My go-to rifle is a Kel-Tec Sub2k, because it's compact and easy to travel with, and I presently qualify as a poor college student. It is also the first gun I've ever had that isn't 2-3 times my age. My fondness for it brings me to consider the place of subguns in the modern world.
Despite being a good deal smaller and lighter than most intermediate caliber carbines, it lacks any of the penetrating power or end effect while possessing only marginally lower recoil. AP rounds exist in 9mm, but are banned from sale to civilians. Likewise, the long barrel improves the power of the ammunition, but this in turn puts the ammunition outside of its intended ranges, causing weird, sub-optimal behavior, at least at close ranges before the bullet slows back to usual speed.
No matter how I look at it, no matter how much I love the handling and feel of pistol carbines, there's really no two ways about it; other than sharing ammo and magazines with a sidearm (maybe), they combine many of the downsides of a rifle with the weaknesses of a pistol.
At least they're (usually) inexpensive...
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
You say that like it's a bad thing
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/10-republican-senators-voted-to-force-businesses-to-hire-transvestites/
People grumping about other people actually supporting freedoms, because they're freedoms that the grumpers don't like. Sorry chumps, you get to support freedom or not, you don't get to pick and choose.
Oh hey, tags are a thing that exist. I should probably use them.
People grumping about other people actually supporting freedoms, because they're freedoms that the grumpers don't like. Sorry chumps, you get to support freedom or not, you don't get to pick and choose.
Oh hey, tags are a thing that exist. I should probably use them.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Fun with Eye Dominance
Based on that title, I'm sure all one of you that might read this are guessing that I have opposite eye/hand dominance. You would be incorrect. What I have is much, much more fun.
I have no dominant eye (Or is it double dominance?). Either way, those tests to determine your dominant eye? Don't work. Right hand always results in right eye dominance, left eye results in left eye dominance. When I do the "point at something with both hands, one hand will be right, the other will be wrong" test, both hands are perfectly on target. I can even switch which eye is acting as dominant, and FEEL it change.
This causes problems. My dominant eye defaults to whichever has the better view of the target. This makes focusing on the front sight with both eyes open very, very difficult, because my eye I'm NOT trying to aim with will take over as dominant, because it can see the front sight without the rear sight in the way. So far the only real way around this I've found is to focus on the target, and superimpose the sight picture into my view as one would with a red dot. It isn't perfect, but when I'm in practice with it I can shoot darn near as accurately as if I have my offhand eye closed.
Just thought I'd share this with whoever happens to read it, since I don't think I've ever heard of or met another person who entirely lacked a dominant eye.
I have no dominant eye (Or is it double dominance?). Either way, those tests to determine your dominant eye? Don't work. Right hand always results in right eye dominance, left eye results in left eye dominance. When I do the "point at something with both hands, one hand will be right, the other will be wrong" test, both hands are perfectly on target. I can even switch which eye is acting as dominant, and FEEL it change.
This causes problems. My dominant eye defaults to whichever has the better view of the target. This makes focusing on the front sight with both eyes open very, very difficult, because my eye I'm NOT trying to aim with will take over as dominant, because it can see the front sight without the rear sight in the way. So far the only real way around this I've found is to focus on the target, and superimpose the sight picture into my view as one would with a red dot. It isn't perfect, but when I'm in practice with it I can shoot darn near as accurately as if I have my offhand eye closed.
Just thought I'd share this with whoever happens to read it, since I don't think I've ever heard of or met another person who entirely lacked a dominant eye.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Magic... INNNNNN SPAAAAAAAAACE
While I was reading through the various books trying to figure out how to balance magic for high-tech combat, I couldn't help but note that utility magic remains incredibly powerful no matter the tech level. I saw a number of things that as I read what they did, pretty much clicked as "Every person in X career will know this at least a bit if they can".
I imagine every last spacer or submariner with any magery would know the create air and purify air spells. Ships of whatever type would kill for an engineseer, who would have the repair/rebuild spells (oh, this critical part snapped in half a million miles from anything? It's better now). The blueprint skill could probably be used as a debug tool to track down breaks that can't be located by standard diagnostics. There's a spell to create fuel or directly power a machine, either as an emergency thing, or just to create the pure, super essence of fuel that's many times better than regular in every way (talk about buying premium fuel). Heck, there's even a haircut spell that can be enchanted into an object to give a certain haircut on demand (and the enchantment itself is pretty cheap).
Methinks I need to start reading GURPS: Traveller, Interstellar Wars and figure out if it's easily compatible with magic, or if I have to use it as a jumping off point. I'd still mostly save the lore as much as possible, simply because I can only figure out the details of an entire world/solar system/galaxy/universe so many times.
I imagine every last spacer or submariner with any magery would know the create air and purify air spells. Ships of whatever type would kill for an engineseer, who would have the repair/rebuild spells (oh, this critical part snapped in half a million miles from anything? It's better now). The blueprint skill could probably be used as a debug tool to track down breaks that can't be located by standard diagnostics. There's a spell to create fuel or directly power a machine, either as an emergency thing, or just to create the pure, super essence of fuel that's many times better than regular in every way (talk about buying premium fuel). Heck, there's even a haircut spell that can be enchanted into an object to give a certain haircut on demand (and the enchantment itself is pretty cheap).
Methinks I need to start reading GURPS: Traveller, Interstellar Wars and figure out if it's easily compatible with magic, or if I have to use it as a jumping off point. I'd still mostly save the lore as much as possible, simply because I can only figure out the details of an entire world/solar system/galaxy/universe so many times.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Humanity and The Universe
A thought on space fiction or high fantasy (copied over from my facebook synopsis of the same link):
http://cnt.likealaugh.org/120LongDong/20130905-050047-120-318.jpg
http://cnt.likealaugh.org/120LongDong/20130905-050047-120-318.jpg
Self-imposed-challenge Costuming Project
Trying to whip up a folding/collapsible helmet, ala those carried by Dead Space RIGs.
Found one or two Folding bike helmets but they aren't the full-head space combat helmet that I want. I could make something with tons of parts, but of course I have to complicate things by setting the personal requirement of it being simple and sturdy. I can make a regular, non-folding helmet really easily, but I want this for conventions and such things where I'll be wearing the costume for long periods of time, so I can take the helmet off and stash it on my costume. I'm one of those weird people who's almost more comfortable wearing large amounts of clothing and/or armor and would be perfectly happy to wear my costume the whole day of whatever I'm at.
Ultimate goal for the costume is a combination of these two (the guy on the right for the second link).
Pictures will be forthcoming when I have something worth sharing.
It's also part of a personal project of trying to move humanity towards spacefaring capability; one of my beliefs for humanity as a spacefaring species is that we're going to need daily-wear spacesuits (Skinsuits, in GURPS parlance, basically space underwear. Put a helmet on it and you can go into vacuum, but it has no radiation shielding or other things you'd need for space, just enough to keep you from dying on the odd hull breach), and some manner of compact helmet to go with it. Space is a bad place to be, but we've had basic compression spacesuits since the 50s or so, so I predict it not being that much longer before we figure it out properly. The problem then remains helmets that aren't an obnoxious 1' sphere to lug around whenever you don't need it. Some kind of high strength plastic bag would probably work for EDC emergency use, but you'd want something sturdier if the odd jaunt into space is a routine possibility.
Found one or two Folding bike helmets but they aren't the full-head space combat helmet that I want. I could make something with tons of parts, but of course I have to complicate things by setting the personal requirement of it being simple and sturdy. I can make a regular, non-folding helmet really easily, but I want this for conventions and such things where I'll be wearing the costume for long periods of time, so I can take the helmet off and stash it on my costume. I'm one of those weird people who's almost more comfortable wearing large amounts of clothing and/or armor and would be perfectly happy to wear my costume the whole day of whatever I'm at.
Ultimate goal for the costume is a combination of these two (the guy on the right for the second link).
Pictures will be forthcoming when I have something worth sharing.
It's also part of a personal project of trying to move humanity towards spacefaring capability; one of my beliefs for humanity as a spacefaring species is that we're going to need daily-wear spacesuits (Skinsuits, in GURPS parlance, basically space underwear. Put a helmet on it and you can go into vacuum, but it has no radiation shielding or other things you'd need for space, just enough to keep you from dying on the odd hull breach), and some manner of compact helmet to go with it. Space is a bad place to be, but we've had basic compression spacesuits since the 50s or so, so I predict it not being that much longer before we figure it out properly. The problem then remains helmets that aren't an obnoxious 1' sphere to lug around whenever you don't need it. Some kind of high strength plastic bag would probably work for EDC emergency use, but you'd want something sturdier if the odd jaunt into space is a routine possibility.
Friday, November 1, 2013
The Buck Stops Where?
Just a thought on recent politics. The president and his administration keep getting into scandals, and inevitably it will be proclaimed that Barry O wasn't aware of it, so it can't be his fault.
This is incorrect. The Buck Stops Here, as they say. As the head of the executive branch, it is his JOB to know what the rest of the executive branch is doing. He is either responsible because he knew about it and didn't stop it (if not ordered it in the first place), or responsible because he failed in his duty to know what the executive branch is doing. Either way, he is at fault.
Pick one: incompetent figurehead who doesn't know anything about what his government is doing, or a petty tyrant using the force of government against anybody he doesn't care for and then lying poorly about it, or some combination thereof. It's kind of hard to see any other options.
This is incorrect. The Buck Stops Here, as they say. As the head of the executive branch, it is his JOB to know what the rest of the executive branch is doing. He is either responsible because he knew about it and didn't stop it (if not ordered it in the first place), or responsible because he failed in his duty to know what the executive branch is doing. Either way, he is at fault.
Pick one: incompetent figurehead who doesn't know anything about what his government is doing, or a petty tyrant using the force of government against anybody he doesn't care for and then lying poorly about it, or some combination thereof. It's kind of hard to see any other options.
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