Quote of the Day – Top Gear Edition

KevinLeave a comment

Unless you’ve been living under a stump, you’re most likely aware that Clarkson, May and Hammond will be returning to the small screen via Amazon Video next year.  (And there was much rejoicing!  Yeaaaa!)

I stumbled across this QotD over at Quora.com under the question “What is so special about Top Gear that it has 385 million viewers worldwide?”

The secret is that Top Gear is not about cars. It’s about joy. About unabashedly, unashamedly enjoying life.

It also presents a positive image of masculinity, which is something that is entirely missing from everything else on television.– Rúnar Óli Bjarnason

Abso-fricken-lutely.

Quote of the Day – Democratic Operatives with Bylines Edition

KevinLeave a comment

Seen at Glenn’s, courtesy of Ed Driscoll:

Modern journalism is all about deciding which facts the public shouldn’t know because they might reflect badly on Democrats. – Jim Treacher

Yup.

The internet has gone a long way towards beating down the walls the gatekeepers seek to control, but it hasn’t succeeded yet in penetrating John and Jane Doe’s living rooms.  Far too many people still get all their “news” from ABCNNBCBS and the major newspapers.

My Pusher Dealer Emailed Me Last Night…

KevinLeave a comment

(Merchant O’Death:) Are you still interested in a Marlin lever gun?

(Me:) Yeah, but I want this one:

Marlin 1895GBL

Found it online for $625 plus freight, but I’ve got some expenses to cover this month.  Probably won’t be able to afford it for another couple of months.

(MO’D:)  We have a bead blasted stainless version of that gun (or one very similar to it) that came in used today. Gray laminated stock. Rear peep sight.

(Me:) What kind of price?  This one?

(MO’D:) Pretty much the same gun but the guy had it bead blasted resulting in a matte finish. I will have a look at the price tomorrow when I get to work.

(Me:) The big thing is the large-loop lever and the six-round magazine tube. With this one, I’d kinda like it black, but I can always get it cerakoted. But the stainless rifles are a lot pricier than the chromoly steel ones. Even used, I’d expect the stainless version to run close to $800. That’s a bit more than I’m willing to spend.

But let me know.

(MO’D:) I’ll text you with the details.

(Me:) You are an evil, evil man.

(MO’D:) Yes. Yes I am.

He texted me this morning. It wasn’t $800.

I traded a pistol to get it.  I can pick it up August 13.  I’ll be bringing it to the Rendezvous.

1895 photo 1895SBL.jpg

Planned Obsolescence

KevinLeave a comment

I have a 16GB iPod my wife gave me several years ago.  It runs iOS 4.2.1, and is no longer supported by Apple, though it works just fine.  It’s so old there is no Kindle app for it.

My version of iTunes is 12.1.2.27, apparently the last that will operate on Windows XP, which my home desktop is still running.

Fifty percent of the music I have on iTunes refuses to copy onto my iPod.  It says the music is there, but it won’t play.

Fuck you, Steve Jobs.

I Love Arizona

KevinLeave a comment

Rated #1 for the third year in a row:

1. Arizona
arizonaStill the reigning champion, Arizona combines strong laws with an unmatched shooting culture and strong industry presence. An effort to strengthen the state’s preemption law failed to make it out of the legislature this year, but a clarifying bill did pass, specifying that the transfer of firearms was immune from administrative or municipal regulation. Arizona gets full points in every category with both permitless and permitted carry, strong self-defense laws, a “shall sign” NFA statue and a thriving competitive shooting scene. Whether you’re into ISPC-style shooting, 3-Gun, long-range rifles, Cowboy matches, shotgunning or just shooting machine guns in the desert, Arizona has everyone covered.

30 Days Until the Rendezvous

KevinLeave a comment

The Tenth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous, that is.  Here’s some videos from previous iterations of the event:

GBR IX:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxDgFU03j8k?rel=0&controls=0]

GBR VI:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyzabsdKkQM?rel=0&controls=0]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzyHWQZYzxk?rel=0&controls=0]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvm7oFct97Y?rel=0&controls=0]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Iz7vqMruc?rel=0&controls=0]
GBR V:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRm0PTSH40?rel=0&controls=0&w=640&h=480]
GBR IV:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLZm5MXynsI?rel=0&controls=0]
Oddly, there’s not a lot of footage of us eating, drinking and talking back at the hotel!

But here’s some of the stuff that you could take home from the Rendezvous last year:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPUxmaCZOYM?rel=0&controls=0]
You’ve still got time to register and make your reservations! Get a move on!

REPOST: One Small Step for Man

KevinLeave a comment

I posted this a couple of years ago. Here it is updated.


On this day at 02:56 UTC 46 years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to leave one of these on the surface of another astronomical body. Three years and five months later, Eugene Cernan became the last man to do so, so far.

The last Space Shuttle touched down for the last time on this day four year ago.

Elon Musk of PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX fame has said that the impetus behind the development of SpaceX came when his son asked him, “is it really true that they used to fly to the moon when you were a boy?”

Now there are two-dozen or more private space ventures around the world. There is a plan to capture and retrieve an asteroid for commercial purposes. Two companies want to mine the moon.

If we can just hold it together for a couple more decades, humanity might get off this rock, and we might do it in my lifetime.

But it’s not looking too good.

Not good at all.

A Reaction to Sudden Jihad Syndrome?

KevinLeave a comment
Interesting observation at the grocery store today. I do the majority of my shopping at Frys, near my home, or at the WalMart Supercenter a bit farther away. It is not remarkably unusual to see someone open-carrying in WalMart (usually in a nylon Uncle Mike’s holster – make of that what you will), but I can’t recall seeing anyone open carry at Frys.

Today there were three.