that single-shot weapons are sufficient, and that should be the limit for the peasantry, lest high political officials get winged. He cites Alex Hamilton.
I have noted that a 105mm howitzer is a single-shot weapon, and some of you may recall my position that any weapon that can be operated by a single parson, and borne on, in, or by a half-ton pickup would also be a reasonable restriction.
Clolery concludes with:
I have noted that a 105mm howitzer is a single-shot weapon, and some of you may recall my position that any weapon that can be operated by a single parson, and borne on, in, or by a half-ton pickup would also be a reasonable restriction.
Clolery concludes with:
There have been calls to ratchet-down the rhetoric in the aftermath of the Tucson slayings. This call for polite discussion of ideas should be used as an opening to discuss gun laws and their impact on this society. If we don't seize this opportunity, the concept of a civil society will become as fanciful as a unicorn.So we may conclude that the disgusting behavior of the union thugs in Wisconsin, for example, is a result of the existence of 31-round magazines, somewhere.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Service Advisor
My daughter works as one, and tells me some fairly strange tales about the position. You are the point of contact, the face of the agency between the customer and the dealership. I can imagine some brands doing this better than others:
Mercedes-Benz: When you pull in to the agency, your car wirelessly tells the agencys computer what it needs, and by the time you roll to a stop, a liveried attendant is there to slip the work order under the wiper blade, and escort you to the waiting room for coffee and pastries. Price is not mentioned.
Japanese: A nicely dressed attendant greets Susy Soccermom, and asks the vehicles mileage so as to set up the correct XX,000 mile standard service. Asks if she would like to include tire rotation and a carwash, which costs extra.
Domestic: Joe Badwrench greets the customer and asks if he wants the deluxe service or just the regular replacement of all the visibly leaking duct tape repairs.
O.K. this isn't entirely fair, as it ignores the male customers at the Japanese place, and everybody except the low-end pickup drivers at the domestic places. Maybe later I'll be handed some insights on these.
In my defense, I currently drive a low-end domestic pickup. There is no duct tape anywhere on or in the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz: When you pull in to the agency, your car wirelessly tells the agencys computer what it needs, and by the time you roll to a stop, a liveried attendant is there to slip the work order under the wiper blade, and escort you to the waiting room for coffee and pastries. Price is not mentioned.
Japanese: A nicely dressed attendant greets Susy Soccermom, and asks the vehicles mileage so as to set up the correct XX,000 mile standard service. Asks if she would like to include tire rotation and a carwash, which costs extra.
Domestic: Joe Badwrench greets the customer and asks if he wants the deluxe service or just the regular replacement of all the visibly leaking duct tape repairs.
O.K. this isn't entirely fair, as it ignores the male customers at the Japanese place, and everybody except the low-end pickup drivers at the domestic places. Maybe later I'll be handed some insights on these.
In my defense, I currently drive a low-end domestic pickup. There is no duct tape anywhere on or in the vehicle.
The Economics of Dog Turd Polishing
Sarah Hoyt has a piece here that describes growing up and getting your primary education in Portugal. Over there, Marx is thought to be a demigod who had the whole world figured out. Alas, there were some shortcomings to his thinking, and in spite of some 100 million people being killed to make it so, it still ain't so.
The comments to the article are worth a read too. My favorite is from ManekiNeko, who visited China to look into a manufacturing center for his company. We hear all the time how evil it is that we wear sneakers made in some South Asian "sweatshop" by exploited peasants making $.50/hour. Here's the story from the point of view of that exploited peasant:
How hard do you suppose it would be in this country to find someone from, say Detroit, who took what he could fit in his car, including his family, abandoned whatever he could not fit into it, and drove to Texas in search of work?
The article is not terribly long, and is well worth the read.
The comments to the article are worth a read too. My favorite is from ManekiNeko, who visited China to look into a manufacturing center for his company. We hear all the time how evil it is that we wear sneakers made in some South Asian "sweatshop" by exploited peasants making $.50/hour. Here's the story from the point of view of that exploited peasant:
When China first opened up their economic zone in ShenZhen province (a few hours from Hong Kong), multinational businesses rushed in and set up shop for the cheap labor. The company I worked for at the time sent me to China in the early 1990's to see the facilities. I recall walking through a factory there, and stopped in the break room. There were a few workers on break, and a very large map of China on the wall. I spoke to one of their workers (via an interpreter) with the following exchange:
Me (pointing to southeastern corner of the map) "We're here, where do you come from?"
Worker (points to the upper left corner of China) "I come from a small village here."
Me: "How long was the train ride to get here?"
Worker: "No train. I walked. About two months."
Me: "Why did you walk so long and so far?"
Worker: "Wages in my village are (US equivalent $0.50/hour). Here in this factory I make (USD $2.12).
I went back to my hotel and looked up the distance between the two locations - and determined he walked the equivalent distance of Cheyenne, Wyoming to Los Angeles, CA in order to quadruple his salary.
So yes, this one individual definitely voted for industrialization with his feet.
How hard do you suppose it would be in this country to find someone from, say Detroit, who took what he could fit in his car, including his family, abandoned whatever he could not fit into it, and drove to Texas in search of work?
The article is not terribly long, and is well worth the read.
A Day At The Range
I was expecting temps to start out in the 20's and eventually creep into the low 40's, but instead got numbers some 15 degrees higher.
Now about the wind. Blowing dust, blinding dust, gritty teeth, wondering if an ultrasonic dip tank might be the ticket for gun cleaning. At one point, one of those "I wanna be a tornado when I grow up" dust devils came over the backstop, and passed directly over the explanation of the upcoming stage. One of the targets was ripped from the stand and came to earth some 400 yards away.
Other than that, a good time was had by all.
Switched the Hi Point back to the Iron sights. With dust and grit in my eyes, groups that were taller than they were wide are now wider than they are tall. The barrel burnishing doesn't seem to have accomplished much. Next up: A trigger job.
Now about the wind. Blowing dust, blinding dust, gritty teeth, wondering if an ultrasonic dip tank might be the ticket for gun cleaning. At one point, one of those "I wanna be a tornado when I grow up" dust devils came over the backstop, and passed directly over the explanation of the upcoming stage. One of the targets was ripped from the stand and came to earth some 400 yards away.
Other than that, a good time was had by all.
Switched the Hi Point back to the Iron sights. With dust and grit in my eyes, groups that were taller than they were wide are now wider than they are tall. The barrel burnishing doesn't seem to have accomplished much. Next up: A trigger job.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Quote of the Day
H/T to Taranto for this headline:
"John McCain Ranked Most Conservative Senator in 2010"--headline, CBSNews.com, Feb. 24One assumes they mean the most conservative Democrat senator.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Flash Mobs
These things have popped up in the news a couple of times in the last couple of months, when large numbers of people, unified by an electronic summons / twitter / whatever, all descend on a single location to do something artsy. then leave to see if they made the news.
The government has noticed, and has a contract out to develop software to create a new kind of "flash mob" that may only exist on a flash drive somewhere. The thinking is that by creating realistic interactions between virtual people, the real ones can be led in the right direction.
I can see this working. 4 or 5 "alpha" twitterers put out messages endorsing some government policy, and the "beta" personalities fall into step behind, and the easily let real people, whom we'll call "twits", join the groupthink.
In a less benign environment, the "alphas" might call for a protest against the government at a specific time and place, the "betas" respond enthusiastically, and the police are waiting to pick up the "twits". Of course this can backfire when 250,000 "twits" show up with the local equivalent of ball bats.
Next killer app: Software to identify the virtual people.
The government has noticed, and has a contract out to develop software to create a new kind of "flash mob" that may only exist on a flash drive somewhere. The thinking is that by creating realistic interactions between virtual people, the real ones can be led in the right direction.
I can see this working. 4 or 5 "alpha" twitterers put out messages endorsing some government policy, and the "beta" personalities fall into step behind, and the easily let real people, whom we'll call "twits", join the groupthink.
In a less benign environment, the "alphas" might call for a protest against the government at a specific time and place, the "betas" respond enthusiastically, and the police are waiting to pick up the "twits". Of course this can backfire when 250,000 "twits" show up with the local equivalent of ball bats.
Next killer app: Software to identify the virtual people.
Quote of the Day
The situation in Wisconsin is deteriorating to the point that any day now I expect to hear that the president has requested hudna with Governor Walker. Hudna is an Arabic word that describes what some people will tell you is a truce. In reality, the truth is a bit more complex. Imagine that two people or groups have been exchanging gunfire for some time, and one side is getting the worst of it. The weaker side will request a hudna.
Request For Hudna
Most esteemed enemy:
We have been exchanging fire for some time now, and I am badly wounded and low on ammunition. In the name of Allah, the merciful and benevolent, I request that you cease shooting back at me while I seek medical attention and additional ammunition.
In western society this is known as an offer to compromise.
Request For Hudna
Most esteemed enemy:
We have been exchanging fire for some time now, and I am badly wounded and low on ammunition. In the name of Allah, the merciful and benevolent, I request that you cease shooting back at me while I seek medical attention and additional ammunition.
In western society this is known as an offer to compromise.
I could get to like 'ol Grover.“Bipartisanship is another term of date rape. I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”
Grover Norquist, the Sid Vicious of the GOP
The Future (?) of Transportation
Actually this looks more like something that came and went fairly quickly, and no, that's not a comment on its speed.
Definitely a work in progress, although the ad says it has some 2000 miles on it, a coat of gloss black, and some polished brass trim and you're ready for the local steam punk convention.
Definitely a work in progress, although the ad says it has some 2000 miles on it, a coat of gloss black, and some polished brass trim and you're ready for the local steam punk convention.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
In Search Of Accuracy 2
So I got out to the range with the Hi-Point, and went through the barrel lapping procedure. Using Dave Tubbs bullets, I set out some 9 targets made from paper plates with a cross drawn on them with one of those markers the taggers find so handy. The procedure here is to work your way through 50 bullets in 5 sets of 10, each set being a finer abrasive than the one before it. Thorough cleaning is recommended between each group of 10, as well as a very slow rate of fire to avoid heating the barrel.
First off, I shot a baseline target using my own 155gr hand loads. Let me suggest that everything I said about the sight rail on the Hi Point carbine seems to be borne out as I could only get two of five shots onto the first plate at 50 yards. The gun needs a 4X scope that will mount all the way back on the rail where there's some actual support. It shoots way better than this with the iron sights it came with.
Next item is to note that the gun really likes the 180 grain bullets I got from Tubbs. Moving from one target to the next as I went from one set of bullets to the next produced reliable groups of about 2 inches. I forgot my chrony, of course, so I have no velocity data for the 180s but I seem to remember shooting some Wally World 180s and getting 1150-1200 fps. Recoil is noticeably less with the heavier bullets.
Tubbs says that you will notice the improvements as you go in the form of a shinier barrel bore, and easier passage of the bore brush down the barrel. He's absolutely right.
Following the regimen with the lapping, I tried once more with my hand loads. Once bitten, twice shy, I did this at 25 yards. Harsher recoil and all, the first 3 shots grouped under 1 inch. #4 flew wide, and the remaining six grouped about 3 inches below the first four. Did I mention that the sight rail on the Hi Point is structurally very similar to the diving board at the public swimming pool?
I did get some chrony info using another members chrony afterward. My bullets now run some 15 fps faster than before the lapping at about 1365 fps.
Further testing is indicated using a sight that doesn't rely so much on the relatively unsupported front end of the rail. One of those very short 4X "tactical" (black) jobs intended for a shotgun or an AR would seem to be called for. Maybe the Barska red dot, which by now has seen service on half the guns I've got.
First off, I shot a baseline target using my own 155gr hand loads. Let me suggest that everything I said about the sight rail on the Hi Point carbine seems to be borne out as I could only get two of five shots onto the first plate at 50 yards. The gun needs a 4X scope that will mount all the way back on the rail where there's some actual support. It shoots way better than this with the iron sights it came with.
Next item is to note that the gun really likes the 180 grain bullets I got from Tubbs. Moving from one target to the next as I went from one set of bullets to the next produced reliable groups of about 2 inches. I forgot my chrony, of course, so I have no velocity data for the 180s but I seem to remember shooting some Wally World 180s and getting 1150-1200 fps. Recoil is noticeably less with the heavier bullets.
Tubbs says that you will notice the improvements as you go in the form of a shinier barrel bore, and easier passage of the bore brush down the barrel. He's absolutely right.
Following the regimen with the lapping, I tried once more with my hand loads. Once bitten, twice shy, I did this at 25 yards. Harsher recoil and all, the first 3 shots grouped under 1 inch. #4 flew wide, and the remaining six grouped about 3 inches below the first four. Did I mention that the sight rail on the Hi Point is structurally very similar to the diving board at the public swimming pool?
I did get some chrony info using another members chrony afterward. My bullets now run some 15 fps faster than before the lapping at about 1365 fps.
Further testing is indicated using a sight that doesn't rely so much on the relatively unsupported front end of the rail. One of those very short 4X "tactical" (black) jobs intended for a shotgun or an AR would seem to be called for. Maybe the Barska red dot, which by now has seen service on half the guns I've got.
Friday, February 18, 2011
2012 Elections
Right Wing News has a survey of conservative bloggers up on the topic of presidential candidates. Somehow I didn't get included in the survey, which explains why Attilla the Hun didn't get any votes.
Interesting to note, of the top ten vote getters, we have 7 governors, 1 representative, 1 businessman, and 1 career diplomat.
I find this encouraging in that the field is heavily weighted in favor of people with actual executive experience. Of course what 63 bloggers want means little enough, even counting their readers as supporters to some degree. If I were a complete cynic, I'd tell you that Mitt Romney will be the party nominee, and the game is over based on the Republican tactic of nominating the guy who finished second behind the fellow they nominated the last time. Depressing, but over the last 50 years or so, a reliable predictor.
Interesting to note, of the top ten vote getters, we have 7 governors, 1 representative, 1 businessman, and 1 career diplomat.
I find this encouraging in that the field is heavily weighted in favor of people with actual executive experience. Of course what 63 bloggers want means little enough, even counting their readers as supporters to some degree. If I were a complete cynic, I'd tell you that Mitt Romney will be the party nominee, and the game is over based on the Republican tactic of nominating the guy who finished second behind the fellow they nominated the last time. Depressing, but over the last 50 years or so, a reliable predictor.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Mad Science
At its best. This fellow deserves a DMSC Peabody Award for extremely clever thinking for designing a clock that catches flies and other insects, and converts the bodies to the energy required to run the clock.
Thinking bigger, at one time I had the conversion factors that allowed you to figure out how many hippies it took to produce the energy equivalent of one barrel of oil. One of my hippie (ex) friends took this personally, and accused me of being a socialist*, this being the worst insult he could come up with.
The thought processes of the left surpasseth all comprehension.
*The German National Socialist Workers Party, specifically.
Thinking bigger, at one time I had the conversion factors that allowed you to figure out how many hippies it took to produce the energy equivalent of one barrel of oil. One of my hippie (ex) friends took this personally, and accused me of being a socialist*, this being the worst insult he could come up with.
The thought processes of the left surpasseth all comprehension.
*The German National Socialist Workers Party, specifically.
Castle Doctrine
In the isles where Great Britain used to be:
Residents in Surrey and Kent villages have been ordered by police to remove wire mesh from their windows as burglars could be injured.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Contagion Spreads
Iran in flames.
Rioting wide spread.
Obama on golf course.
Clapper assures Iranian administration "peaceful and generally secular".
Good luck to the Iranian people. You are, unfortunately, on your own.
Rioting wide spread.
Obama on golf course.
Clapper assures Iranian administration "peaceful and generally secular".
Good luck to the Iranian people. You are, unfortunately, on your own.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
What Do Women Want?
Forget it. There are things that man was not meant to know, and that's right up there at the top of the list.
Way back when wearing animal skins was just becoming fashionable, men quickly learned that the best response to the question "Does this bear skin make my butt look fat?" was to quickly stuff a chunk of mastodon meat into your mouth and smile while mumbling unintelligibly. This would allow his woman to assume he had said whatever she wanted to hear, and not begin beating him with his own club.
Today, some women have discovered a supplement to chicken feed.
Way back when wearing animal skins was just becoming fashionable, men quickly learned that the best response to the question "Does this bear skin make my butt look fat?" was to quickly stuff a chunk of mastodon meat into your mouth and smile while mumbling unintelligibly. This would allow his woman to assume he had said whatever she wanted to hear, and not begin beating him with his own club.
Today, some women have discovered a supplement to chicken feed.
Normally reducing the thighs, hips, and bottoms is a multi-billion dollar business, at least in the West, but who knew there were parts of England where malnutrition was so endemic that this sort of thing might become popular. In places like this, the answer to the question "Do these pills make my butt look big?" might well be "Yes", but given the vagueries of the fair sex, I still recommend the mastodon meat gambit.Originally they were used by farmers to bulk up chickens - but it was discovered that when taken by women they enhance the size of thighs, hips and bottom.
Now scores of online sites are also offering "herbal" versions of the tablets with names like Star Curves, Big Beautiful Butt Formula, and Brand New Booty pills.
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