tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106232352024-03-07T09:02:13.972-05:00All-is-WellPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comBlogger643125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-69650505727497242292019-02-28T21:18:00.000-05:002019-02-28T21:18:42.366-05:002 so far.In which I update the title of this post to reflect the number of woke women I know <span class="_mh6 _wsc" id="cch_f37b655aaef444a"><span class="_3oh- _58nk"><span>who have shared that twitter thread where a woman explains men's fashion history to men while aggressively talking down to us.</span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-6063119205860321692018-09-22T10:59:00.001-04:002018-09-22T10:59:09.309-04:00I can't control how failure makes me feel.<br />
<br />
I can't control how mistreatment makes me feel.<br />
<br />
I can't control how being taken for granted makes me feel.<br />
<br />
But I can control how I respond.<br />
<br />
Inhale. Exhale. <div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-78491791517618395552018-04-10T22:37:00.002-04:002018-04-10T22:41:05.394-04:00Do you like Apples?<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="ec336" data-offset-key="csnmk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="csnmk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="56tk2-0-0"><span data-text="true">So, many Blues dancers in the national scene, it would appear, still feel justified thinking we're somehow handicapped by our choices and the community value we place on transformative, low-authenticity, (often melodic) dances ...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="7aapb-0-0"><span data-text="true">I say that because in a conversation about how important the ability to dance to rhythm is, I got told this, a couple of days ago.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="96u9g-0-0"><span data-text="true">"a lot of the "fusion" aesthetic is etherial [sic], not really paying attention to rhythm, not setting a base rhythm of movement, and that has then infiltrated other dance communities."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="6grli-0-0"><span data-text="true">(It's worth noting that the person who made that statement didn't attend fusion dances. They just felt they were qualified to speak authoritatively about us. Also notable is the fact that in a thread full of other skilled blues dancers, including many who dance fusion, no-one stood up to that person and told them they were talking out of their ass--because this myth is widespread and pervasive.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ce5p-0-0"><span data-text="true">That comment was brought on as part of a conversation praising the caliber of top-tier blues dancing happening at BS2018, (aka "BluesShout!" but I like to use the acronym, obviously).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ce5p-0-0"><span data-text="true">aaaand I just heard that one of the coolest Fusion organizers and teachers I know walked off with 1st in the M&M competition at BS this weekend.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ce5p-0-0"><span data-text="true">... </span></span><span data-offset-key="dh98v-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="dh98v-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="1qq8a-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hey snobs in the blues community: Do you like apples?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="cttrc-0-0"><span data-text="true">Cause one of us just won your mix & match.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="cttrc-0-0"><span data-text="true">How bout them apples?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="cttrc-0-0"><span data-text="true">đđđđđ </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-6074501249669659092017-07-04T11:37:00.001-04:002017-07-04T13:40:04.286-04:00Photography Dancing verses Snapshot Dancing.I had an art teacher who liked to say "Pictures can be photographs or snapshots. The difference is that a photograph has artistic merit and matters to the viewer, even if they don't know the subject personally. A snapshot only matters if you know the people in the picture. There's nothing wrong with snapshots! But you're here to learn photography."<br />
<br />
We might have been there to learn photography, but a lot of the people in the class spent the first several weeks just learning how their camera (and light) worked, and only a few of us were, by the end of the semester, capable of (occasionally!) taking a photograph--generally it was those of us that had already been hobbyists, and knew what the controls of our camera were meant to do, even if we weren't particularly good at applying them.<br />
<br />
So people spent some time learning how cameras worked, and what the controls did, and how light interacted with their cameras--and something about how to relate to their subject in terms of composition. <br />
<br />
I believe dancing is kinda like that.<br />
<br />
Genre dances (dance styles that have some level of codification due to evolving out of generations of dancers all choosing to dance to the same genre of music), when done well, have meaning to anyone that knows that dance genre, and, as you progress in skill, even start to matter to people who don't know how to dance at all.<br />
<br />
They generally have a strong, well-defined aesthetic, and if I take a couple of dancers that are masters of Salsa and put them on a dance floor with nine other couples who love to dance but have no idea what they are doing, the outside observer is going to choose to watch the masters, unless they know one of the other couples personally. The dancers in the room who know salsa are also going to make a mental note to ask those two people to dance.<br />
<br />
Fusion dancing (what I spend most of my time thinking about, teaching, and doing, when there's music on) often lacks that meaningful-to-the-outside-observer element.<br />
<br />
Why? Because much of my study and teaching is the equivalent of your first camera class.<br />
<br />
Not your first "photography" class.<br />
<br />
Your first camera class.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I'm mostly teaching things people don't learn as they grow up about dancing--especially if they don't come from dancing families.<br />
<br />
For the photographer, these equate to : "Here's what the aperture control does. Here's how to put your model at ease. Here's how to angle your face to get the picture you want as a model. Here's how to adjust the light so you get the right level of Bokeh. Here's how to recognize when you are backlit and move."<br />
<br />
Not "here's how to take a good landscape photograph." Not even "Here's how to compose a shot of a person." This is far more basic stuff than that.<br />
<br />
Often, genre dance instruction, in an effort to maximize the ability of the student to do a <b>very</b> specific type of photography well, skips over all that basic stuff.<br />
<br />
At its worst, it says "Here's a table with fruit on it(partner). Stand here(frame). Turn on this light(music). Set your shutter speed to 1/125 and your F-stop to 8(steps). Take the photo(You're Dancing!)."<br />
<br />
And a person who doesn't know what camera controls do, but knows what they are, could do all those things. And the photograph they take might be excellent.<br />
<br />
But they won't know<b> why</b> they were able to generate an excellent picture that way, even if they can recognize it as excellent or looking at it feels right.<br />
<br />
It's not that genre dances don't expect you to figure it out! It is just that many of them seem to rely on time to supply that knowledge of why. They have the person take thousands of pictures and let the patterns blossom in the person's mind through repetition and "this is just how we do it here." classes.<br />
<br />
And lots (maybe all) advanced dancers eventually "get" dancing at some innate level, even if they never realize what it is they've "gotten." Most (good) dance teachers try to seed their genre classes with arrows that will point you towards the "why" so that you discover it for yourself faster.<br />
<br />
But the fusion approach is "here's how your camera(body) works. Here's how you can change your body to relate to light(music). Here's how you can relate to your subject(dance partner connection) in ways that will improve the picture."<br />
<br />
And that's huge for a lot of people. It brings me great joy to help a person understand what dancing should feel like, and then let them seek more codified instruction in genre dances when they want to refine or hone certain aesthetic elements of their dancing.<br />
<br />
And then things get interesting.<br />
<br />
We've all got a camera, these days, right?<br />
<br />
How many of us take pictures that matter to strangers? How many of us take photographs?<br />
<br />
The majority of us don't. At least, not often. Most of us have Instagram followers we know personally (and that one weird dude from Istanbul that loves our pictures of Tea kettles? Why did we hashtag that with #imalittleteapot? Who knows).<br />
<br />
I digress. We send snapchats to lovers and friends and aunts. We take a picture of the family for the Christmas card. Knowing how the camera works helps us take better snapshots, but most people just aren't all that interested in photography. But almost everyone is interested in taking pictures.<br />
<br />
For a Real Photographer (ha!), there is a temptation to sneer at these people. We are tempted to look down our noses at people who just use their cameras to take pictures of themselves in the bathroom mirror. And even if we can always tell the difference between a person who knows good lighting and one who doesn't by scrolling through their Instagram, only some of us will say "oh, hey, that person is good with a camera, but these are all still snapshots" and move on. Otherws will get angry. Because "that's not art, and that person is just vain and why should they bother. They're so self centered. I hate people that take selfies."<br />
<br />
"It's just so masturbatory!" They'll say. Then they will justify their artistic elitism and vitriol with high-minded phrases like artistic merit and rants about "form".<br />
<br />
Fuck those people. Do I like you? Then I probably like your bathroom selfie. Do I not care about you? Then, news flash! I can keep scrolling.<br />
<br />
In the dance community, these are people who are so infuriated by the idea that a person would dance only for their partner and themselves and the moment that they will take to the internet to write furious screeds about how much they hate Fusion.<br />
<br />
Direct (hilarious, to me) quote from a total shit-storm that developed on a friend's wall after she mentioned going out Fusion Dancing: "<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">Self-expression
without form is movement masturbation. It serves a purpose, but only
for one person, and left unchecked long term, contributes to a pattern
of selfish behavior."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">These people have learned how they think all art must work, and they hate you for taking pictures that make you (and other people) happy.</span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><br /></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">They're probably miserable. And frankly, I hope they stay that way.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">And the vast majority of people that might love and enjoy dancing are never going to move past the selfie stages--and that's ok. They're going to have a good time, hopefully put a smile on their partner's face, and go home at the end of a long night of dancing happy, and maybe a little bit more fulfilled.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">Those that want to move past that, from a fusion background, have a very strong platform to work from in their study of genre dances. If they turn their gaze outward, towards a specific dance, they can push against the foundation of "why" that they have from fusion to pick up a new style and benefit from what it has to offer. </span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><br /></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">Assuming they can get past the prejudice of their genre dance teacher, that is.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">As for me? I love taking photographs. Getting a good enough picture that it counts is a meaningful, rewarding endeavour for me. But I also know that I'm only going to get there consistently if I understand the why. And all this snapshot practice will make me a better photographer in the long run.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">So I don't see fusion as a thing to hate, or a thing to suppress, or a thing to avoid. I see it as a way of embracing the core of my dancing and spreading it to other people who will enjoy it. And I see it as a way of letting myself experience just a little bit of joy in the arms of a friend.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">So if you need me, I'll be in the bathroom, taking a selfie to send to someone who will smile when she sees it.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-73785912938131910152016-07-13T05:04:00.001-04:002016-07-13T05:09:22.523-04:00Getting the Language Right: Responsible means more than just "I haven't shot anybody on accident."<div>
<div>
Most members of the gun community talk about the four rules
of gun safety a lot. Most of my pro-gun readers can rattle them off
from memory.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Treat every gun as if it is loaded.</div>
<div>
2. Never point a gun at anything you are unwilling to destroy.</div>
<div>
3. Finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.</div>
<div>
4. Always be aware of what is beyond your target.</div>
<div>
One
part of responsible gun ownership is following these rules. Teaching them early and often to every person who will ever interact
with a gun is vital--whether it's your spouse or your 10 year old that
you want to take to an Appleseed mother/daughter shoot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But there's more to it than that.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h2>
Responsible Means You Lock Up Your Shit</h2>
</div>
<div>
A buddy of mine had his house broken into a few years ago, while he was on vacation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They stole his gun collection.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Actually, that's not true. They stole most of his gun collection, except the newest gun he had purchased.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Why" you might wonder "would they leave one random handgun while stealing two other handguns and a couple of rifles?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because it was still in the box, and they didn't notice it while they were carting everything else out quickly to the car.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Where were the others?<br />
<br />
They were scattered around his home office in plain view, like a college student's maybe-still-clean-enough-to-<wbr></wbr>wear laundry.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In case you're wondering what a responsible gun owner looks like: that ain't it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He had chosen to purchase that last handgun instead of a gun safe, but was pricing gun safes and intended to pick one up "soon."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm not saying every human being who owns a gun needs a giant thousand-dollar gun safe.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's a bit of a stretch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But
if you think you're a responsible gun owner, and your guns are laying
around on random surfaces in your home like lethargic cats while you're
away all day? You're part of the problem.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Eat
some ramen, mow a couple yards, or (heaven help us!) skip your next
range day, and start saving up a little money for a gun locker. A
stack-on that will at-least inconvenience a casual burglar is $90.
That's less than the cost of three date nights at Applebee's and
the Amstar 16.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/stack-on-8-gun-steel-security-cabinet%23repChildCatid%3D1483370&source=gmail&ust=1468484259886000&usg=AFQjCNHi36-Zfzgngtt3Xoa2fDim9X508A" href="http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/stack-on-8-gun-steel-security-cabinet#repChildCatid=1483370" target="_blank">http://www.academy.com/shop/<wbr></wbr>pdp/stack-on-8-gun-steel-<wbr></wbr>security-cabinet#<wbr></wbr>repChildCatid=1483370</a><br />
<br />
And
when you leave the house in the morning? USE THE LOCKER. Don't forget
to lock it because you're running late, don't leave one of your guns
leaned up against it because you're going to clean it "later this week."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lock up your shit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h2>
Responsible Means You Don't Rely On Fate</h2>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query%3D1%2Byear%2Bold%2Bclimbing%2Bwall&source=gmail&ust=1468484259886000&usg=AFQjCNEdC-Bg7UPi3BJSRWXdoDgu7HsXCw" href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=1+year+old+climbing+wall" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/<wbr></wbr>results?search_query=1+year+<wbr></wbr>old+climbing+wall</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Go ahead, watch a few cute videos of babies.<br />
<br />
Now,
next time you hear someone say "well, I keep my gun in the top of my
closet, so it's safe from my toddler" I want you to visualize punching
that person right in their big fat stupid mouth.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Children
can't swim. They drown when left unattended around pools, and pools
claim the lives of a lot of children every year. And so we talk about: hey, maybe don't ever let your kid near a pool unattended before they
learn to swim, and maybe do something to deny unattended children access to your pool when you aren't watching it.</div>
<div>
Children climb things, and are (shockingly!) not immune to bullets.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Think your kid isn't strong enough to rack your semi-automatic pistol, or pull the trigger on your revolver?<br />
<br />
Guess what?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1) you're wrong.</div>
<div>
2) fuck you.</div>
<div>
3)
If you've spent more than 10 seconds with a first time parent, you know
that every. single. one. of. them. has a story about how their child
surprised them by being so far ahead of a physical development curve
that they were just shocked! Shocked! by how strong their little
bouncing bundle of joy was. If you're a first time parent, you've told a story about how surprised and pleased you are, I guarantee it.<br />
<br />
So, considering you clearly have no
idea how strong your child is, maybe don't rely on their lack of
strength as part of your safety plan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br /><h2>
Responsible Means You Know the Law</h2>
<br />
Or at least, knowing that you don't know.<br />
<br />
I have lived in Georgia since 2006. I have been a gun owner in Georgia since 2008.<br />
<br />
Throughout the last ten years I have heard, many times, that open carry of a loaded pistol is legal in Georgia without a license.<br />
<br />
This has not been true at all during this period.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://handgunlaw.us/">handgunlaw.us</a> has existed for at least as long as I've been carrying, as I used it when I first researched getting a carry license in 2008.<br />
<br />
You go there, you click on your state, and the server tosses you an easy-to-read pdf with all of the state gun laws for your state in it, a map of where you can use a Georgia permit to carry, and a list of all the restrictions on carrying.<br />
<br />
And the entire time I've lived here, it has been available, and it has reported, correctly, that open carry is illegal in Georgia without a permit.<br />
<br />
And I have heard intelligent, educated gun owners--guys with engineering degrees and families and security clearances--volunteer the information that open carry is legal in Georgia without a permit.<br />
<br />
Which they clearly were told by somebody, and never fact-checked for themselves.<br />
<br />
That's not responsible.<br />
<br />
If you don't know the law, don't speak up about the law. Instead of sharing your ignorance, spend that energy reading. Then speak from a position of awareness about the laws that you've personally fact-checked.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Responsible Means You're Willing to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.</h2>
<br />
<a href="http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2015/oct/05/jeremy-bird/jeremy-bird-says-90-percent-americans-want-mandato/">90% of Americans--give or take about 3 percentage points--support background checks on all gun sales.</a><br />
<br />
Even if you check just in Texas, that number is north of 75%.<br />
<br />
About a third of all Americans either own a gun, or live in a household with someone who does, so even if you imagine that every single person that doesn't support the checks owns a gun, that still means the majority of all gun owners support them, in addition to every single non-gun-owner.<br />
<br />
And yet, gun owners consistently turn out to show their disapproval of poorly worded, poorly funded, overly grasping laws aimed at mandating background checks.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Well, there's a lot of reasons that I'll be getting into in a future essay specifically about that issue.<br />
<br />
Basically, Gun owners might support the ideal, but they want it executed elegantly and carefully. They'd like it to enhance public safety without unnecessarily besmirching individual liberty. And none of the recent proposals have been the least bit elegant, or careful.<br />
<br />
But if you support the ideal, then there are places we can work within the law to improve the existing background check database (NICS) as I mentioned in my previous essay.<br />
<br />
And actively working to sabotage those systems so that you can avoid supporting new laws is not in our best interests as a nation and puts us at odds with our own admissions about what we believe should be true.<br />
<br />
So let's cut the bullshit and stop pretending that the fact that the other team is horrible is justification for being horrible ourselves.<br />
<br />
Let's start actively pulling for a well written, liberty-respecting solution to the background check problem. If we don't want to do that, then we should at least stop lying when people ask us about background checks.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<br />
So what does "responsible" mean? It is more than just knowing gun safety and giving lip service to stronger background checks.<br />
<br />
<div>
If you want to claim that you are a responsible gun owner and the government shouldn't take our guns away, first ask yourself how you're doing with the list above.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Maybe, just maybe, we "responsible gun owners" should see to the logs in our own eyes before we gripe about the splinters in Bloomberg's.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
---</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
End note:</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
Patrick! Where is your <br />
<h2>
Responsible Means You Don't Freak Out</h2>
<div>
section?!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I could lecture you about staying calm when you carry and not shooting the wrong person, but I won't. Why?</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
1) everybody likes to harp on this point, and gun owners and carriers are already browbeaten about it constantly.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
2)
it's a red herring. There are millions of Americans that carry guns
every day, and plenty of demonstrated cases of concealed carry permit
holders stopping crimes, shooting the right guy, and refusing to draw or
retreating when they didn't have good intel.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
idea that there is some trigger-happy jerk citizen out there that is
constantly ready to shoot the wrong person and is doing so on the
regular is not supported by either anecdotal evidence or statistical
data.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I won't bother chiding responsible gun owners about that because, on the whole, they're doing fine on that front.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-16772515908242261262016-06-30T10:12:00.000-04:002016-06-30T10:42:32.502-04:00Getting the Language Right : Background Checks and BalancesWe have a national background check system. The FBI is responsible for it. It is a legal requirement for every Federal Firearms License holder (FFL - aka: "gun store") use it.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, but most people just call it NICS.<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's the annual report for 2014. I'm not sure the 2015 report is out yet.<br />
<br />
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/reports/2014-operations-report<br />
<br />
Here's how it works.<br />
<br />
You go into a gun store to buy a gun. You fill out a form called a 4473.<br />
<br />
(https://www.atf.gov/file/61446/download)<br />
<br />
If a gun store sells you a gun without making you fill out a 4473, they are committing a crime.<br />
<br />
<br />
The FFL checks your valid photo ID, and puts in a request to NICS using the information you provided on the 4473.<br />
<br />
Over the next few minutes-to-few-days, one of three things happens.<br />
<br />
1) NICS responds with a "Yes" and the FFL is legally permitted to sell you the gun.<br />
<br />
2) NICS responds with a "No" and the FFL is legally obligated to cancel the sale.<br />
<br />
3) NICS responds with a "Wait" and the gun store owner waits up to 3 days for either "Yes" or "No". After those three days are over, without a response from NICS, the FFL is legally permitted to sell you the gun, at their discretion.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the first case</span>, your record, as far as NICS knows, is totally clean.<br />
<br />
This is what happened in the case of Seung-hui Cho. Legally he should have been barred from purchasing weapons from an FFL dealer since he had been declared mentally ill and faced a commitment hearing in front of a Virginia district court.<br />
<br />
NICS didn't know that, because Virginia law on mental illness reporting has a hole in it. Virginia law only requires reporting due to an involuntary commitment, and he was instead ordered to undergo outpatient treatment at that hearing. So NICS never received a notification, even though the federal law requires one.<br />
<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung-Hui_Cho#Psychiatric_evaluation<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the second case</span>, as far as NICS knows, there is something on your record--placed there as a result of a court-date of one kind or another--that bars you from owning a firearm.<br />
<br />
In the event that is an error, you can appeal to have your NICS record corrected. Which is good. People who have common names often find flaws in their records when it comes to population-spanning databases. A system of redress to reinstate access for people who deserve it is important to any just implementation of any law.<br />
<br />
Note: it is illegal to lie on a 4473, but law enforcement does not commonly follow up on this crime, for a variety of reasons. So what usually happens is the gun store says "we can't sell you this" and then the person just leaves the store, even if they knew they should be barred from owning a firearm and lied on the form hoping that NICS didn't have good records. The gun store isn't really in a position to restrain them. It's unfortunate and I'd like to see more resources put into catching these people.<br />
<br />
( https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/25.10# )<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the third case,</span> there is something about your record that NICS doesn't know and it takes them too long to find the answer, because there is a 3 day time-limit imposed by federal law (It's a clever check on federal power--it keeps the Federal government from manufacturing a useless de-facto waiting period or temporary ban by stalling all record releases for as long as they want). <br />
<br />
The result is called a "default proceed" and it's how Dylann Roof picked up the Glock pistol he used in the Charleston shooting, despite having a confession on his record that should have barred him from purchase. The record wasn't filed correctly, and the response to the request took too long to reach NICS.<br />
<br />
It takes NICS an average 25 days to get back whatever additional information they need to complete the record.<br />
<br />
So by the time NICS figures out that there is something on the books barring that purchaser from buying a firearm, it has probably already been purchased. They then send a "Firearms Retrieval Referral" to the ATF who has to go try to collect the gun.<br />
<br />
So what happens during a NICS check for one of the 100,000 people on the No-Fly list, or the 90,000 Americans on the "Terrorist Watch List"? Nothing.<br />
<br />
Those lists include many, many names erroneously. There's no judicial oversight and no pressure to remove names, or even a reasonable system for protesting your placement there.<br />
<br />
Hell, someone at the FBI could decide they don't like this essay and add my name and I would have no legal recourse to correct that.<br />
<br />
So when someone on one of those lists tries to buy a gun, NICS checks if there is any reason to keep the person from purchasing a firearm. And, because of the 5th amendment guaranteeing due process, for that reason to count--it must involve a court of law at some point.<br />
<br />
No reason? You get a "Yes" and can buy your gun.<br />
<br />
This is what the Republican bill called the "Cornyn amendment" was
going to address. It would have given the FBI a legal avenue to approach a
judge as if they were requesting a warrant as soon as the NICS request
for the purchase came in <br />
<br />
The FBI would go to the judge and say "hey, we
are in the middle of an ongoing investigation about this guy. We
believe he's dangerous, here's why. Stop this sale." and the court could exercise their judgement based on the presented evidence and write a stay. In which case NICS would have had a legal reason to
reject the sale inside of the 72 hour window even though there wasn't
anything on the person's official record.<br />
<br />
It sounds like "common sense gun law" to me. It's the law that Democrats voted against so that they could vote instead for a bill that violated due process, which I am thankful to say was voted down by Republicans.<br />
<br />
This resulted in zero forward movement on the FBI's options when facing a default proceed situation with a suspected terrorist. Because the Democrats didn't like the fact that the judicial system was going to have a check on the power of the executive branch to randomly deny the rights of American citizens. It is my believe that if you identify as Democrat, that should trouble you, immensely.<br />
<br />
Ok, back to NICS.<br />
<br />
Let's talk about the numbers, because I recently stumbled across the 2014 NICS operations report.<br />
<br />
NICS processed 21 million requests in 2014.<br />
<br />
It denied 90,000 of them.<br />
<br />
Approximately 19 million of the determinations were immediate (Less than 2 minutes before the record determination was returned to the FFL after receiving the 4473).<br />
<br />
<br />
Of the 2 million non-immediate determinations, there were 2,511 cases where they sent a Firearms Retrieval Referral to the ATF.<br />
<br />
So, overall, the system is doing pretty well on the majority of cases. But it has three big problems.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The first problem is</span>: Not all the states report everything correctly to NICS. Some records are out of date, some are just not getting sent at all. Some are cases like Virginia where the state laws and the federal laws don't line up correctly. Who knows how many more of the 19 million "Yes" responses would be "No" if the records were correct? <br />
<br />
Additional funding, guidance, and pressure from the White House (since NICS is an FBI project, which is part of the DoJ, which is a part of the executive branch) could help get the state records in line, online, and improved.<br />
<br />
Weirdly, we passed a law about this back in 2007, which Bush signed into law. It promised over a billion dollars in funding to NICS and to the states that needed to update records keeping databases.<br />
<br />
https://www.thetrace.org/2015/07/nics-background-check-congress-spending/<br />
<br />
Then we sat on the money.<br />
<br />
There's a lot of reasons we sat on the money, and they're all bad.<br />
<br />
Pro-gun-control Democrats sat on the money because they knew that their voters weren't keeping a close eye on the appropriations board decisions, so as long as they voted in favor of the law, it didn't matter whether they actually funded it or not. Republicans sat on the money once our new president took office because it didn't jive with their goals of strangling any effort run through the executive branch, no matter how legitimate.<br />
<br />
My least favorite reason is an allegation that NRA lobbied against releasing the funds so that NICS would continue to look "flawed enough" that they could argue against extending NICS to private sales. I'm against mandating a universal background check on private sales, for a lot of reasons that I'll address in a future essay, but keeping NICS handicapped in order to achieve that aim is the wrong approach. If the allegation is true, it's despicable, and the people at the NRA that hatched that plan are going to go to the special hell.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
This was the topic of that other Republican bill the Democrats voted against last week. It would have allocated more money, plus put more pressure on appropriations to release the money, and more pressure on the states to use it.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, that one failed too. Shot down by democrats because it didn't mandate universal background checks, which were shot down by Republicans.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm against Universal Background Checks.<br />
<br />
Next time I write, I'll get into what the problem is with a UBC system, and what we can do to get closer to a world where a private citizen doesn't accidentally enable a mass-murdering fuckhead.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I'd like you to take a few moments and consider whether or not these two bills that were voted down last week sound like "common sense gun law" to you.<br />
<br />
They do to me.<br />
<br />
If you're a gun-control advocate, understand that hijinks like this week are why no-one on my side of the problem believes you when you try to insist that you're in favor of "common sense gun regulation"<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-58973691371802270602016-06-22T20:56:00.000-04:002016-06-22T21:08:52.836-04:00Getting the language right: Assault What?This is going to take a minute. Please bear with me.<br /><br />Imagine you like to cook, right?<br />There are a series of house fires. And so it becomes illegal to install new gas stoves.<br />And so thirty years pass, and you have an electric range, like everybody else in America.<br />And then someone leaves a towel on his stove. In a large apartment building.<br />And the apartment building catches fire.<br />And a lot of people die.<br />And you notice that the people that don't cook seem to be pretty well convinced that everyone should just use induction cooking. And you understand why a non-cook would feel that way, but you really hope they donât get electric ranges banned, for a lot of reasons.<br />But to start the debate about switching to induction, all those people insist that it is just atrocious that all these gas ranges are causing house fires.<br /><br />"Wait" you say "look, those people shouldn't be using their electric ranges wrong, but they aren't using gas ranges. Gas ranges are banned."<br />"DO YOU WANT ANOTHER HOUSE FIRE?"<br />These people say.<br />---<br />Or perhaps you're a car enthusiast.<br />And you drive a Mazda Speed3. Now it doesn't have a stick shift because standard transmissions have been banned since there were a series of fatal accidents caused by members of the street racing community in the 80s. But it's got a sport shifter, and it still looks fast.<br />And then a guy in an Automatic-Transmission Trans-Am spins out at 90 and clips a schoolbus.<br />And a lot of innocent people die.<br />And you discover to your anguish that there is a widespread push to insist that all modern cars are built with CVTs.<br />But to start the argument, the people who commute to work on the train start talking about how awful it is that all these stick shift cars are constantly getting in crashes.<br />"Hey" you say "There's like. . . millions of us on the road with sport shifters that didn't hit anybody. And stick-shift transmissions are already banned."<br />"ALL THOSE DEAD SCHOOLCHILDREN." The mass-transit commuter crowd screams.<br />---<br />Not clicking for you?<br /><br />Let's try again.<br />Youâre a geek. Marvel, DC, Star Wars AND Trek. Dr. Who. You love it all.<br />And then after Jessica Jones comes out, there are a series of copycats that decide to deify Kilgrave and try to hypnotize people into doing horrible things. And a few of them succeed, and there is a very understandable outrage.<br />And you think to yourself that you really liked Jessica Jones and maybe those people are missing the point and you really hope that it isnât yanked from Netflix.<br />And so the people who havenât watched Jessica Jones but who have fear about more copycats say that all of that stuff with the 9th doctor who abducts that woman is just atrocious and all future episodes of Dr. Who should be banned.<br />âWhat?â You say, momentarily bewildered. âThatâs a totally different character in a totally different show! I mean yes, If youâve never seen Jessica Jones or Doctor Who, the actor is playing both roles and so they look really similar but the internal motivations of the characters are totally differ--â<br /><br />âEVIL ABDUCTING HYPNOTISTS.â The masses shout.<br />Can you imagine that feeling in your mind? That confused outrage at someone else doing something wretched and criminal with something you love? And a huge and ignorant mass of people getting angry at a thing they barely understand, but then also calling for something only marginally related to be banned?<br />This is how people who own AR-15s feel every.<br />single.<br />time.<br />that someone says âAssault Rifleâ in the context of the modern gun debate.<br />So every.<br />single.<br />time.<br />you use the term âAssault Rifleâ wrong, a couple of things are going to happen to the person youâre talking to, if they are a member of the pro-gun camp.<br />1) Their opinion of your familiarity with firearms is going to plummet, making it very hard for them to continue taking your position seriously.<br />2) They are going to get defensive, and sidetrack whatever your actual point is with a combination of a half-baked firearms history and linguistics lecture and defensive rhetoric.<br />if you want to be heard--not just argued with--by people on the other side of the fence, learn what an assault rifle is, and then stop using the term to describe the thing you want more closely regulated.<br />If you want to be informed about guns, so that you can speak about them eloquently, that means you need to understand the differences between a semi-automatic rifle and an assault rifle. There are lots of passionate gun guys out there that have made diagrams, and written essays, and updated wikipedia pages, and even created excellent videos like the one in the comment section below. Go forth and be educated.<br /><br />Maybe, if you get the language right, youâll even change someone elseâs mind.<br /><br />And wouldnât that be worth it?<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-7425663047555884732016-06-19T09:22:00.002-04:002016-06-19T09:22:46.987-04:00Want to talk about guns? Step One is Getting The Language RightYou're an passionate, caring, American patriot. You believe in less bloodshed. You believe in liberation. You want men and women of all colors and origins to be treated the same under the law. <br /><br />
And you think that we are currently caught in an untenable morass of terrible laws and horrid arguments about guns People are wrong on the internet, again.<br />
<br />
You're right of course, but being right isn't enough.<br />
<br />
You need to be able to lay out your position, thoughtfully, patiently, logically, and do so in such an approachable and non-threatening way that even the people who think they disagree with you realize that they're wrong, and come around to your side.<br />
<br />
Who are you? Well, that doesn't matter.<br />
<br />
You might be a responsible gun owner who loves to teach new people about gun safety and judicious marksmanship, who grew up in a small town, shooting with his brothers on the family plot, who thinks that all these constant new gun laws are just more nails in the coffin of the American dream. You think that we already have a background check system in place, and that these mass shootings where people who shouldn't have guns buy them without getting stopped demonstrate that the background check is useless anyway.<br />
<br />
You might be a passionate liberal who has never fired a gun, and who believes that guns in the hands of private citizens are a relic of a bygone era, that more and more people are dying every day and that our lax gun laws (and the evil NRA!) are to blame. You think that assault rifles can be purchased over the counter with a 10 minute wait, and that every gun nut is just one lost argument short of snapping and shooting up another place where guns have no business being, like a school, or a church.<br />
<br />
Well, I've got some good news and some bad news.<br />
<br />
You're both right. And you're both wrong.<br />
<br />
Guess what? That's the good news.<br />
<br />
That's good news because it means you have a platform to start from, and that you have room for improvement. Those are both good things.<br />
<br />
So what's the bad news?<br /><br />You're ignorant.<br />
<br />
And that's different than just being wrong.<br /> There are holes in your arguments that I could drive a bus through, and they're not flaws in your principles or motivations, they're flaws in your facts. You are consistently saying things about guns and US gun law that are just flat out wrong. And you ought to be ashamed.<br />
<br />And I know you probably just thought "Yeah! Those guys from the other paragraph that wasn't about me should be ashamed. I saw so many flaws in the description of their opinion!"<br />
<br />
I've got some news that the clever ones of you have already figured out: Those paragraphs are both laced with huge errors.<br />
<br />
The truth is, most of the anti-gun crowd genuinely thinks that they aren't arguing for confiscation. They just feel like there's no rules about guns, and maybe we should have a few? That the NRA is a bunch of vile jerks that have dismantled any chance of reasonable, common sense gun law in this country. Who could blame them? That's what the internet has been telling them this whole time.<br />
<br />
And the truth is, the pro-gun crowd is heartbroken at every shooting--yes, even ones where most of the victims were gay, and were targetted specifically for being gay. They still think every innocent American has a right to live. And they think that the anti-gun movement wants to disarm every last one of them and equip a militarized police state with the highest quality military hardware it can find and then put a boot to the necks of every citizen. And who could blame them? That's what the internet has been telling them this whole time.<br />
<br />
And when I say "the internet" I don't mean "mass media" or even "bloggers". What I actually mean is "you."<br />
<br />
You've been telling them that this whole time, because you keep using terminology and rhetoric that is so atrociously wrong that the only possible explanation someone informed could imagine is that you're actively lying so that you can try to push your agenda.<br />
<br />
If you want the person on the other side of the screen to listen to you, you need to slow down, get your mind right, and do your homework.<br />
<br />
If you just want to stir shit up and throw rocks from the comfort of your glass house, feel free.<br />
<br />
If you want to make changes--real, positive, healthy changes, in this country?<br />
<br />
Well then buckle in kids, we've got a bumpy road ahead.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-82348083724158155122016-04-25T22:49:00.001-04:002016-04-25T22:49:12.537-04:00Forty Miles of Bad Road I'm not sure what mile we are on. My gut says it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-61561973946852226892015-10-22T15:47:00.000-04:002015-10-22T15:47:04.886-04:00In defense of causing offense.<div class="MsoPlainText">
Recently (in a discussion about what constituted
appropriation, and whether a person was "allowed" to use a concept
learned from studying the linguistics of Native American tribes) this sentence
was written.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
"We as costumers and performers are constantly
checking to make sure that no one is offended by our work."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Allow me to speak plainly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
As a costumer. As
a performer. As a writer. As an artist.
As a truth-seeker. As a
storyteller. As a dancer. As a dreamer.
As a lover. As a soldier. As a
friend to the downtrodden. As a Christian.
As a citizen of the united states. As a world traveler.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
In every one of those roles, in every way that I can
convey, that sentence horrifies me. It
grates at my soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
It relies on the notion that offending people is--in and
of itself--morally wrong. And that
allows people to weaponize their opinions and use them as bludgeons against
us. It allows the diplomatic fascist to
silence your outrage against oppression.
It allows the puritanical zealot to smother your expression of joy and
celebration of love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
My life could very easily be summarized a long list of
moments in which I am proud to have offended someone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I helped found a student organization at Mercer that
hosted an informational table for National Coming Out day. After I had graduated, the Georgia Baptist Convention found out about that table, and used it as a
wedge to lean on the university--trying to get it to kowtow to the notion that it was wrong to
support people in that way. The
president wrote a letter saying, in essence, that the intellectual integrity of
the student body outweighed any perceived or imagined outrage. The GBC disowned the
university. I couldn't have been
prouder.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I asked a two star general who was a base commander "why is our purchasing system broken" in front of 1100 people, and
described our exact excruciating case of red-tape-hell, while the head of the
purchasing organization for my facility squirmed uncomfortably at her
elbow. He was at my side the moment
after the Q&A session was over, offering a card and telling me to let him
know if I had any trouble getting my project the resources it needed. My team hit a deadline that had been made almost impossible by purchasing delays as a direct result.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I nearly jumped a racist on Cherry street, who had been
rebuffed by a photographer when he asked a couple for money while they were
trying to have their engagement photos taken, and decided the appropriate
course of action was a loud and explicit discussion about what he thought of
her race. I was just eating lunch on a patio, but suddenly I was a part of that discussion. And he was advised that he should probably find himself a different place to be. Soonish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
These people were--I am sure--uncomfortable, and
offended, by the things I have said to them, and the choices I have made.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
There's a reason that when I am drawn into discussions
about Art I like to talk about Guernica.
A masterpiece is also often a protest.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
And yes, I will talk about Strange Fruit too. The notion of old, rich, establishment types
having their dessert interrupted so that they can be told, in excruciating,
beautiful, horrible detail what was happening in the rotten heart of the deep
South makes it one of the most beautiful, tragic, and glorious songs I will ever hear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But you don't have to have your fist in the air and risk
prison to get people frowning. Even
Monet's Water Lilies were once considered offensive--expressions of art in a
manner inconsistent with the old master's opinions. How dare he reject the establishment's notion of what is
correct?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Sometimes, the only way to get people moving is to start stomping on toes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
So if you need me, just look for the clamour and the scowling faces.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I'll be off in the thick of it somewhere. making sure someone is offended by my work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-4658699956607593752015-02-22T11:50:00.003-05:002015-02-22T11:50:47.479-05:00Fifty Throws of ShadeI'm seeing a lot of reposts of this "Fifty shades of grey is romantic only because the guy is a billionaire. If he was living in a trailer it would be a Criminal minds episode." thing. <br />
<br />
Apparently it was a tweet first, maybe?<br /><br />I don't know.<br /><br />I have a pretty serious issue with that.<br /><br />(I have pretty serious issues with 50SoG too, but those have already been discussed).<br /><br />Over 100 million people have purchased this book.<br /><br />I suspect (though I don't think there's any study data) that the vast majority (let's say 90%) of those people are female presenting--since the story is written to appeal to a certain gender/sexual preference demographic.<br /><br />Is making the claim that the thing that is drawing people to that book the fact that the main character is rich not just a very unsubtle way of saying there are a 90+ million women out there that are so shallow that money alone is enough for them to modify all of their opinions about a person?<br /><br />Is that statement not incredibly offensive?<br /><br />Shouldn't we be bothered by that?<br /><br />I feel like I'm missing something.<br /><br />It's not like those 100 million copies were purchased in irony--a very great many people really liked this book.<br /><br />Just. . .a thought, people: resharing that status is saying to 100 million people: you're too shallow to care about anything in your fantasy beyond whether or not the object of your fantasy is rich as fuck.<br /><br />Maybe--just maybe--that isn't actually true?<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-67008523021666948622014-11-26T09:57:00.000-05:002014-11-26T09:57:28.677-05:00Sign you should think about your life choices.#41: You've looked at a picture of Charley Brown you wanted to use for an event and thought "no, he's smiling too much" and then fixed it in Paint.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-63880814636278706412014-11-24T21:07:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:07:52.628-05:00Google-Fu and House RepairsThermostat now works on Wifi.<br />
<br />
Network repeater is now increasing wifi coverage throughout the house.<br />
<br />
And yet, learning a name and three numbers brought me more joy than getting either fix working.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's the little things.<br />
<br />
And the geek shall inherit the earth.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-33697469998724261952014-11-19T10:53:00.001-05:002014-11-19T10:56:03.164-05:00They Tried to Bury UsBeneath worry. And Fear.<br />
<br />
Beneath the spectre of "TERRORISM!" and the housing collapse.<br />
<br />
Beneath dying alone and loveless marriages. <br />
<br />
Beneath the problems with "kids these days" and the terrible policies of baby boomers.<br />
<br />
They tried to bury us beneath trans fats and gluten and meat being murder and high-protein diets being the secret key to health.<br />
<br />
They tried to bury us beneath a flood of information and a famine of love.<br />
<br />
They tried to bury us beneath the evening news and the morning edition.<br />
<br />
They tried to bury us beneath talking heads and pundits and poll numbers and lies.<br />
<br />
So many lies.<br />
<br />
But down here in the soil of Techno-Americana there is so much more than just shit.<br />
<br />
There is Wikipedia for knowledge and John Oliver for sardonic laughter and Instagram for images of love from far away.<br />
<br />
There is Facebook for friendship and text messages for a quick hello and there are dime-a-dozen dreams of people you <i>could be</i> pouring each night into your mind--whether it's through Netflix or the library doesn't matter anymore. There is Pandora for a record player and coffee for the sleepyhead and kindness for a stranger on the subway and a one-word offer of "kisses?" for the girl that caught your eye on the dance floor.<br />
<br />
We can use these wires to bind, or we can use them to bond.<br />
<br />
We can smother in this mound of bullshit, or we can blossom.<br />
<br />
They tried to bury us.<br />
<br />
They didn't know we were seeds.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-28242532319077258382014-11-06T18:16:00.003-05:002014-11-06T18:16:44.340-05:00Hush the heart!<br />
<br />
The memory is sweet, and unexpected, true<br />
<br />
but that coffin is best left underground.<br />
Nostalgia breeds the same horrors as Necromancy<br />
The only things you'll find in that box are angry bones and a copper rose.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-10593280887422507752014-11-01T19:39:00.003-04:002014-11-01T19:42:32.858-04:00Silver Linings and LemonadeAfter a month of social obligation after social obligation I finally broke into the gap I had reserved for myself this weekend.<br />
<br />
Thank the Maker for that. A day and a half of rest, a little good good conversation, and some elbow grease later, my yard is clean(er), Rapture works as a stereo again--even better than before, and I know most of the steps to take to install my gutter tomorrow.<br />
<br />
I forget sometimes that I have to isolate myself to function. Then I break down and drag my feet and stare around me wild-eyed--driven into a panic by my own lethargy. That was the state I was in 8 days ago.<br />
<br />
I've been coasting since then--recovering slowly through time spent exercising, retreating from the world, and talking to the people that currently intrigue me.<br />
<br />
After canceling all my Friday plans, and halving my obligations for tonight, I finally hit a point where the pressure vented and I felt like I could function again. I did a little bit of wiring, fixed a few things that were broken, and found my center was less destabilized than I had thought.<br />
<br />
It is good to be alone. It is good to relate to others on your own terms sometimes.<br />
<br />
These are simple lessons, but it seems I have to learn them more than once.<br />
<br />
It's all uphill from here, but for the first time in several months, I feel like can handle the climb.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-89761170804132629512014-02-17T09:04:00.000-05:002014-02-17T09:04:13.176-05:00The Sort of Poem that sets an Ugly Stage for an Unpopular PlayBurn your dancing shoes.<br />
Even bad boys get the blues.<br />
And as long as you never start a fight,<br />
you'll never have to lose.<br />
<br />
So burn your dancing shoes.<br />
Put your aspirations in the fire<br />
you've got better things to do<br />
and if you quit you're not a liar.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-28897263477447245342012-11-25T11:52:00.000-05:002012-11-25T11:53:32.234-05:00Seriously Toyota?So, many of you have heard my awesome story about spending a week fighting with my Toyota Tacoma and pulling, testing, and replacing multiple parts (culminating in buying a brand new starter to replace a working one because there was no way I was risking ever having to get the starter out of a Tacoma again). Eventually I realized the entire problem had been caused by a $4 battery terminal.<br />
<br />
I have loved both of my Toyotas, but I'm starting to realize battery terminals are not their strong suit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Last night, Beth and I tried to drive to Atlanta. Halfway there, after stopping (first for a ticket for making an illegal left turn. Hurray. Then for gas.) my car refused to start.<br />
<br />
We eventually got a jump, but then were worried the problem might be a bad alternator, so we drove it home and bailed on our evening plans (which we both feel pretty terrible about), keeping out fingers crossed that we would even make it back to my house.<br />
<br />
We got back, and then the battery behaved, both that night and this morning.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZPNx7OhShS-eGJrkAkGMUwvAyrhUu5jy8S8ZQL9vJZUwdyeBuL6-GshB8qzwu1W40rNzUt8nt1mRMCk9im3BIM2YnYjzRdBvnB7HnRYFkX8Ff3TL8j9uUKMDbLReKYcB94zY8g/s1600/seriouslytoyotastopit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>So I drove up to O'Reilly (there's one about 500 yards from my house) and pulled the battery to have it tested.<br />
<br />
It tested bad, and it was probably the original battery (an 84 month that has likely been in the car since sometime in 2005), so I replaced it. The fellow at O'Reilly pointed out the green corrosion on the top of the old battery though, and said "it looks like your cable or connector is bad, that's copper corrosion." (duh. I was too brainfried by being freezing cold and my hatred at having to ask anyone for help to think about corrosion colors last night).<br />
<br />
So I also bought a spare terminal for the negative terminal (the positive terminal has a weird but rugged anti-theft-device replacing the original, and is in fine shape) and pulled the old one off.<br />
<br />
The battery would have died soon anyway, but I'm sure it wasn't helped by the terminal I rep<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZPNx7OhShS-eGJrkAkGMUwvAyrhUu5jy8S8ZQL9vJZUwdyeBuL6-GshB8qzwu1W40rNzUt8nt1mRMCk9im3BIM2YnYjzRdBvnB7HnRYFkX8Ff3TL8j9uUKMDbLReKYcB94zY8g/s1600/seriouslytoyotastopit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>laced, shown here with most of the corrosion scraped away.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZPNx7OhShS-eGJrkAkGMUwvAyrhUu5jy8S8ZQL9vJZUwdyeBuL6-GshB8qzwu1W40rNzUt8nt1mRMCk9im3BIM2YnYjzRdBvnB7HnRYFkX8Ff3TL8j9uUKMDbLReKYcB94zY8g/s1600/seriouslytoyotastopit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZPNx7OhShS-eGJrkAkGMUwvAyrhUu5jy8S8ZQL9vJZUwdyeBuL6-GshB8qzwu1W40rNzUt8nt1mRMCk9im3BIM2YnYjzRdBvnB7HnRYFkX8Ff3TL8j9uUKMDbLReKYcB94zY8g/s320/seriouslytoyotastopit.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Seriously Toyota? This is a bullshit part.<br />
<br />
Everything else in the engine still looks pretty pristine. Except this piece of shit.<br />
<br />
[sigh].<br />
<br />
At least it's fixed now and I don't have to worry about it being the alternator.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-16634539670223499182012-11-02T22:21:00.001-04:002012-11-25T11:42:30.294-05:00Say Hello to Libby.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
So about a week ago I asked <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/guns">r/guns</a> to help me pick out a Ruger 10/22
variant that would best meet the basic needs of an Appleseed shoot
happening in my area in December.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/guns/comments/12827b/1022_dilemma_takedown_vs_stainless_vs_carbine/">The thread is here.</a><br />
<br />
In
addition to saving me $120 on the gun by encouraging me not to bother
with the Takedown version, Gunnit recommended a series of immediate
enhancements and modifications I should plan to make right out of the
gate.<br />
<br />
They were:<br />
<br />
1) Tech Sights.<br />
2) A replacement hammer to help reduce the high factory trigger pull.<br />
3) A sling.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeWNgwi5-GQr4UJzSPGdH4T-HOjI-dFb88SGL23wQ9BouLCre4x5N8EYtOPLXutFCkZPlsZ5nDq-fb1D7kETPdTz-PuOl5fHGfg4OzPEtw5eNG_m-nJuuzF8NBCpMk4TlTBj-mQ/s1600/2012-11-02_16-10-46_980_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeWNgwi5-GQr4UJzSPGdH4T-HOjI-dFb88SGL23wQ9BouLCre4x5N8EYtOPLXutFCkZPlsZ5nDq-fb1D7kETPdTz-PuOl5fHGfg4OzPEtw5eNG_m-nJuuzF8NBCpMk4TlTBj-mQ/s200/2012-11-02_16-10-46_980_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
So, I took Gunnit at its word. Say Hello to Libby.<br />
<br />
Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of what I did, case someone else wants similar instructions.<br />
<br />
First: I bought the rifle at Academy Sports. It cost me $210ish,
with tax. Any big-box with a gun counter is your best bet for a cheap, commonly available
rifle like this.<br />
<br />
I hit up the Tech Sights website and ordered
the TSR100 ($65). I'm familiar with the back-and-forth leaf apertures of
an AR 15, so I decided to keep that tradition on this gun.<br />
<br />
Then, I went to Midway USA. There I found:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.midwayusa.com/product/421353/midwayusa-two-point-tactical-rifle-sling-nylon-black">A basic two-point sling</a> ($7).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.midwayusa.com/product/607022/power-custom-competition-hammer-ruger-10-22">the Power Custom Hammer replacement</a> ($31)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrejrIJlISWQAbTuA1en-H8nLL4MpjfCYpWsAIWVAgLWR5rjOOL_458ILvmNbPoG-Ct2Bg_GTOVNYpU6APSoUsVDJecC9pecmT4HBmVOPj5LKfmt_OwizCRJ78Jj2QUyHzgmrkg/s1600/2012-11-01_15-31-07_371_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrejrIJlISWQAbTuA1en-H8nLL4MpjfCYpWsAIWVAgLWR5rjOOL_458ILvmNbPoG-Ct2Bg_GTOVNYpU6APSoUsVDJecC9pecmT4HBmVOPj5LKfmt_OwizCRJ78Jj2QUyHzgmrkg/s200/2012-11-01_15-31-07_371_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.midwayusa.com/product/275030/blackhawk-lok-down-sling-swivel-set-ruger-10-22-44-carbine-number-3-1-steel-blue">And the Blackhawk Sling swivel kit for the 10/22</a> ($14)<br />
<br />
I also ordered a set of three 10rd Ruger magazines ($12ish a piece), but they were back ordered and shipped separately.<br />
<br />
Itemized:<br />
<br />
Rifle: $210<br />
Tech Sights: $65<br />
Midway parts: $56 (with shipping)<br />
Midway Magazines: $42 (with shipping).<br />
<br />
Total: Approximately $375<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4FmVw7bC9SOxTEkz5cn-YpKYrCz0SaGfcFmxEoXHdXR1dC9xyGeHDWmfbS8cDWRgeGSSkyVhk0QYwLXpaDUEla33HNkomoGEUVCntTyNLl7OVSmQDZdejo0-6A8K10nCiCt7Zw/s1600/2012-11-01_15-33-05_184_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4FmVw7bC9SOxTEkz5cn-YpKYrCz0SaGfcFmxEoXHdXR1dC9xyGeHDWmfbS8cDWRgeGSSkyVhk0QYwLXpaDUEla33HNkomoGEUVCntTyNLl7OVSmQDZdejo0-6A8K10nCiCt7Zw/s200/2012-11-01_15-33-05_184_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I
ordered the parts on a Monday, and purchased the Rifle that evening.
On Thursday, the parts arrived, and I set out to do the mods. I was
tempted to race the daylight and try to get to the range that afternoon,
but I decided to take my time and do the job as well as possible instead.<br />
<br />
I started by by taking the rifle apart so I could put the stock in
my vice easier, then set about installing the sling swivels. Despite
having the barrel band on my carbine, I decided to go ahead and install
the front swivel, because I might make some changes to the front of the stock
eventually, and I want to have some options. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrOaSVn1XtDt07vYYJDiCtJOHSC3WicVLDkXVWGLwkI0b7rqpqMDKq-KKs6csqk7oLXPf0zzDlXuv9eCiQvQHtU5HpgpKtSnK95UnCnTPX0BPl2dd6tnMazorm7B9pGaW11SJzQ/s1600/2012-11-01_16-17-45_898_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrOaSVn1XtDt07vYYJDiCtJOHSC3WicVLDkXVWGLwkI0b7rqpqMDKq-KKs6csqk7oLXPf0zzDlXuv9eCiQvQHtU5HpgpKtSnK95UnCnTPX0BPl2dd6tnMazorm7B9pGaW11SJzQ/s200/2012-11-01_16-17-45_898_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZSP3bniJcICITstSZMD2ZQSPUdvSxzjiKR4CrgqncOWrFy3AR6S9Hg47cJ-C35pbnmlvUXJPsIrZeZ3sPqzClGhWCYynfP3Sl_a3IXg-eKemd-UECHM1kT2r5rvFP7lwy2wntg/s1600/2012-11-01_16-26-57_555_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZSP3bniJcICITstSZMD2ZQSPUdvSxzjiKR4CrgqncOWrFy3AR6S9Hg47cJ-C35pbnmlvUXJPsIrZeZ3sPqzClGhWCYynfP3Sl_a3IXg-eKemd-UECHM1kT2r5rvFP7lwy2wntg/s200/2012-11-01_16-26-57_555_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I installed the front swivel just in front of the barrel band, since
I wanted the sling mount point as far forward as possible. This
creates a bit of a hassle getting the barrel band on and off, but it's
flexible enough to manage. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2OugvMWMp7AXFtKCkG7yc0HNHuWXIq3KkM0oTNHGmRghZBs5q9fWr3XKgtb4skeemW9wfCcBTMm898j2-LL3TEJOpNn4Sp5Z93-VqzRXPY_Y0qa3zCK6hXh1m8HEwyzOfxY9FA/s1600/2012-11-01_16-26-48_398_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2OugvMWMp7AXFtKCkG7yc0HNHuWXIq3KkM0oTNHGmRghZBs5q9fWr3XKgtb4skeemW9wfCcBTMm898j2-LL3TEJOpNn4Sp5Z93-VqzRXPY_Y0qa3zCK6hXh1m8HEwyzOfxY9FA/s200/2012-11-01_16-26-48_398_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxb1ZN37-XpykO2tScICcxqPY72GjQDEzYpmSDmq6Zd0WIVd_zImAqIlNrSSY7Q0wmsI4WKYPH1xvvGVF7p3KFxg6Skk5bxjDaXsgQj6TCNC0aYcSS5tLxw37I9CHG8V0HM8mPw/s1600/2012-11-01_16-27-59_265_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxb1ZN37-XpykO2tScICcxqPY72GjQDEzYpmSDmq6Zd0WIVd_zImAqIlNrSSY7Q0wmsI4WKYPH1xvvGVF7p3KFxg6Skk5bxjDaXsgQj6TCNC0aYcSS5tLxw37I9CHG8V0HM8mPw/s200/2012-11-01_16-27-59_265_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I marked the locations where I would be drilling for the sling with a
sharpie, first, and if I had been smart I would have done the smaller
drilling first, then come back to countersink so the countersinks would
be centered. Really though, this isn't meant to be artwork, it's a
workhorse, and she wound up looking just fine regardless.<br />
<br />
While I had it available, I sanded down the inside of the stock a
bit to prepare for potentially doing a thorough free-floating later on.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw6mKqoDsckULduuIDTTJMph-gVOKHH3J8nf7E8jvem3HAFQ8mRyaEf7FzSvJ_IrmoMfjt8ze4ykazCNGikGHlF_1Xf5K5H2iULFGAbyEh0PkDjApF3ZPEwrkcaXMXgyc38RiRQ/s1600/2012-11-01_17-05-41_133_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw6mKqoDsckULduuIDTTJMph-gVOKHH3J8nf7E8jvem3HAFQ8mRyaEf7FzSvJ_IrmoMfjt8ze4ykazCNGikGHlF_1Xf5K5H2iULFGAbyEh0PkDjApF3ZPEwrkcaXMXgyc38RiRQ/s200/2012-11-01_17-05-41_133_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a>When
I was done with the sling, I moved on to the hammer. I don't have much
of a head for mechanisms, so I'm always afraid I'll take apart anything
with fiddly-bits in such a way as I don't know how to put them back
together. I hunted up a couple of youtube videos and watched guys take
apart and re-assemble the mechanism before I attempted it myself. I
relied primarily on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4m8K079SuA">the Brownell's walkthrough</a> of the install of the power custom part I had purchased, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCCIoOHu12o">this very similar Volquartsen install walkthrough</a>.:<br />
<br />
<br />
Note: the bushings don't quite work the same, and you might worry
yourself if you start with the Volquartsen one but are using the Power Custom. However, the Vol one
does a better job of warning you to be ready for the spring that loads
the ejector pin, so watch both before you get started if you're a newbie.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was SUPER easy to do this mod. It took me longer to
watch both videos than it did to actually do the part-swap, and
everything went back together just fine with no complaints. All I
replaced was the hammer, but I saved the reset and hammer springs from
the kit in case I want to add them later. Honestly I'm not sure I would want the trigger pull much lighter than
it is now.<br />
<br />
Everything dropped in fine, and operated just fine through the dry
fire sequence. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbehzyq5sq6C8NZ1c8D-tSyZ84xZjM3_cEtTUQ3P7FFBfbN-5y35Q34Crc1dNzr9Z_Q8Jpp0xtlGtWh7hAIK_AJjx_gPStE_JUwrt4pdYaj_ftEcN694YOAeX22NBOzpYBje1Ygw/s1600/2012-11-01_17-44-39_327_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbehzyq5sq6C8NZ1c8D-tSyZ84xZjM3_cEtTUQ3P7FFBfbN-5y35Q34Crc1dNzr9Z_Q8Jpp0xtlGtWh7hAIK_AJjx_gPStE_JUwrt4pdYaj_ftEcN694YOAeX22NBOzpYBje1Ygw/s200/2012-11-01_17-44-39_327_resized.jpg" width="200" /></a>Last
but definitely not least: I installed the Tech sights. That meant
removing the factor sights first. I had been warned that getting the
factory sights off was a hassle, and those warnings were absolutely
warranted. The front sight was a beast, and was still actually easier
for me to remove than the rear sight (removed simply because I don't
like purposeless things). I wound up completely destroying the flip-up
portion of the rear sight before I got the base to budge.<br />
<br />
But finally, that was done, and the tech sights were dropped in. I
didn't have any thread locker at the house at the time, so they're all screwed
in place dry for now, I'll come back and remount things once I have
some (probably next week) and put everything solidly in place.<br />
<br />
Post Range Note: Make sure you have Loctite on hand before you install the tech sites, otherwise you'll just wind up reinstalling them anyway. The rear sights freed themselves from the receiver no less than three times during my 200 rounds at the range.<br />
<br />
<br />
All told, I spend about 2.5 hours on the sling, the sanding, the
sights, and the hammer job. That was largely due to going slow and
double-checking my steps as I went.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fk2V7lyD45SNB-0yTZ9tD1XIVg8rANCptUvpYtkJQ5CCKf0WLKzqUv2FYjLcfdpCZ1ibhfeKaf1TvN3L7eOOTKKEiLzsj0eZ9EF_u9doegQKNqH1gABwsPT8a0qfct7WaA8yKg/s1600/2012-11-02_16-11-12_580_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fk2V7lyD45SNB-0yTZ9tD1XIVg8rANCptUvpYtkJQ5CCKf0WLKzqUv2FYjLcfdpCZ1ibhfeKaf1TvN3L7eOOTKKEiLzsj0eZ9EF_u9doegQKNqH1gABwsPT8a0qfct7WaA8yKg/s320/2012-11-02_16-11-12_580_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So, that's it. There's a
walkthrough of the top recommended improvements to the rifle, the things
I learned along the way, and the time investment it takes.<br />
<br />
The next day I took it to the range and it did OK. It didn't care for
federal value pack 22 much (3 failures in 100 rounds) but it did just
fine with the 60 rounds of CCI mini-mag I put through it. I bought a
1600 round canister of that on the way home from the range (as well as
some thread locker), and that should last me for a while.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-588986744054320942012-09-19T21:47:00.000-04:002012-09-19T22:52:32.465-04:00Top Shot Elite Viewing Angle Fix<p>I realize this isn't anything like my normal rants, but this blog is a catchall space for me, and this is the sort of information that would have been helpful for me about a year ago, so I'm putting it here in the hopes it will catch the eye of others with the same problem. It's about a video game controller, so if that's not your thing, feel free to ignore all that follows.
</p><p>
I own a Top Shot Elite. It's a controller that Activision made primarily so that <a href="http://www.cabelas.com/video-games.shtml">Cabela's games</a> on the Xbox 360 and PS3 wouldn't suck.
</p><p>
I bought it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cabelas-Dangerous-Hunts-Elite-Xbox-360/dp/B003WFLGK8/">this bundle from Amazon</a> a while back.
</p><p>
It's pretty actually a pretty nice piece of kit. It's essentially what would happen if you put a child's idea of a really cool tactical space assault shotgun, an X-box controller and a Wii controller in a blender.
</p><p>
The aiming system works almost exactly like a Wii controller. Infrared camera at the end of the barrel searches for two points of Infrared light (supplied by a very nice auto-sleeping wireless "sensor bar" that is included in the kit), this image is processed then aiming information is transmitted back to the Xbox along with the data from the buttons and sticks. I say almost because as far as I can tell, the effective vertical viewing angle of the camera in this thing is less than 2/3rds of the viewing angle of a Wii controller(1). The collapsible stock works quite well, and the whole kit is pretty cool. It gets cooler if you make a couple of modifications though.
</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimn7jnWI3qD1M6IoDxy0FOKQJ9JG3htRNc1X2JzvRXJd3vWlF8okcmnGK_CjCoddb2G9LlEysG7vA1967rOc-RnPoBIdKiWYgAV2cCWwGWFzQxGQciWjXnqCfM55uXIwp9CZABSA/s1600/2012-09-19_20-42-49_437_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimn7jnWI3qD1M6IoDxy0FOKQJ9JG3htRNc1X2JzvRXJd3vWlF8okcmnGK_CjCoddb2G9LlEysG7vA1967rOc-RnPoBIdKiWYgAV2cCWwGWFzQxGQciWjXnqCfM55uXIwp9CZABSA/s200/2012-09-19_20-42-49_437_resized.jpg" /></a></div>First off, the detachable Red Eye Lens system is hilariously stupid. I recommend you take a multitool and cut/tear out the red plastic filter. This will give you a straight look-through scope on top of the gun with a simple cross-hairs built in. The red lens effect doesn't work worth a crap in the games, and all the red lens does is make the scope really hard to actually use as a sight.</p><p>
If you have a small enough television, this is the only mod you'll really need to make. The gun will track well to anything under 37" from what I can tell, and aiming/shooting in the Cabela's galleries is actually quite easy and fun. At some point I will talk more about how ridiculously weird and borderline horrific the galleries in Dangerous Hunts are, but for now, I'll ignore the software issues and just talk about the gear.
</p><p>
As mentioned above, the FOV on the camera in this thing is very small. This is why it works well on smaller televisions, and terribly on larger ones.
</p><p>
If you have a larger television, it's very disappointing. This is obviously a huge problem, as most modern gamers have real jobs and real TVs these days, and the fact that the system has shit performance on anything approaching a decent sized TV has meant that a really excellent peripheral and game market is remaining largely unimpressed on account of one bad spec (on otherwise quite excellent gear).
</p><p>
My television is 50". So I had the option of playing with the system and having it be frustrating but semi-playable, or just leaving it on the shelf for ages.
</p><p>
I chose the later for about 8 months.
</p><p>
Then while talking to a friend about another problem, I had an epiphany and remembered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Camera-Lens-Apple-iPhone/dp/B005GTR0R6/">these things</a>.
</p><p>
The AGPtek lenses are simple fisheye lenses that allow you to get a wider field of view out of a cell phone camera or the flip-cam style video recorders.
</p><p>
You attach a metal ring with an adhesive back around the lens, and then you just snap the fisheye lens in place, (since it's magnetic) and you're good to go.
</p><p>
I was worried at first because the tip of the Top Shot Elite is covered in a shield of IR-passing, visible-spectrum blocking plastic. I assumed that the camera inside was probably tiny (it is) but wasn't really sure at first. So I dug up the <a href="https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=606570&fcc_id='XLU76405800'">Activision FCC filing</a>. (Yes, you really can Find Anything On The Internet). The FCC filing photographs confirmed my understanding of the camera's size. My other concern (also resolved by the FCC filing) was that the camera was inset in the body of the controller somewhat, meaning that the FOV was being limited by the physical chassis and not the camera's actual ability. Thankfully the pictures gave me a pretty clear indication that the camera controller board was flush with the back of the IR shield, so I wasn't too worried.
</p><p>
When I got the lenses in the mail, I first held them in place by hand and played with the calibration software for about fifteen minutes to confirm that it worked correctly, and everything seemed to be in order.
</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEkejx3yPuumk1Iwkm-w31rcNuEESNldc27M2CBNQ6GoQyCbP4e6vQTsfXVQ71w01Kn_RZvw_deFdsloWXgCe77XhEmzQ-vOMUGUCMlSzdick9dW6Tp5CvB7jot777sxWr11bqQ/s1600/2012-09-19_20-43-21_620_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="112" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEkejx3yPuumk1Iwkm-w31rcNuEESNldc27M2CBNQ6GoQyCbP4e6vQTsfXVQ71w01Kn_RZvw_deFdsloWXgCe77XhEmzQ-vOMUGUCMlSzdick9dW6Tp5CvB7jot777sxWr11bqQ/s200/2012-09-19_20-43-21_620_resized.jpg" /></a></div>It took about sixty seconds to actually press the ring carefully onto the center of the IR cover over the pinhole camera, and then pop on the lenses and test. Here's a picture of the metal ring in place on the IR shield. It seems pretty solid and hasn't shifted at all in the time since I mounted it (about an hour of play/test time, plus 24 hours sitting on the rack). Note that I cleaned the IR shield first by wiping it down with a paper towel, and then installed the metal ring freehand, just by estimating where the exact center was, uncovering the adhesive back, and then pressing down hard, using a small piece of flat round plastic (the back of a screwdriver handle) so I didn't smudge the shield with my fingers.
</p><p>
There's a "wide" and a "fisheye" lens, and I suspect the "wide" would work great for a 42 or 46 inch television. On my 50", with how close I am to the TV in my setup, the full effect of the fisheye was required. You can find that out after the fact, as they both work on the same ring, so you just toss one on, see how it does, and then swap it for the other.
</p><p>
It's a flawless match. The lens does a fantastic job of letting the controller keep the IR emitters in view at all times. And hey, presto, pop the lens off at any time, and it'll work like normal, the metal ring doesn't effect performance in any way. Since multiple rings come in the lens kit, you've now also got a set of handy lenses you can borrow and us on other projects.
</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4EcpCVr1Y9Y_x7VSRagxMy3yBvt_tBT88b8pyaP7SAEuDJy8Rp_-GggraX4-3cx7AgKmr0KBs4iZp4Edk2f1XLgRVfqU58a7dqnAkDUy3WSmqjuirJAxWfBIDYBRkHfTGNez4Q/s1600/2012-09-19_20-44-47_397_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="112" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4EcpCVr1Y9Y_x7VSRagxMy3yBvt_tBT88b8pyaP7SAEuDJy8Rp_-GggraX4-3cx7AgKmr0KBs4iZp4Edk2f1XLgRVfqU58a7dqnAkDUy3WSmqjuirJAxWfBIDYBRkHfTGNez4Q/s200/2012-09-19_20-44-47_397_resized.jpg" /></a></div>The alignment still isn't perfect. This is effectively a $25 controller, after all. The sight on the screen will move around inside the scope based on where you point it, but it will always stay inside the plastic ring, visually, so it makes it much, much easier to shoot. Within just a couple of minutes of adjusting it, I was beating my previous high scores in the galleries, no problem.
</p><p>
For anyone else that either bought one of these and couldn't get it to perform in their setup, or wants one but heard it sucked on the big screen. . . this is your solution.
</p><p>
Happy hunting!
</p><p>
(1)
That's a rought estimate, here's the math if you're interested:
</p><p>
Johnny Chung Lee (hacker titan extraordinaire) puts the Wii horizontal field of view at 45 degrees in his "<a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~./15-821/CDROM/PAPERS/lee2008.pdf">Hacking the Nintendo Wii Remote</a>" article. The camera is described as having a 1024x768 resolution, assuming it scales linearly (it's probably pretty close) then it's vertical viewing angle should be (45*768/1024) or 33 degrees.
</p><p>
Meanwhile, I did some really simple math to determine the viewing angle of the Top Shot Elite. On my 50 inch TV with the sensor placed at the top, I had to stop about 6 inches short of the bottom of the screen, giving me an effective vertical viewing angle of 20 degrees. This marks the first time I have actually made use of any form of trigonometry in about a dozen years.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9TysTbIShMZpca5kEn_nZTrRiaRnbA7PQoIco4ba0mY4Toi2p0h5H6Iq5ifQ95a1DtYaD5l6q86XD9q27Y6gVUGY0GwjCGYc3BT3PLfQui9AGNYGzVMnS9IzKNH-xwQrfBotJg/s1600/Screen+dimensions.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="144" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9TysTbIShMZpca5kEn_nZTrRiaRnbA7PQoIco4ba0mY4Toi2p0h5H6Iq5ifQ95a1DtYaD5l6q86XD9q27Y6gVUGY0GwjCGYc3BT3PLfQui9AGNYGzVMnS9IzKNH-xwQrfBotJg/s200/Screen+dimensions.png" /></a></div>
</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-66411190568804694292012-08-13T12:55:00.000-04:002012-08-13T22:07:53.201-04:00The Heritage Foundation can kiss my formerly-impoverished ass.<p>I started to write this to a person on facebook, but I realized I was uninterested in the conversation that would follow.
</p><p>
But once I was done ranting, I had written so much text that it felt like it needed a home.
</p><p>
Voila.
</p><p>
---
</p><p>
So, my facebook feed showed me a thread in which you made some comments about a recent heritage foundation study, that I'd like to address. I started to put this on your wall, and then it got huge, and I realized it might be better if I just send you a message. Then I realized I should just write it as an open letter and put it here instead.
</p><p>
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10#in-fact-income-inequality-has-gotten-so-extreme-here-that-the-us-now-ranks-93rd-in-the-world-in-income-equality-chinas-ahead-of-us-so-is-india-so-is-iran-19">Have a look at this chart.</a>
</p><p>
The whole chart deck is worth reading, but this particular one is important, since you specifically mentioned how we're better off than India's middle class.
</p><p>
India beats us on the Gini coefficient, which is a simple statistical dispersion measure for wealth within a culture. So does Iran.
</p><p>
Do our poor people have it better off than theirs? Yes. But that chart isn't a measure of social mobility. It's a measure of wealth distribution. These poor nations are (despite human rights abuses and being used as third world trashheaps by multinationals for years) managing to keep what passes for their middle class healthier than we are keeping ours.
</p><p>
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10#and-by-the-way-few-people-would-have-a-problem-with-inequality-if-the-american-dream-were-still-fully-intactif-it-were-easy-to-work-your-way-into-that-top-1-but-unfortunately-social-mobility-in-this-country-is-also-near-an-all-time-low-20">
And it isn't getting EASIER to move upward in the USA, it's getting harder.</a>
</p><p>
Yes, things in the US are good compared to the rest of the world. You're right about that.
</p><p>
See, I read the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/07/what-is-poverty">heritage study</a> you linked to also, I've done my fair share of developing world travel, and I grew up in one of those households that the Heritage foundation would have hoped passed on filing out its survey--no AC, no dishwasher, no TV, no Dryer (yes, you can dry clothes effectively next to a woodburning stove in January, yes, it's a pain in the ass--the socks get all stiff).
</p><p>
And I've personally made the shift from poor to upper-middle-class, so I can speak firsthand about how hard it is, and about how I won the genetic lottery with my parents, and that without a billion lucky coincidences in my life, I would never have been able to do what I did.
</p><p>
The issue I have with the current conflict is tied up in that second graph. The one that shows how people like me will be increasingly rare in the future--not because there aren't people with the potential to shine, but because the culture we have built actively keeps them from having the liberty to move upwards even if they do things right (and insulates the rich from the risk of moving downwards, even if they do things wrong).
</p><p>
See, using the Heritage study to smother criticism is bullshit. We are moving towards a small landed gentry population and a huge group of serfs who have no hope of social mobility (even if those serfs have color TV). Asserting that we aren't allowed to try to correct a problem in our culture as long as other cultures have it worse? That's silly. In particular, it makes me think of a rant from Penny Arcade's Tycho about the problems with Diablo 3. (Be patient, I think you'll see the parallel).
</p><p>
---
</p><p>
"I should take care not attend the same potlucks as these people. The kind of family I have would eat them; I think that they would actually cook them and eat them, because these people have not done enough to distinguish themselves from food.
</p><p>
We need to think for a second about the extent to which this supposedly carefree fucking dialectic enables these precise abuses. No, actually; it is not okay that the definitive Game Developer canât make their shit work. Is it as bad as the Foreclosure Crisis? I donât know, probably not; but nobody is talking about that. There isnât a list of things that we have to worry about in order. We can decide on a case by case basis whether or not something is bullshit, and then we can feel some way about it, and we donât need to wait for a transmission from central command to know if weâve paid in enough psychic penance to enjoy something."
</p><p>
---
</p><p>
See where I'm going with this?
</p><p>
We can decide on a country by country basis whether or not something is bullshit. And what's happening in the United States of America, right now? Closing the portals between poor and middle and upper classes so that fewer and fewer people can make the transition? Squeezing our middle class out of existence? That's bullshit.
</p><p>
There isn't a list of things we have to make sure all the world has before we can tend to the increasing inequality and abuses of the "poor" being dealt out in our homeland.
</p><p>
We have problems. Major, systemic abuses of the American way of life being perpetrated by a small upper-crust of the population so that they can get rich while extinguishing the middle class and stepping directly on the necks of the poor, and it is getting WORSE, especially via things like TARP.
</p><p>
Talking about how everybody has a color TV and typically can afford Medical care so they should just shut up is insulting to those of us who have been poor, and who have made the transition, and who had to slit metaphorical throats to do it, and who are fully aware that IT GETS HARDER TO DO EVERY DAY.
</p><p>
Not easier. Harder. It's harder to get poor of you're rich, and it's harder to get rich if you're poor.
</p><p>
Neither Republicans nor Democrats have an interest in fixing these problems. I'm not arguing against (or for) Romney here.
</p><p>
I'd just appreciate it if you toned down claims that since we are demonstrably better off than the third world, there's no cause to criticise the direction in which we are headed.
</p><p>
Just sayin'.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-89025739859334118372011-07-24T10:16:00.000-04:002011-07-24T10:17:00.993-04:00I heard the news today.Shit.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-33255536433427279592010-11-08T11:23:00.000-05:002010-11-08T11:24:27.508-05:00on the topic of Love's kinship to the Atom Bomb.If the radiance of a thousand hearts were to burst at once into agony that would be like my gift to the world... [Behold] I am become Love, the shatterer of lives.<br /><br />I am the firepit--drawing you near, but not too near. I am the mermaid, enchanting you but leaving your friends heartbroken. I am the village elder, for my eyes are cold and dark, and I am the youngest of the tribe, my laughter beckons you to frolic.<br /><br />I am alone, but I am near you. I am kind, but you will feel only the roughness of my calloused hands. I am standing at the edge of creation, do not pass me for the precipice is deep and the danger great.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-46438431888903169342010-06-28T16:32:00.001-04:002010-06-28T16:34:08.193-04:00A Beautiful and Unique SnowflakeWeathered copies of an art magazine<br />From ninety-nine and onward through aught five<br />Chronicle my generationâs need to be seen<br />Before we really believe weâre alive.<br /><br />Turn of the century, end of an age<br />Alias caught by the table of contents<br />Each artwork reclines alone on the page<br />We let the art speak the authorâs torments.<br /><br />Fast forward just a handful of years,<br />Pages printed in two thousand and four.<br />Italic moniker below each script<br />Our âidentitiesâ assert a bit more.<br /><br />One more year passed, aught-five was printed<br />on each facing page, the inventorâs name<br />large face, bold print, a cry for attention,<br />weâre desperate for our moments of fame.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623235.post-29869024522536623722010-06-14T23:32:00.001-04:002010-06-14T23:32:50.159-04:00To Dance.I want to dance with determination<br />To move as if moving were salvation.<br /><br />I want to breath deeply and close my eyes<br />Surrender to music âtil evârything dies<br /><br />My lungs will fill with blood; my heart with air.<br />My mind will empty, but I will not care.<br /><br />Iâll dance as if calories were poison,<br />Like movement is the only way joyâs won,<br />Like my rhythm sets the tides of the sea<br />And when I spin the whole wide world spins with me.<br /><br />Because if I stop, the stars will darken.<br />The moon will fall and the demons harken,<br />to us all, drawn in by my stillness here,<br />To haunt us with death, and motionless fear.<div class="blogger-post-footer">And yet. . . All is Well.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09918775714727957926noreply@blogger.com