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Typeminer
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Typeminer »

Dave wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:37 pmBut, take heart - no matter how painful and turbulent things are right now, they're nowhere near as bad as the futures portrayed in those movies.
I'm afraid, Dave.

Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. :mrgreen:
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Atomic
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Post by Atomic »

Typeminer wrote: Thu Nov 05, 2020 8:10 am
I'm afraid, Dave.

Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. :mrgreen:
Dave wrote:You should have opened the pod bay doors, Hal.
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Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

I've been watching a lot of videos featuring North Korean defectors lately. They're pretty interesting.
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lake_wrangler
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Lately, as I have been doing odd jobs around the main floor of the house, I kept playing videos on YouTube on my tablet, to have background noise that would keep me from getting bored. A number of those are of the type where people read threads from Reddit, with either revenge stories, tales from retail, or the "I don't work here, lady" thread. So I have become familiar with the type that is called the "Karen". I had never come across that term until I started listening to those videos. She is the type of entitled people who rudely demands service (even from people who don't work there), and more often than not demand to speak to the manager (and even more often than not, threatens to have hapless employee fired for not saying "how high" when she demanded they jump).

Apparently, those Karens can be seen in many situations, not only retail. I think I heard the male equivalent being called a Kevin, but I'm not sure.

Anyway. All this to say, that I think I have finally met my own, live version of the male Karen equivalent, on the road, no less: as I was driving the bus, and had to shift from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane (on a three lane road) in order to make a left turn at the next light, I started driving straight, while having my blinkers on. First car on my left moves forward, second car hangs back, so I can shift to the second lane. I do so, all the while continuing to signal my intention to continue changing lanes. There is a car in the third lane that is about next to the back wheel of the bus (this being an articulated bus, 62' long, with three axles), so he was clearly pretty far back, but not enough for me to be able to change lane, so I continue driving straight, continue using my left blinker, and make a sign with my hand out the window, as if to say "what gives?", as he accelerates in order to get ahead of my position. I honk my horn at him as he does so, since it was clearly just being rude on his part, rather than hang back a little, so I can complete the maneuver I had already started one lane ago. After he passed me, his passenger had his hand out the window, in a "calm down" type of gesture. I finish my lane change (as the car behind him was kind enough to let me over). As I near the next intersection, the lane splits, to add a left turn lane, and it so happens that shifting into that lane brings me next to the car that did not let me through.

I asked how long I needed to signal, before someone would deign let me through to change lane. He went on about how he was already midway to the bus, how I had just started using my turn signal, etc. (both false). I think I did try to say something to the effect that they were further back that they had just implied, but it was obvious that the guy was not listening. So I just close the front door of the bus, which I had opened in order to talk to them (no danger to clients, as they are not allowed in front of the front wheels, right now, due to COVID regulations, so no one was near the door). As the door closed, he said something about having me fired. I laughed. Then I opened the door again, to make it clear that I was indeed laughing at them, and asked if he really thought he had to power to have me fired. His passenger mentioned that they had it all on video, showing me his cell phone. I laughed some more, mentioned that they could try, but I had done nothing wrong, and closed the door, while laughing some more.

I guess that was the only thing he could think of to do or say, in his frustration at having been honked at for his discourteous behavior on the road...
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Yeah... asshole drivers piss me off a lot. Makes me wish I was able to commandeer that M60 tank I saw outside of the VFW down in Hamburg, AR. NOBODY wants to mess around with a tank.
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Alkarii
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Alkarii »

My brother and I presented our dad with a rifle we started building a couple years ago. When my brother test fired it before our dad got home, he used one of the magazines my dad kept when he left the army, and that was the first time that magazine had been used since Desert Storm.

He seemed pretty stoked about it.
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Atomic
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Post by Atomic »

I hope the ammunition was fresh and the magazine had been stored empty. Springs weaken and brass corrodes, you know! Once upon a time, I had the pleasure (?) of burning up some old ammo for a 30-40 Krag. The design had a single lug to hold the bolt shut, and an indent on the left side of the slide, perhaps as an oil channel. Some of the old ammo was a tad corroded inside (I know enough not to fire green brass), so I got Poofed at by the blow-back down that channel. Maybe the little darling was trying to kiss my cheek?
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Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

The ammo is new, and springs wear from use more than they do from prolonged compression, but the magazines had been empty for decades. However, that being said, these are GI mags that are easily more than 30 years old. It'd be a good idea to upgrade them all with new springs and anti-tilt followers, because even though they haven't been compressed in decades, there's bound to be rust on them, and the metal used in older magazine springs isn't as good as that used in newer springs. There's videos of folks using magazines that had been stored full for twenty years or so, and still work fine. But, again, these are issue mags from the late 80s, at best.
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Typeminer
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Post by Typeminer »

My dad got hold of a Mosin Nagant in the late 60s or early 70s, intending to use it for a deer rifle. It turned out not to be satisfactory, maybe because he had some modifications made that he said decades later were ill advised, but I don't know about the details of that. I know he had a handle welded onto the safety, because it was a disc that you're supposed to pull and turn, I believe. I have never fired the thing myself.

Anyhow, at the time, the ammunition apparently wasn't so good. When he was shooting in the sights, he had a hang fire on one round. Damn near shot himself in the foot when it finally went off. He was careful with firearms, but Mom gave him hell for that one.
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Atomic
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Post by Atomic »

Glad he's safe! Hang fire can take a while to resolve itself. Watching skeet shooting one day (guess who was flinging the birds?) and click - nothing. The guy held it for a good 15 seconds or so, then shifted to a muzzle down position to prepare to break the stock and unload. Just before doing so -- Ffffffffft -- and smoke while the shot rolled out the end of the barrel. Foul bore, but he got off easy!
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lake_wrangler
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Post by lake_wrangler »

Apparently, some people just aren't happy until they find something by which to be offended...




When you see them talk about "superchats" and donations, this is because unlike mainstream media outlets in Canada, Rebel News does not get subsidies from the government, but has to raise its own funds. The upside is, this allows them to actually be impartial and objective when reporting the news (well, at least they are less subjective than the other outlets... we do all have our own biases, after all), so they will tackle issues that the other media outlets won't touch.
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lake_wrangler
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I... don't even know what to say...

Here's hoping this never comes true!

Alkarii
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There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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lake_wrangler
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Re: More Stuff

Post by lake_wrangler »

Alkarii wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:12 pm Wear body armor.
Two things I will remember from this video (apart from wondering what in the world am I watching - the timelapse of the two guys looked weird...) :

"Don't watch daytime television: it will only make you feel stupid."

And:

"Friends will help you move. Real friends will help you move a body."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Typeminer
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Post by Typeminer »

lake_wrangler wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:41 pm I... don't even know what to say...

Here's hoping this never comes true!

On the bright side, if it's on that channel, it's almost certainly not true.
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Alkarii
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Alkarii »

lake_wrangler wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 12:36 am
Alkarii wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:12 pm Wear body armor.
Two things I will remember from this video (apart from wondering what in the world am I watching - the timelapse of the two guys looked weird...) :

"Don't watch daytime television: it will only make you feel stupid."

And:

"Friends will help you move. Real friends will help you move a body."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yeah, there's a better video with the same audio. I'd have to find a way to rip it from one of my Sean Kennedy dvds and upload just that segment. The cool thing is that all the folks involved in it, including Sean himself, actually encourage such things, so long as credit is given where it's due and anyone copying and distributing Rant Media's work does so for free.

Sean used to be in the Canadian army as an artillerist, and later worked as a security guard. He also got into a lot of shit back in the 80s for playing D&D and other RPGs. Nowadays, he's a writer. I have a pdf of one of his old books, too.
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lake_wrangler
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Post by lake_wrangler »

Typeminer wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:12 am
lake_wrangler wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:41 pm I... don't even know what to say...

Here's hoping this never comes true!

On the bright side, if it's on that channel, it's almost certainly not true.
Oh? What facts exactly are you disputing?

They certainly didn't make up the essay itself, which I found within a few minutes of searching the World Economic Forum's website... (I also saved it as a PDF, in case it ever gets taken down...

So if the essay is real, there must be a problem with his interpretation of the essay, then.

So please, do elaborate: where exactly did he misunderstand the essay, and where did he go wrong in his interpretation?



To be honest, at this point, I trust Rebel News more than I trust CBC News, to stay informed. Sure, I don't get Rebel News in my truck, as I drive to work, and will listen to either CBC radio or Radio-Canada (the French language equivalent), but I find it ever so easy to spot their bias, it would be almost amusing, if it weren't so sad...
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Alkarii »

I finally got that rifle completely built. I just need sights/optics put on it, though I was intending to move the optic and magnifier from my AR-10 onto it, and get a decent scope for the AR-10.

After my brother and I dropped off my rifle to get the final parts put on it (along with getting the trigger honed, making for a very smooth pull and reset), we found a military surplus store not far from his house, and I ended up getting some stuff. They had some German and Italian stuff, the latter of which I hadn't seen before.

I'm gonna head up there on the weekends, so I can get some more cool stuff.
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lake_wrangler
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Post by lake_wrangler »

It's been a while since I posted on this subject, so here's the original comment thread, to refresh your memory, should you so desire. Otherwise, just go below the quote, you party pooper... :P
lake_wrangler wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:40 am
Dave wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:00 pm
lake_wrangler wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2020 8:49 pm I came home tonight, to find out that both mouse traps have been licked clean of peanut butter, yet the traps themselves are still untriggered!
Sounds as if you have an infestation of Mus ornithoptris (the North American hovering mouse).

Image

One thing you could try, is tying a couple of turns of twine around the trigger/bait platform, before baiting. If the mice chew on (or tug on) the twine to try to get to the bait caught under it, they'll be more likely to trigger the trap. Solid bait tied to the trigger has a similar benefit.

A friend of mine taught me the best way (he says) to make a standard Victor (or similar) rat trap more effective. First thing is to screw it down to a piece of 2x4 - this keeps the trap from flipping when it triggers. Second, put the trap in a narrow box (or wrap metal netting around it) so that there's only one direction that the rat can approach from... the baited end, where the bar will come crashing down.

Both of these tricks make it much harder for a rat to access the trap from a direction where it won't be hit if the trap triggers.
I have hot had time to make the suggested improvements to my Victor mouse traps (yes, it just so happened they were Victor traps...), and indeed I even stopped baiting and setting them, for a bit, until I had time to do so (why bother baiting and setting, if all I am doing is giving the mouse/mice a free meal, right?)

Then last night, while I was at my kitchen table, looking at some YouTube videos on my tablet, the mouse decided to peek out and roam around the kitchen counter and stove top. It did retreat to underneath the toaster oven, when I came by, but did not hide away into the walls. I even lifted the toaster oven twice, and the mouse just cowered there instead of scampering away. So I went and got my work gloves, using them as a physical barrier* (for some reason, I did not think of actually wearing the gloves, which would have probably been easier) and managed to cover the mouse with them. I puckered up the glove, with the mouse in it, and went outside, throwing the mouse into my backyard. (Not very far from the house, though... maybe I should have gone to the back of the yard to leave the mouse... I don't know.)

Now, I'll bait and set the traps again, to see if there are other mice, or if that was an isolated case, however unlikely that may be.




*The last time I tried to catch a rodent with my bare hands was back in 85, when I was working at a summer camp... there was a squirrel that was running around the storage room in the back of the kitchen. The head of maintenance guy was going after it with a hammer, but kept hitting where the squirrel had been... At one point, the squirrel started running up a set of shelves, and I reached out, with my hand, ahead of the squirrel, so that by the time I had reached the shelf, the squirrel had reached that spot. I caught the squirrel, which promptly bit me! (I know, right? The nerve of that squirrel...) As a reflex to it biting me, my hand squeezed... So much for the squirrel... it won't ever run around kitchen back rooms again... and I had to get a tetanus shot, just in case, because I couldn't remember when my last one had been.
I never did take time to do the suggested improvements to the mouse traps. I did hear the mouse a few times, underneath the toaster oven, but by the time I would go get my gloves (please refer to the squirrel incident quoted above, for more info), it would disappear again.

So recently, I decided to buy some glue boards, one of which I set underneath the toaster oven, this being where all other mouse sightings/hearings have occurred. Lo and behold, it worked:


I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed to find that they did not, in fact, have wings...<br /><br />You can tell they stayed alive for a bit, by the amount of poop pellets behind them on the glue board...  I supposed they fell prey to dehydration and/or starvation...
I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed to find that they did not, in fact, have wings...

You can tell they stayed alive for a bit, by the amount of poop pellets behind them on the glue board... I supposed they fell prey to dehydration and/or starvation...
20201127_102940_DSCF0292_1365_1024.JPG (132.8 KiB) Viewed 7307 times

That is quite the glue, on those boards!
That is quite the glue, on those boards!
20201127_103125_DSCF0293_1365_1024.JPG (98.98 KiB) Viewed 7307 times

Mice and gloves, safely put away in a Ziploc bag, to go into the garbage bag..
Mice and gloves, safely put away in a Ziploc bag, to go into the garbage bag..
20201127_103435_DSCF0294_1365_1024.JPG (122.84 KiB) Viewed 7307 times



I have set the glue board up underneath the toaster oven again, just in case there are more mice to catch.
Alkarii
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Alkarii »

My dad rescued a tiny kitten from the turning lane of a five lane road in southwest Little Rock this afternoon. She seems to be only a couple weeks old, and we can't get her to drink from the bottle. She only seems interested in sleeping somewhere warm.
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