If programming languages were weapons. This won’t make much sense to you unless you are a computer programmer and a gun nut.
Police car stolen on Mugme Street
The story includes dash cam footage from both the stolen police car and the pursuit car:
Shortly after noon, officers were investigating a disturbance at 3rd Avenue and Pike Street when the suspect suddenly jumped into a running patrol car and drove away southbound. After a brief pursuit, the suspect stopped and surrendered to officers at 3rd and Marion.
Of course it was on Mugme Street in Seattle.
Quote of the day—LWYRUP
Canada should really ease the laws about guns so that more people can have them and eventually kill each other with them.
LWYRUP
April 14, 2015
Comment to Supreme Court strikes down mandatory minimum sentences for gun possession
[Why are anti-gun people so violent?
Oh yeah! Now I remember. It’s because it’s in their nature.—Joe]
Mugme street news
Why am I not surprised this took place near 3rd and Pine in Seattle?
Officers Matthew Newsome and Britt Kelly were patrolling near 3rd and Pine yesterday around 10 p.m. when they spotted a wanted person walking towards 2nd Avenue. Officers Kelly and Newsome caught up to the 23-year-old suspect in the 100 block of Pine and placed him under arrest.
Officer Newsome searched the suspect and found 108 baggies of heroin, 2.7 grams of crack cocaine and $338 dollars.
Oh! That’s right. This is what Barb calls Mugme Street. I’m so glad I don’t work near there anymore.
Have your lawyer question everything
I agree with Professor Reynolds. Prosecutor conduct like this should carry the death penalty:
the California Court of Appeal reveals that state prosecutors and California Attorney General Kamala Harris continue to be part of the problem. Kern County prosecutor Robert Murray committed “outrageous government misconduct.” Ms. Harris and her staff defended the indefensible—California State prosecutor Murray flat out falsified a transcript of a defendant’s confession.
Kern County prosecutor Robert Murray added two lines of transcript to “evidence” that the defendant confessed to an even more egregious offense than that with which he had been charged—the already hideous offense of molesting a child. With the two sentences that state’s attorney Murray perjuriously added, Murray was able to threaten charges that carried a term of life in prison.
My view on this sort of thing is that if they aren’t going to play by the rules and are not punished by breaking the rules then their opposition is under no obligation to play by the rules either. It’s game on.
We really don’t want to go there but I don’t see an alternative.
Marysville Monster Match
This was a “USPSA like” match I shot in last Sunday. The shooting part was by USPSA rules but the stage designs were NOT! Stages had from 40 to 60 rounds. This was the 60 round stage:
Here is a 59 round stage:
I didn’t do all that well at this match. I made a fair number of mistakes. I overlooked one target. I failed to shoot another target twice, and I had far too many misses on the all steel stage. I also started one stage, stage 5 which I don’t have video of, with a magazine that was only about half full.
It was fun though. There weren’t any no-shoots. There wasn’t any hard cover. There weren’t any disappearing targets. There was just a lot of trigger pulling, reloading and of course fun.
Overall I placed 44th out of 83. In Limited Division I was 25th out 41. Other results things such as individual stage results can be found here.
My shooter point of view video:
Loke was in my squad and has his own video and commentary on the match. His video, and of course his shooting (he came in second overall) is far better than mine:
Alpaca farm
Daughter Xenia and I went to an alpaca farm today. Here are some of the pictures:
The two pictures below were taken at the same time. The one on the left by Xenia and the one on the right by me:
They have a variety of colors and some enjoy having their neck scratched (neck scratch photo by Xenia):
They have some very odd (to me) toes:
They are raised primarily for their fiber. It has some interesting characteristics (from Wikipedia):
Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States.
…
Alpaca fleece is a lustrous and silky natural fiber. While similar to sheep’s wool, it is warmer, not prickly, and bears no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. Without lanolin, it does not repel water. It is also soft and luxurious. In physical structure, alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy. The preparing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing process of alpaca is very similar to the process used for wool. Alpaca fiber is also flame-resistant, and meets the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s standards.
Flame-resistant? Wow.
We saw people carding, spinning, and weaving the fiber:
Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years and I found them to be far more interesting than I expected.
Quote of the day—esquire2
Hillary could become the 1st Woman POTUS serving from INSIDE a federal prison … The DNC can still get her elected.
esquire2
August 30, 2015
Comment to Hillary Clinton vows to be gun-control president
[I had to think about this for a bit.
Hmm… That’s probably true. Not particularly likely. But I think it is possible.
More likely is that there is more than enough evidence available such that the general public know it would convict any ordinary citizen and keep them in prison for a long time. But Ms. Clinton will get a pass because the law only applies to the little people. She then gets elected while laughing off the felony charges.
Even more likely is that she isn’t elected and nothing happens in regards to all the crimes she has committed.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Averett Jones
Now, society has the right and obligation to insist that each of us does not interfere with the rights of others. But rights are different from preferences. You have the right not to be injured personally or financially by anyone. BUT you do not have the right not to have your feelings hurt since you and you alone can determine what hurts your feelings.
You do not have the right to live in a risk free society where everyone else adjusts their rights to suit you.
You do not have the right to live in a society where everyone agrees with you and nothing you see or hear offends your tender sensibilities.
Your rights end where mine began.
Averett Jones
September 24, 2015
Gun Control vs. People Control
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
Core sand
In restoring a couple of late nineteenth century cider mills, I’ve had to reproduce a number of iron castings. To produce a hollow space, or a flange, as part of a casting, a hardened sand “core” is placed inside the mold cavity.
A mold that uses one or more cores is a “core mold” and the form used to produce the core is a “core box”. There are different types of cores, but the sodium silicate or “water glass” core sands were very common at one time, and are still used. You just need a source of CO2 to harden the sand, and you see my make-shift CO2 generator in the background. It uses soda and vinegar. It’s what I had on-hand.
Core boxes, cores and a makeshift CO2 generator.
The sand is mixed with about six percent by weight of sodium silicate, which acts as a binder. That makes a slightly “wet” sand that can be packed into the core box. Carbon dioxide is then pushed through the sand under pressure, it reacts with the sodium silicate and hardens it in seconds, resulting in what you might call a form of concrete. The now rigid core is placed in the sand mold, the mold is closed and the hot iron poured in. Once it cools the new part is shaken out of the sand, and the cores are readily broken out from inside the part.
In this case I’m making new bearings to support one of the rollers in the mill’s grinder box. I had a new restoration up and running last season, only to break that bearing because I’m an idiot and used an oak stick as a stomper to push some apples down into the machine. Oak; bad. It jammed the roller and the running, 40 pound flywheel popped the bearing in two. POW! We’ll see in a few days whether this new bearing works out.
Foundry is awesome.
Quote of the day—dittybopper
I find the idea that we should extend the same protections we give to game species to prevent them from becoming extinct to criminals and tyrants oddly curious.
dittybopper
September 23, 2015
Comment to Quote of the day—Shannyn Moore
[This was in reference to Moore denigrating the use of standard capacity magazines for use in hunting.
I understand that dittybopper was being witty but that aside I don’t find it odd or curious in the slightest.
Criminals are the constituents and allies of tyrants and those who aspire to be tyrants. It naturally follows that those who desire the rule of a tyrant will, of logical necessity, desire the same or greater protections for the preservation of criminal and tyrant species as is normal for the conservation of game species.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Brief of NRA
Just as it is no answer to ban protected firearms because they might sometimes be misused by criminals, Highland Park cannot ban them because they are too good at what they are supposed to do. Broken down to its most basic function, a firearm is a tool that is designed to leverage force. And millions of Americans prefer the prohibited firearms because they more effectively leverage force due to their increased accuracy, reliability, versatility, and safety. Pet. Writ Cert. at 9-11, 19-20, 29; infra pp. 17-27. The fact that the prohibited firearms perform better cannot be a justification for their confiscation.
BRIEF OF NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC. AS AMICUS CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
August 28, 2015
[I have nothing to add.—Joe
More on tightening threads
This is a deep, serious discussion of mechanical esoterica, with implications to life in general, so if you’re not interested in mechanics or in life lessons, go back to doing your nails, watching TV or stressing over your made-up relationship drama.
If you get the clamp screws tight enough, you probably don’t need the Locktite. If you don’t get the screws tight enough, the Locktite won’t help.
Thank you for sticking it out all the way to the end of this post, though if you needed to read it, you probably didn’t, and if you didn’t need to read it, you most likely did. I’m preaching to the choir then. Still it must be said.
Quote of the day—Glenn Reynolds
Police don’t actually protect law-abiding citizens from criminals so much as they protect criminals from the much-rougher justice they’d get in the absence of a legal system.
Burglars would be hung from lampposts, and shoplifters would be beaten and tossed into the gutter if there were no police, as in fact happens in countries where there isn’t a reliable justice system and a civil-society culture that restrains vigilantism. Reminder to the criminal class: Ultimately, we’re not stuck in this country with you. You’re stuck in this country with us.
Glenn Reynolds
September 2, 2015
SEE, I LOVE RAMIREZ, BUT I THINK THIS CARTOON GETS IT EXACTLY BACKWARD
[Upon the recommendation of Ry I’m listening to the Audible.com version of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Vol. 1: The Birth of Britain and was reminded of what professor Reynolds said earlier this month (above). The native people of Britain were conquered by the Romans more than once. After the first time they waited for several years and then attacked the Roman bureaucrats, the military, and the natives who had collaborated with the Romans. In some cities, with populations of tens of thousands, they killed every man, woman, and child.
There may be lessons here for those who are in the process of conquering our country today. Just because you think you are bringing civilization to the savages doesn’t mean the “savages” appreciated it or have been “domesticated” once you have achieved your immediate goals. And ultimately you may find you’re stuck in this country with us.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Shannyn Moore
If you need a 30-round clip you’re a pretty poor hunter. If you are hoarding automatic (yes, they are legal) or semi-automatic weapons, you need Viagra.
Shannyn Moore
December 27, 2012
My Guns Are Less Regulated Than My Uterus
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday! Via an email from Weerd Beard.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Barb L.
It’s not an empty nest. It’s a dirty nest.
Barb L.
September 19, 2015
[This was after taking her last child living at home to college. The next morning she was up before 4:00 AM cleaning house.—Joe]
Shaggy Mane!
Now that we’ve gotten a little rain, the wild mushrooms are coming out in force. Shaggy Manes aren’t common at my place, but they’re common enough you might want to know about them. They’re another edible mushroom likely to be found on laws and other locations similar to the habitat for the Meadow Mushrooms we’ve been using, or on roadsides in the back country. It’s called the Shaggy Mane for obvious reason. I found this one, solitary, on my lawn about fifteen yards from a nice fruiting of Meadow Mushrooms this afternoon. You’ll find them singularly, or in small groups.
This one is fairly small. They can be twice that size. Note the tall cap hanging down from its attachment point at the top inside of the cap, and the color fringe on the gills, which turn darker with age, and eventually melt into a black liquid. These are fragile mushrooms.
Still edible, but they’re better before the cap has started to turn black at the bottom.
Eventually the cap will turn into a black goo, so use them up right away.
They’re not as good eating as the Meadow Mushrooms, but they’re more than OK, and they’re easy to identify. They don’t store well, so use them up in a day or two. Don’t over-cook or else they become watery.
See if you can find some. They’re not as easy to spot because of their camouflage-like appearance among the fall leaves. Here’s some more information.
Quote of the day—Johnathan Cohn and Nick Wing
Still more persuasive evidence on the effect of gun control comes from Australia, which — following a highly publicized mass killing in the 1990s — banned many types of weapons, introduced a more restrictive permit system, and then launched a buy-back program in which states paid gun owners for turning in weapons that the new laws made illegal. Homicide and suicide rates dropped substantially. And while the murder rates was also dropping before the laws took effect, researchers found that the decline was sharpest for the weapons declared illegal and in those states reporting the highest buyback rates.
Johnathan Cohn and Nick Wing
August 27, 2015
Gun Control Might Not Have Stopped The WDBJ Shooter. That’s Not The Point.
[No consideration whatsoever of the constitutionality of what they lust for. No consideration for the deception they promulgate. No consideration for the parallels to burning books they so vividly display. And no consideration that their facts are wrong.
Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]
Robber
There was a bank robbery here in Moscow, ID this afternoon. Somedude with a big bushy black wig, black-face makeup and loose clothing walked out with an undisclosed about of cash and got away. No story at all on how he got someone at the bank to hand over the cash, as it is reported as unknown whether was armed.
I believe it would be good bank policy to immediately open fire on anyone who attempts to rob the place, no questions asked, but that’s just me.
I wonder what this will mean for concealed carry?
A cloak of invisibility may be common in science fiction but it is not so easy in the real world. New research suggests such a device may be moving closer to reality.
Scientists said on Thursday (September 17) they have successfully tested an ultra-thin invisibility cloak made of microscopic rectangular gold blocks that, like skin, conform to the shape of an object and can render it undetectable with visible light.
The researchers said while their experiments involved cloaking a miniscule object they believe the technology could be made to conceal larger objects, with military and other possible applications.
The cloak, 80 nanometers in thickness, was wrapped around a three-dimensional object shaped with bumps and dents. The cloak’s surface rerouted light waves scattered from the object to make it invisible to optical detection.
What if you had a holster that was made with a cloak of invisibility? You could have the comfort and access of open carry with the discreetness of concealed carry.