Maybe Warren Buffett Sucks After All

Perhaps he's getting senile in his old age, but the Oracle supports the Democrats. How disappointing. I suspected something was amiss when he donated billions to the Gates Foundation. How it's readily apparent that Buffett's got some issues. No serious capitalist would vote for a gun-grabbing socialist for president. Well, I'm totally disillusioned now.

Misquotes

Apparently several quotes often attributed to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are incorrect.

First of all, the Benjamin Franklin one. As referenced by Wikiquote and backed up by some scholarly research, this is the correct quote: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Certainly that's different than the one generally seen floating about on the Net.

Jefferson is the subject of many mis-attributed quotes. One often attributed to him is: "When the government fears the people, there is liberty; When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." I rather liked that one, too, but apparently he didn't say it (also, Wikiquote).

Oh yeah, Nietzsche is also frequently misquoted. The proper quote is: "Was ihn nicht umbringt, macht ihn stärker" (What does not kill him, makes him stronger.)

Akihabara News

Apparently some publisher has this blog team in Tokyo doing coverage of Japanese gadget items, etc. Interesting, though everyone has their own take on Akihabara.

OS X Hacks

Since the wife wants an Eee PC, the possibility of hacking OS X to install on it is attractive. (Although the hack is technically a license violation since it's "modification", I do have a spare, legal copy of Tiger.) Hence I went searching to see what kind of success people were having with it.

The Eee PC Wikipedia entry has a link to a site dedicated to getting OS X up and running on the Eee PC. Apparently it works to some extent, but there are a few issues. The tutorial there points to an article that first documented an install, which was in turn based on a generic "Hackintosh" howto. Apparently there are lots of peeps out there with prodigious amounts of spare time.

C|net Comments

A couple remarks posted on c|net regarding an article on the sad state of privacy in the U.S.:

Dalkorian: The Declaration of Independence says that it's the people's duty to overthrow corrupt government. As far as I can recall from my reading of the Constitution, it doesn't say anything about revolution. As a matter of fact, U.S. Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 115 spells out that it's a serious crime to plot sedition or advocate overthrow of government.

That doesn't mean the law is right -- laws are made by people, and people are often wrong. (This is why jury nullification is a necessary thing, though under-utilized.) Still, the federal government has become a huge piece of machinery, so unless you want to bring that down on your head alone, hold off until the right time, hopefully with the coordination of like-minded Patriots.

Note that a Patriot defends the Constitution, not the twisted mess that has grown up around it.

and

Absolutely. The 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is the means by which people can hold onto their freedoms when things go to far. It really has nothing to do with hunting, but this is how the bad guys pushed the 1968 Gun Control Act through in requiring sporting purpose for importation. The NFA and GCA were pushed through Democrat-controlled Congress with a Democrat president (FDR and LBJ) to ensure that no one interferes with their big-budget government morass.

Citizens should be able to own military weapons, period. They could pre-1934. All that's happened since then is that the average citizen's minds have gotten soft, since all they care about is the latest entertainment. Gun control is unconstitutional and is thus illegal. However, it's the citizens versus the people with a monopoly of force, so guess who loses?

When a citizen criticizing the government can be labeled a terrorist, and people become held for undeclared reasons, we're only a few steps away from total oppression. In that regard, Al Qaeda won, although America has been screwing itself for the past 80 years.

To Power-Down or Not To Power-Down

A c|net blog post led me to an article on Ask Leo that compelled me to post a reply. Here it is:

To Roger: Not all drives use the CSS (contact start/stop) mechanism you described. All Hitachi hard drives use a load/unload ramp, which causes no friction wear to the head. (Ramps can have other issues, however.) Seagate's 3.5" drives still use CSS, last I heard, so people who use that vendor may wish to avoid excessive power cycling.

Also, most spindle bearings are FDB (fluid dynamic bearings) so bearing wear isn't nearly as much of an issue as it used to be. Modern flex tapes generally don't have fatigue issues, either, at least from what I hear being in development. (I work in the industry.)

Other remarks: What does concern me is electronics wear with power cycling, since electromigration effects are greater as transistor size shrinks (current generation SOCs are 90nm). However, risk of head-disk interaction as a result of internal contamination, application of external force, or other issues (firmware problems, failure to park on an emergency power-off, etc.) counterbalances the argument to leaving a drive on all the time, since usage of the drive raises risk of HDI. Excessive heat due to the drive running can exacerbate thermal decay of written data, as well.

All drives will experience degradation of the magnetics because of superparamagnetism, whether they are on or off. This is a practical limit on the lifespan of a drive due to degradation of the once-written servo pattern. Copying data to an HDD and leaving it in the closet for 5 years is NOT safe -- I'd prefer optical media (just make sure to use a high-quality brand like Taiyo Yuden, not the cheap stuff).

In the end, because of the complexity of HDDs, the differences in models, and the difficulty of extracting probabilities of failure, whether to power down or not is still a matter of preference. I shut off most all of my HDDs when not in use, since I view the mechanical and magnetic risks to be greater than the electronics ones. Thus far, I've had good luck. If one chooses to leave a drive on all the time, definitely make sure it's well cooled. Multiple backups over multiple drives is the safe thing to do. Also, don't trust what the manufacturer says about drive life -- the one oddball failure on the Weibull projection could be the one with your data on it.

Baby Names

CNN had an article on "baby name remorse" that I felt I had to comment on. I'm unsure if they'll post my remarks, so here they are:

A baby's name isn't a reflection of a child—it's a reflection of the child's parents' inclinations. However, that's as important as any of the teachings and traditions that the parents choose to pass down to the child. In a way, it establishes some of the character of the child, since a name does alter perceptions by one's peers.

My father claims he made up my name as a derivative of his name. For the longest time I hated it because no one could spell or pronounce it. As I grew up, I got used to it, but could never quite reason whether I was different because I grew up with the name, or whether the name simply suited the character of my parental influence. Later, I discovered that the name wasn't unique (also a shock to my dad) and honestly was disappointed!

Certainly some parents want to set their kids apart; the wisdom of this depends on the character of the parents. I wouldn't overdo it: certainly the name should sound natural to the parents. ("Normal" people will pick a "normal" name, "strange" people will pick a "strange" name—that's the way it works!) The kid will grow into it. Thus it's natural that some parents second-guess themselves, but they should figure it out before the child latches on to the name.

#1 Sniper

I found an article online about the current record holder for longest distance confirmed kill, Cpl. Rob Furlong, a sniper in the Canadian Army. Shooting a man 2.43 km away is impressive, even if it took two shots to make the kill.

The weapon used was a McMillan TAC-50. The TAC-50's cheaper than a CheyTac M-200 by a long shot!

Japanese Gun Law

I was reading what Wikipedia has to say about the Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan Sensou), which had a link to the Meiji Haitourei, and from there I jumped to the Japanese version, which had a link to information about the current Japanese weapons law (Teppou Toukenrui Shoji Tou Torishimarihou, established in 1958). Talk about a convoluted path.

Pro-Firearm Commentary

Posts to the Pro-Firearm discussion board on Facebook:

Reasons for having firearms:

Any organism has only two directives: to survive and to reproduce. It's been observed that humans are distinct from other animals in that they use tools. Firearms are tools used to survive. Note that technology, once created, cannot be destroyed, so arms now can only be regulated by a monopoly of force (whether we're talking about firearms or nukes). A person who doesn't own his own arms when given the opportunity, abdicates control of his personal well-being, and surrenders himself to the benevolence of his neighbors. Not everyone is moral, so this isn't a good idea.

In a capitalist society, possession of means is power—the power to get what one wants. Rather than work for material wealth, some people acquire it by force. Therefore, a successful capitalist will necessarily possess the capacity to keep his wealth secure. A person who does not believe in bearing arms is not a true capitalist. Such a person, who expects the government to regulate his life, is really a socialist or a communist.

Anyone who believes in stocking away gold or food for a SHTF scenario, which is a wise diversification, needs to be able to protect those resources.

That was a sort of tongue-in-cheek answer, but I believe it. The truth is, I just like guns. Some people dig fast cars or gold watches or whatever, but to me, guns are more interesting (not that I don't like cars or watches). I don't trust the government, and I refuse to rely on the police to come to my rescue if I get robbed—cops are only there as a deterrent and to clean up the mess after the fact. I believe that the only freedom one has is the freedom one is willing to fight to hold on to.

Opinion on "no infringement" of the 2nd Amendment:

There should be no infringement. Anyone of the age of majority should be able to obtain a firearm. Background checks presume that you may be denied the right to purchase. That only happens when the government decides to exclude certain types of people. Currently that is felons (note that unauthorized computer access [!!] in many states is a felony) and people with psych issues, including veterans with PTSD. Consider that both of these groups are very subjective—I would call them arbitrary. Therefore NO individual should be disbarred the possession of arms, unless they are 1) a minor without parental approval, 2) in retention for the commission of a crime, or 3) serving a criminal sentence.

However, that applies to one's property only. Bearing arms in public is a separate matter. While Vermont Carry is admirable, not all places would like to have people carrying openly and unlicensed. Therefore, each state should be able to institute licensing of CCW as they see fit. People need a license to drive on public roads—but NOT private roads—so the analogy makes sense. Socially, that makes sense, too.

Another bit of food for thought: much of the argument about the right to bear arms centers around the value of human life. Personally, I think the life of someone who would kill another to steal his stuff is worth less than dirt. The ACLU would have you believe differently, but they're crazy. In the case where a bad guy took a gun on rampage, the armed good guys would shoot him dead, and that would be a GOOD thing. The Bible's "Thou shalt not kill" is a mistranslation: it really is closer to "Thou shalt not murder". Unprovoked killing is bad. Killing in self-defense is good. Until people agree on such value judgements, the argument about the right to bear arms won't get any less contentious.

Bin Laden in 1998

From a PBS interview with Bin Laden in 1998:

The American government is leading the country towards hell. ... We say to the Americans as people and to American mothers, if they cherish their lives and if they cherish their sons, they must elect an American patriotic government that caters to their interests not the interests of the Jews. If the present injustice continues with the wave of national consciousness, it will inevitably move the battle to American soil, just as Ramzi Yousef and others have done. This is my message to the American people. I urge them to find a serious administration that acts in their interest and does not attack people and violate their honor and pilfer their wealth. ...

AR-15 Maker

Found a site, AR-15 Plus (actually a company called Vida Rica, Inc.), selling kits of partially-completed receivers for AR-15 lowers. Apparently an 80% completed receiver doesn't require an FFL to receive, but is less work to 'smith than a flat or similarly raw part. At the price they're selling the lowers, though, it'd be cheaper and easier to just buy finished receivers, such as DPMS's, for about $210. The only advantage, as I can see it, is for someone who wants to build their own—or to fly under the gov'ment's radar.

曖昧3センチ

最近嫁はあるアニメのテーマソングにハマっていて、よく歌う。でも俺は歌詞の意味が全然理解できず、ネットで調べた。そんで、こんな面白いスレを発見。その「曖昧3センチ」ってのは「スカートの裾上げ」、「ウェストが伸びた」、「おっぱい」の隠喩などの説が伸びてある。実際は何の意味かまだ不明だが、わけ分からないのは俺だけじゃないのでひょっとした。

郵便番号検索

年賀状を出すために郵便番号を調べることがあり、検索サイトを探して日本郵便のページに辿り着いた。後で使うかもしれないからリンクを保存。

HK G3/91 Resources

Lately I've been consumed with the Heckler & Koch G3/91, and have read up extensively on it. Here are some of the fruits of my labor:

Parts Stores:

• Numrich - the best for general parts
• RTG - the cheapest source for mags, surplus parts, and some new parts
• HKParts - expensive, has the MagPul stock, rear sight adjustment tool, and MSG-90 buffer
• HKSpecialist - expensive, has the vented handguard, bipod, PSG-1 parts
• PTR - manufactures HK-91 clones on HK tooling from Portugal, and they also sell some parts
• HKPartsOnline (not very useful)
• Arizona Response Systems - HK refinishing and parts (no pictures)
• Hi-Vel (parts list, no pictures)
• POF-USA - manufactures some parts on HK tooling, like PTR, but their website is slightly broken
• Copes Distributing - has a good price on the Hensoldt scope with mount

Build Information:

• HK-91 disassembly/reassembly
• G3 build using Century Arms receiver
• G3 trigger disassembly

Mod Information:

• Williams' custom set trigger
• 'Smiths for G3 clones
• C&P for SEF grip frames
• Rail mod for the HK wide handguard

Specific Part Info:

• BufferTech's plastic buffer
• Picture of the famed heavy bipod (which I can't find for sale anywhere)
• Here's a good price on HK's mag loader/unloader
• Knight's Armament makes a RAS for the HK-91 (see the bottom of the link), sold here
• Brugger & Thomet Tri-Rail Handguard - The picture shows a brass catcher on a G3, but all DSArms has is one for the MP5
• Smith Enterprise makes a version of their Vortex flash hider for the HK-91 (spec), sold only by Brownell's
• Compensator
• "Recoil Eliminator", aka "tank brake/comp"
• PSG-1 style Ergo Grip for metal grip frames

List of Surplus Ammo

As for forums, HKPro is pretty cool. Useful posts:

• How to check the bolt gap
• Installing a heavy 2-stage buffer
• Picture of the different buffer options (G3, MSG-90, G3 heavy, HK-21)
• How to bend an HK flat
• How to avoid marks from attaching a claw mount (more info also on mg-42.net)

Manuals and such:

• G3 Armorer's Manual (found here)
• G3 Green Book

I may update this post as I find new stuff. Last update: 2008.04.13 20:25.

Blogger enabled OpenID

Interesting. OpenID looks cool, but is too insecure. There should be a middle-ground between OpenID and separate login.

Internet Crime Complaint Center

The IC3 handles complaints of Internet fraud, etc., for the FBI.

Gun Laws

Over on the Guns Network, I found a post with some links to gun law information. Notably, the 922(r) "foreign parts" law—which is total and utter gestapo bullshit—is detailed. One majorly useful piece is the state gun law summaries, which are better than the cut-and-paste ones that are on the BATFE site. Some of the links in the post above are outdated, but once you know what you're looking for, it's easier to find.

Comment on CNN Blurb to Ron Paul Donations

I posted a comment on the article, since I couldn't leave some asshole troll's comment alone.

To Robert of Pensacola, those comments are misguided and factually inaccurate. Dr. Paul's core base are middle-class individuals, not rich special interests, unlike donors to major campaigns who can afford to dump the maximum $2300 into their candidates' coffers. (Check FundRace for details.)

I'm a middle-class working stiff who's sick of government bloat and incompetence, and I've donated what I can. There are plenty of people like me who support Dr. Paul. Don't talk about things you don't know about or understand.

Furthermore, I've been a registered Republican for as long as I've been able to vote, and I'm disgusted with the current crop of "Republicans" who are closer to neo-cons than Republican. Dr. Paul's as close to a classical Republican as I've seen.

Vote Ron Paul!

FundRace 2008

When looking for fundraising information, after donating to Ron Paul's campaign, I found this site that shows all donors over $200 by name, zip code, company, and employer. This could be useful. Maybe I should donate an extra $100 so I get listed.

Riviera Maya

Don showed me a diving magazine that had a list of dive spots, and the Riviera Maya was one of them. Perhaps after going to Cozumel, that should be the next on the list for Mexico.

100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time?

From Rolling Stone, ca 2007. I haven't even heard of most of this shit! But, uh, Utada Hikaru is definitely not rock.

Military Optics

Some gear that would be cool to have, although since it's produced for the military, naturally it's expensive.

• Trijicon ACOG [ MFG, Wiki ]
• AimPoint CompM2 [ MFG, Wiki ]

Bruce Schneier Q&A

The Freakonomics site has a great Q&A session with security guru Bruce Schneier (blog).

Import/Export-Related

International Trade & Transportation Glossary - A very useful glossary to international trade jargon, including a chart of ocean/air container dimensions.
US Customs FIRMS Codes - "A US Customs FIRMS code is a four digit alpha-numeric identifier for a container freight station, warehouse deconsolidator, or other US Customs Service bonded facility."

ATF P 5300.5: State Laws and Published Ordinances on Firearms

Useful reference to firearms laws in all 50 states plus territories.

Supreme Court Showdown

Found a couple recent articles (1, 2) regarding the Supreme Court considering a ruling on whether the right to bear arms of the 2nd Amendment is an individual or collective right. I'm a bit nervous since if it doesn't go the right way, things may go downhill. We'll see.

Frame of Mind

Another article from Oprah.com featured on CNN that has some enlightening content. The "three key markers of pessimism": personal, permanent, and pervasive. Of course, being a pessimist, I like to think that I'm being realistic. At the same time, overestimating the extent of the badness is unhealthy as well. Wish I could find the right balance.

Charts and graphs of rap song lyrics

Got this link from Russ. My favorite was "Feeling of Well Being Based on Occupation"—friggin' hilarious!!

Stop Dwelling On It

Rare sage advice from Oprah's clique?

It's 5 p.m., the deadline for an important work project is at 6, and all you can think about is the fight you had with the next-door neighbor this morning. You're dwelling, says Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Yale and author of "Women Who Think Too Much."

"It's natural to look inward," she says, "but while most people pull out when they've done it enough, an overthinker will stay in the loop."

Ruminating regularly often leads to depression. So if you're prone to obsessing (and you know who you are), try these tactics to head off the next full-tilt mental spin cycle ...

Distract yourself

Put on music and dance, scrub the bathtub spotless, whatever engrosses you --for at least 10 minutes. "That's about the minimum time needed to break a cycle of thoughts," says Nolen-Hoeksema, who's been studying rumination for more than 20 years. Or choose something to focus on. "A friend told me that she once started counting the number of times the speaker at her conference said 'like,'" Nolen-Hoeksema recalls. "By the time he finished, she'd stopped ruminating."

Make a date to dwell

Tell yourself you can obsess all you want from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., but until then, you're banned. "By 6 p.m., you'll probably be able to think things through more clearly," says Nolen-Hoeksema.

Take a 3-minute dose of mindfulness

For one minute, eyes closed, acknowledge all the thoughts going through your mind. For the next minute, just focus on your breathing. Spend the last minute expanding your awareness from your breath to your entire body.

"Paying attention in this way gives you the room to see the questions you're asking yourself with less urgency and to reconsider them from a different perspective," says Zindel Segal, Ph.D., co-author of "The Mindful Way Through Depression."

Ask yourself ..

"What's the worst that could happen?" and "How would I cope?" Visualizing yourself handling the most extreme outcome should alleviate some anxiety, says Judith Beck, Ph.D., director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Then consider the likelihood that the worst will actually occur.

Next, imagine the best possible outcome; by this point, you'll be in a more positive frame of mind and better able to assess the situation more realistically.

Call a buddy

Ask a friend or relative to be your point person when your thoughts start to speed out of control.

Say "Oh, well."

Accept that you're human and make mistakes -- and then move on, says Beck. Be compassionate. It's harder than it sounds, so keep practicing.