Uncategorized – Page 104 – The Smallest Minority

The Philosophy Cannot Be Wrong!

July 3, 2014 KevinLeave a comment

Reason magazine reports: LA Schools Realize Giving Every Kid an iPad Was a Costly Disaster, Will Give Every Kid a Laptop Instead

DO IT AGAIN, ONLY HARDER!!

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

Quote of the Day – Damning with Faint Praise Edition

July 2, 2014 KevinLeave a comment

I’m actually considering the latest Transformers film. Howard Tayler, author of the webcomic Schlock Mercenary, says it “…fails to clear the Threshold of Disappointment.”

But that’s not the QotD. This, from the Road & Track magazine review of the film is:

The Wahlberg/Pelz/Reynor triangle, incidentally, is an exact clone of the Bruce Willis/Liv Tyler/Ben Affleck relationship from Bay’s Armageddon. He makes it work. At no point did I actively root for any of them to die as I did through three Shia LaBeouf Transformer movies.

Given that glowing recommendation, I think I may go see it!

Tidyville

July 2, 2014 KevinLeave a comment

Titusville, Florida is where I grew up. My family moved there in 1966 when I was four, and we left in 1974 when I was 12, so if I’m asked, that’s “where I’m from.” My father worked for IBM’s Federal Systems Division as a quality engineer for the Saturn V Instrument Unit, the guidance system of the rocket. We didn’t see dad a lot during those eight years. After the last Saturn V launch put Skylab in orbit IBM no longer had a contract, and Dad had to transfer back to the division that made commercial products – this time the first of the grocery store laser scanner cash register systems. We relocated to North Carolina.

Titusville was a great place to grow up during that period, but since the manned space program has been shut down, it’s fallen on pretty hard times, apparently. I haven’t been there since my wife and I honeymooned in Florida in 1995. We stayed at the Holiday Inn there the evening of August 3 when Hurricane Erin came ashore just a few miles South of the hotel.

Good times.

Capitalism

June 30, 2014 KevinLeave a comment

Well, I found some Alliant Unique.

One e-tailer that I’ve found shows stock. I’ve had an 8-lb. keg on order with my local Merchant O’Death since I got back from last year’s Gun Blogger Rendezvous. No word on when I might ever see it. Every other source I’ve checked shows no stock – Midway, Powder Valley, Natchez, Cabela’s, etc. etc. etc.

Except this one. A couple of days ago, they showed that they had one (1) 8-lb. keg left in stock. Today they show they have only three 1-lb. bottles.

The keg was $299. The one-pounders are $42.49 each. That’s right at double what Unique cost a year ago. (Plus, of course, the $28.50 HazMat charge and shipping costs.)

People call this “gouging.” I call it “Economics 101 – supply and demand.” Had this e-tailer offered their stock at “normal” prices, they’d be out of stock just like everyone else. By elevating the price, they still have some – for whoever is willing to pay.

I’m not their guy. More power to you if you are.