Guns, Cars, and Tech

Author: wizardpc

  • But they told me that wouldn’t happen

    Headline: Man robs victims at gunpoint in Nashville parks

    Lede:

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. –
    A convicted felon spent Saturday morning robbing people in Cedar Hill and Shelby Parks in Nashville and Madison.

    In 2009, Tennessee made it legal to carry a concealed weapon in any state or local park, unless the local government that controlled the park proactively re-banned it. Something like 97% of state and local parks are legal to carry in now, but Nashville is one of the places that immediately acted to ban carry permit holders from carrying in Metro Nashville Parks.

    So–clearly–the reporter, police, and victims all got it wrong. There is NO WAY that a serious criminal would risk a $500 fine-only misdemeanor by committing at least seven 5-year felonies in a park where he knows his victims are unarmed. Then-councilman Sam Coleman told me so!

  • Tin Foil Hat Time!

    The head of the Colorado Corrections Department was assassinated at his home last night.

    First thought? This is related to the magazine ban somehow.

    Upon further review? This is much more interesting.

    UPDATE: It appears the prisoner in the link above was affiliated with Anwar al-Awlaki.

    Al-Turki’s company holds the copyright to “The Lives of the Prophets,” a CD set of Islamic sermons that tell stories about Muslim prophets recorded by the U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed along with his 16-year-old son in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

  • Notes from the weekend: HOLY CRAP THAT WAS FAST Edition

    Listed the house on Friday morning. Three showings over the weekend and we’re mulling over one offer. The two that didn’t make an offer were buyer-side problems. All the realtors said the house showed really well.

    About 90% of the houses that fit our criteria are under contract. If we accept this offer, we basically have two houses to choose from. Both need work.

    I got to use the first aid kit I bought several years ago. I bought one at Target or something (very similar to this one) to keep in the car. It’s no IFAK, but it’s got some iodine, basic bandages, some band-aids, etc. I basically dug a channel out of my finger while loading some boxes into my wife’s car. Two days later, it’s still bleeding. Glad I had it. Need to make a note to buy one for her car, too.

    Getting old sucks. I somehow injured myself (to the point of barely being able to move all day yesterday)…while feeding my son yogurt.

    At our realtor’s suggestion, we moved the Tactical Dog’s crate out of the living room. Should have done that a long time ago, because for the first time since we brought her home we were able to watch an entire movie without stopping to get her to calm down. That movie? The Red Dawn Remake. My one takeaway from that movie was “wow, those actors have really good trigger discipline!” So there’s that.

    Blogging may be light.

  • Tragic Rule 2 Violation

    It’s all over the local media.

    Police are saying that this was an actual accidental shooting caused by a mechanical failure, not a negligent discharge. My suspicion is some sort of decocker failure.

    Unfortunately, there was a rule 2 violation, and the man’s 10 month old son was shot in the chest and killed.

    It’s probably a good idea to stay away from the comments sections of the news articles.

  • Fun with Headlines, 3-12-13 Edition

    Actual Headline: Dad finds loaded gun, ammo near MTSU campus
    Accurate Headline: Drunk finds Police Officer’s utility belt, complete with all equipment, in ditch.

    Actual Headline: House OKs Proposal To Cut Lawmaker Allowances
    Accurate Headline: Democrats can’t understand why Nashville Legislators shouldn’t get a hotel per diem.

    Actual Headline: Democratic lawmakers vote to replace longtime Nashville election commissioner Eddie Bryan
    Accurate Headline: Democrats fire 20 year political appointee after he votes to check the citizenship status of voters who recently immigrated

  • Notes from the weekend, Listing Edition

    We’re listing the house in a few days. Been here a touch more than three years. We’re moving a little bit closer to work and to a much better school system.

    The house we’re in now was a foreclosure, but it was in very good shape. There were a couple of things we wanted to do after we moved in, but apparently the normal process for these sort of things is this:

    1. Buy House
    2. Make list of improvements
    3. Stuff list in drawer for 3 years
    4. Start working on projects a month before you list

     

    So now we’ve got a finished fourth bedroom, new landscaping, new carpet, miscellaneous items from original construction removed, and many other things. And a storage unit, which makes me die a little inside (but we have a storage unit to declutter and make the house look bigger, so there’s that).

    And cleaning. Lots of cleaning.

    This stuff is awesome if you’ve got a vinyl-siding house. It’s got bleach in it, so wear some clothes you don’t mind destroying. Also, you’re going to need about 3x the amount you think you do. And, while it technically will reach the second story, you basically have to be standing 6 inches from the house and pointing straight up. The delivery system is such that the solution won’t be applied if the angle you’re using is too extreme AND there isn’t enough left in the bottle. So do the high parts first, and use a ladder if you can.

    Magic Erasers are basically made out of formica. Very abrasive stuff.

    Super Glue works really well to repair that diffuser you broke when you can’t figure out how to change the #$#^*ing light bulbs in the kitchen.

    Replacement diffusers are more expensive than new fixtures

    A trashcan full of roofing shingles and planters (with the dirt still in them) is really, really heavy.

    The Excursion is a Transformer. It transforms from “Minivan for Dads” into “Uhaul Box Truck” pretty easily.

    Blogging about shooting, and any actual shooting, may be delayed for a while.

  • Weaver Kaspa Scope?

    I may have mentioned that I am keeping a friend’s firearms while he is out of the country, with his explicit wish that I shoot them. One of them is a Remington 700 in .308 that has an absolutely terrible 4x scope on it. My friend will be gone until sometime in 2015, so I’m thinking about replacing the glass with something a little better.

    The big-box sports store near my house has this Weaver Kaspa 4-16X44SF Ballistic-X Scope on display, and I kind of like it:

    It’s got side-focus and a range-finding/bullet drop compensating reticle (which I can’t find much information on). The windage and elevation are finger-adjustable once you remove the caps, making it functionally like this one, but less “I bought this because it looks all tactical and stuff.”

    Anybody got one? Should I run far, far away? The display model in-store is clear and easy to use, but will it hold up to .308? Save my money and get a “real” scope later?

    My priority this year is optics for the rifles I have, and this one is inexpensive enough that I’m tempted to go ahead and get it for the loaned one.

  • Since no one told ME, here’s a Public Service Announcement

    Rachel Lucas is blogging again.

    She switched to Twitter-only there for a while, and I don’t get Twitter so I was deprived of her wit for a year or so. Glad to see she’s back (and that she has a precious mutt).

  • Scorecards: Dick “Dick” Durbin Edition

    Bush Justice Department authorization to use waterboarding on a foreign terrorist in a foreign country: “Shameful”

    Obama Justice Department authorization to use drone strikes on Americans in America: That’s probably okay. Let’s not talk about it right now.

  • Dishonest marketing from TDS Telecom

    TDS Telecom has been trying desperately to get in to the Nashville market. They are directly and aggressively competing with Comcast (whose customer service practices come from depths of Hell) and AT&T (who still think a land line is required for anything).

    My mother has TDS service and is quite pleased with it. Fiber Optic straight to her new house. It’s pretty neat and uber-geeky. We’re hopefully moving soon and I was planning on giving them a chance.

    Was.

    After several months of throwing their mailers in the trash after briefly looking at them, I got this:

    image

    WTF? Why am I getting something from the BILLING office for TDS? I’ve never had service with them, ever. It’s addressed to me, so it’s not a delivery problem. Did someone steal my identity? WHAT IS THIS!?!?

    image

    Oh. It’s more promotional material.

    Screw you guys.

    Advertisements don’t come from the billing department. Bills come from the billing department, and not addressing bills you didn’t sign up for can have serious consequences. Which, I guess, was the point.

    If you’re going to LIE to me when you’re trying to win my business, how badly are you going to treat me once you’ve already acquired me?