- Andy's Most Useful Knots, a useful reference I found
- Walker Display picture system, seen at Hope Church
- Stamping World's The Strip Joint has a section on draw dies
- Connections, what AJE thought of when I mentioned my technology bootstrap idea
- Cora Deitz images, found via the Kate Upton FB page
- How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic: fodder to counter
2015-06-25
Remainder of Link Dump
It's been a link dump kind of morning. In addition to FFL-Related, BTC Stuff, Aeropress, and Books, I have:
Books
- Harvey Silverglate, Three Felonies a Day (examples)
- Mira Locher, Zen Gardens: The Complete Works of Shunmyo Masuno, Japan's Leading Garden Designer
- Bill Gifford, Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying)
- Damon Root, Overruled: The Long War for Control of the U.S. Supreme Court
FFL-Related
Link dump regarding FFLs.
- Minnesota Statute on firearms dealers: 624.7161
- Also relevant: legislative research on state firearms laws, circa 1999
- Minnesota Administrative Rules 7504 regarding security standards for firearms dealers
- Olmsted Planning Department; one would be wise to check
- Getting a home-based FFL, in four parts, from TFB.
- Department of State list of who must register with DDTC for manufacturing munitions list articles
- Tax and Trade Bureau's FAQ on the firearms excise tax
- ATF Ruling 2010-10 regarding what constitutes a manufacturer
2015-06-07
Joseph Olson & GOCRA
The lawyer I spoke with got her degree from Hamline University, and she mentioned that one of her professors was a Joe Olson, who she described as a big 2nd Amendment guy. The name sounded familiar, like he was involved with the Permit to Carry law passing. Well, I found his bio on the Hamline site, and he's got an impressive list of publications, including several with Clayton Cramer and David Kopel.
Furthermore, he founded GOCRA in 1989. GOCRA was instrumental in passing the permit to carry law, as well as legalizing suppressors in 2015. Prof. Olson stepped down as president of GOCRA in 2013, turning over the reigns to Andrew Rothman.
Furthermore, he founded GOCRA in 1989. GOCRA was instrumental in passing the permit to carry law, as well as legalizing suppressors in 2015. Prof. Olson stepped down as president of GOCRA in 2013, turning over the reigns to Andrew Rothman.
Firearms Laws
I loaned my copy of the ATF law book to my trust lawyer, and I realized I wanted to look up something. Oops. Well, it turns out that the guide is available in PDF, but picking out the individual constituent documents is useful too.
According to the National Archives, when a bill is signed into law, it's assigned a Public Law number, published as a Slip Law, and is included in the next Statutes at Large.
National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA34, Title II) [Wikipedia]
Public Law 73-474
Statutes at Large 48 Stat. 1236 [legislink]
26 USC 53 [GPO]
27 CFR 479 [GPO]
Destructive Devices weren't included in the text of the NFA, only MGs, SBRs, SBSes, and AOWs. The SCOTUS case Haynes v. U.S. [Wikipedia] [Justia] essentially said that a person couldn't be compelled to register an NFA item because it could be incriminating based on the 5th Amendment, but this was remedied by the passage of GCA68. (The case was decided Jan. 29, 1968, and GCA68 was passed Oct. 22, 1968.) The effects of GCA68 on NFA34 are described in a document from the ATF.
Amusingly, the other legal challenge to NFA34, U.S. v. Miller [Wikipedia] [Justia] [LII] [rkba.org], was predicated on that a sawed-off shotgun isn't a militia weapon, and therefore wasn't protected under the 2nd Amendment. This was patently false, since SBS "trench guns" were in fact used in World War I; unfortunately, the defendant didn't show up, due to being deceased, and the assertion was uncontested. However, GCA68 reversed that line of assertion, in proclaiming that items without a sporting use are not protected.
Public Law 90-618
Statutes at Large 82 Stat. 1213-2 [legislink]
18 USC 44 [GPO]
27 CFR 478 [GPO]
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 [Wikipedia] slightly predates GCA68, and prohibited inter-state trade in handguns.
The Wikipedia list of gun laws in the U.S. shows a bunch of other legal noise, too.
ATF NFA FAQ
Bardwell's NFA FAQ
Re the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 that imposed an excise tax on firearms and ammunition: CRS 7-5700.
2015-05-29
Anonymity
PIA is cool. So is Mailinator.
BitTorrent over Tor is a bad idea because most BT clients insert the IP address into tracker info, and web traffic is bundled with the BT traffic, resulting in piercing the veil of anonymity.
Get a gift card and sign up for PIA using Mailinator. At the very least, one can skirt the DMCA! ;-)
BitTorrent over Tor is a bad idea because most BT clients insert the IP address into tracker info, and web traffic is bundled with the BT traffic, resulting in piercing the veil of anonymity.
Get a gift card and sign up for PIA using Mailinator. At the very least, one can skirt the DMCA! ;-)
Suppressors
Holy hell, it happened! Minnesota legalized sound suppressors!! As per SF 878 / HF 849. May 22nd was a beautiful day.
There's going to be one helluva backlog, though. According to NFATracker.com, the Form 4 wait times are in the realm of 3 months from the time the check is cashed. According to SilencerShop.com, the Form 4 wait times are at 4 months for trusts, and 6-8 months for individuals. And that's after the Form 3 transfer between dealers!
The ATF isn't accepting e-file for Form 4 (transfer of NFA firearm) submissions, but they are for Form 1 (making NFA firearm). Hence some people are recommending using a kit to build one's own for minimum wait time. SD Tactical Arms makes one such kit, as detailed on ar15news.com.
There's going to be one helluva backlog, though. According to NFATracker.com, the Form 4 wait times are in the realm of 3 months from the time the check is cashed. According to SilencerShop.com, the Form 4 wait times are at 4 months for trusts, and 6-8 months for individuals. And that's after the Form 3 transfer between dealers!
The ATF isn't accepting e-file for Form 4 (transfer of NFA firearm) submissions, but they are for Form 1 (making NFA firearm). Hence some people are recommending using a kit to build one's own for minimum wait time. SD Tactical Arms makes one such kit, as detailed on ar15news.com.
2015-05-12
Net Neutrality Noise
Well, this has been open in my browser since...February. Time to dump it into here.
The Daily Caller had an article against NN that linked to Ajit Pai's dissenting statement and has a video with some remarks. The FCC's "Open Internet" (a misnomer if I ever saw one, considering government regulation) page has some of the other remarks as well.
Of course I don't agree with the co-opted version of network neutrality (distinguished in uppercase) because it inserts government into something that's supposed to be open. That ought to cause cognitive dissonance in anyone with a brain. The prior net neutrality was to avoid such interference, and then the FCC picked up the name and changed what it meant. Brilliant. And people are stupid, so they fell for it. Ah well.
The Daily Caller had an article against NN that linked to Ajit Pai's dissenting statement and has a video with some remarks. The FCC's "Open Internet" (a misnomer if I ever saw one, considering government regulation) page has some of the other remarks as well.
Of course I don't agree with the co-opted version of network neutrality (distinguished in uppercase) because it inserts government into something that's supposed to be open. That ought to cause cognitive dissonance in anyone with a brain. The prior net neutrality was to avoid such interference, and then the FCC picked up the name and changed what it meant. Brilliant. And people are stupid, so they fell for it. Ah well.
2015-04-28
Processing 300 BLK Brass
Here's one process, anyway:
The brass is first cleaned and polished including a final polish in stainless steel to get that new car shine. It is then deprimed using a Dillon Universal Depriming Die and trimmed to 300 BLK length using a Dillon RT1200. All cases are trimmed to no longer than 1.355 +/- .003 to fall within SAAMI specs, which should allow you to reload several times before having to do any trimming yourself. The cases are then swagged [sic] using a Dillon Swagging [sic] tool to remove the military crimp from the primer pocket.
mhddfs & GlusterFS
I haven't posted any links for a while. They've been piling up.
There's a FUSE plug-in for Linux called mhddfs that aggregates storage devices into a single virtual filesystem.
I'm thinking I'd like to use a SATA port multiplier to pull together a bunch of drives. (Such as those made by DAT Optic.) Unfortunately, that system wouldn't have any redundancy, although one could still copy to individual drives manually to establish multiple copies.
I also found reference to a distributed filesystem called GlusterFS that appears worthy of further investigation.
Addendum: SATA-IO has an article about port multipliers and the difference between implementations, i.e. command-based switching (CBS) vs. FIS-based switching (FBS or just FIS).
There's a FUSE plug-in for Linux called mhddfs that aggregates storage devices into a single virtual filesystem.
I'm thinking I'd like to use a SATA port multiplier to pull together a bunch of drives. (Such as those made by DAT Optic.) Unfortunately, that system wouldn't have any redundancy, although one could still copy to individual drives manually to establish multiple copies.
I also found reference to a distributed filesystem called GlusterFS that appears worthy of further investigation.
Addendum: SATA-IO has an article about port multipliers and the difference between implementations, i.e. command-based switching (CBS) vs. FIS-based switching (FBS or just FIS).
Porn Face
This collection of before and after images is highly disturbing. The power of cosmetics is truly frightening.
2015-03-18
.300 Blackout
Looking into what it takes to make .300 BLK (7.62x35mm) from 5.56 NATO, it seems as though using a cut-off saw with a jig is preferable to using a case trimmer. The latter is more for smaller lengths, and could be very time consuming to do.
A thread on FAL Files lists one guy's process. I saw a jig for sale on Amazon, but another thread mentioned "the original" on 300BlkTlk, which can also trim down 5.56 NATO for conversion to 7.62x25mm. This could be interesting.
2015-03-15
Link Dump!!
- Crash-only software, etc.
- Eat More Fat (sitting in my reader for five months?!)
- Surviving a winter storm without power
- 10 prepper games
- Augmented reality display comparison (Oculus Rift, etc.)
- Radon mitigation (diagram included)
- StartMail (whitepaper)
- Sullivan's Travels (saw this in Nov.)
The Millenial Mentality and Work
WSJ had an article on the recent trend that businesses are doing less criticism of employees and more talking about the positives. This reminds me of politics, where one comes off as negative when criticizing, even if true. My hunch is that the reported shift in management attitude is because of Millennials.
Yeah, I know I'm harsh on Millennials. As someone on the tail end of Gen X, I see a lot of people younger than me being totally vain and self-centered, expecting praise for every little thing they do, even if mediocre. There are very few Millennials who I can say that I trust, simply because from what I've seen, they have a lame work ethic. But yeah, they're the young people of today, so I can't totally shit on them.
Yeah, I know I'm harsh on Millennials. As someone on the tail end of Gen X, I see a lot of people younger than me being totally vain and self-centered, expecting praise for every little thing they do, even if mediocre. There are very few Millennials who I can say that I trust, simply because from what I've seen, they have a lame work ethic. But yeah, they're the young people of today, so I can't totally shit on them.
The Internet Doesn't Need to Be Saved
Libertarianism.org, the Cato Institute's broad blog on libertarianism, had a piece on "Net Neutrality" earlier this month.
2015-03-03
BaoFeng Radio Hacks
RJS sent me a link to a page with some information on hacking the BaoFeng UV5RA.
2015-02-21
AR-15 Retractable Stocks
Recently on Facebook I saw a picture of a Remington 870 with a retractable stock, which was completely badass. (There is a difference between retractable and collapsible.) I then set out to find it, but didn't see anything for an 870. It turns out that the picture was using an AR-15 stock adapter and a Nordic Components CRS (Compact Retractable Stock). Midway used to have them for $120, but they're now discontinued. There was a similar one made by Loki Weapons Systems, but they ran afoul of the ATF and are now defunct.
The only similar item I could find is the North Eastern Arms CCS (Compact Carbine Stock) over at Brownells. This isn't the same since it actually has a buffer tube, whereas the CRS only worked with buffer-less systems (such as the 870). Further, it includes a modified bolt carrier group and such, and so costs $330. Ow.
2015-01-04
Rare Ammo
A place I found online, Ammo-One, sells exotic and rare cartridges, such as .950 JDJ. Sweet!
However, they don't have 20mm, probably because it's for Destructive Devices. Somewhat related, a Federal website (FBO) has "business opportunities" for manufacturing 20mm ammunition. That'd be sweet to get into....
However, they don't have 20mm, probably because it's for Destructive Devices. Somewhat related, a Federal website (FBO) has "business opportunities" for manufacturing 20mm ammunition. That'd be sweet to get into....
Gun Parts
In addition to Numrich, another couple gun parts places crossed my path: Poppert's Gun Parts and Amherst Depot.
Targeted Display Mode
Newer iMacs have the capability to display video on the display from an external source. I picked up a Mini DisplayPort cable and was able to get my MBP to display on the larger monitor. To switch to external input, press Command-F2 on the iMac. This requires that the iMac boots normally, however.
Chris Kyle
Recently I came across a blog post regarding Chris Kyle and his mythology. It's quite the convincing piece. My feeling was that Jesse Ventura was in the right, simply based on the way that part of Kyle's book was written: it smacked of self-aggrandizing.
In any case, he still wasn't the deadliest sniper in the world: that honor still belongs to Simo Häyhä, who had 505 kills in the Russo-Finnish Winter War, and with a bolt-action rifle and no optics! Sounds like he didn't have a spotter, either.
In any case, he still wasn't the deadliest sniper in the world: that honor still belongs to Simo Häyhä, who had 505 kills in the Russo-Finnish Winter War, and with a bolt-action rifle and no optics! Sounds like he didn't have a spotter, either.
2014-11-21
Decoupling Capacitors
Had occasion to read up on the appropriate way to add decoupling capacitance to printed circuit board assemblies, and found a useful explanation. One conflicting element with what I've heard at work is that the paper mentions that power pins should be connected directly to the power plane via a via (ha!), whereas here we tend to put the cap near the pin connected by a trace which then goes to a via. Plus our component pads aren't shaped optimally according to the paper. Why can't it be simple?
Addendum [2015.03.15]: By the way, "Manhattan routing" is routing horizontal traces on one plane, and vertical traces on another. "Manhattan distance" is the corresponding length of a trace routed this way.
Addendum [2015.03.15]: By the way, "Manhattan routing" is routing horizontal traces on one plane, and vertical traces on another. "Manhattan distance" is the corresponding length of a trace routed this way.
2014-09-06
Articles
It's time for yet another link dump!!
- If Health Insurance Mandates Are Unconstitutional, Why Did the Founding Fathers Back Them? (obviously I disagree with the position, but it's insightful to see the opposition's logic)
- The IPO is dying. Marc Andreessen explains why.
- Ages of Revolution: How Old Were They on July 4, 1776?
- The Elephant was a Trojan Horse: On the Death of Map-Reduce at Google
- How To Turn One Garlic Bulb Into Lots Of Garlic Bulbs
- Make Ahead Complete Freezer Meals On The Cheap
- Buzz Aldrin @ Reddit
- American Meteorological Society Member Survey on Global Warming (the climate change bozos really hate this)
- Calling All Hackers: Help Us Build an Open Wireless Router
- NWSOFA Climate Change Team – Thorium, Molten Salt Reactors, and Green Energy
- Rich Kid, Poor Kid: For 30 Years, Baltimore Study Tracked Who Gets Ahead
- The executive order that led to mass spying, as told by NSA alumni
- Ham Radio: An "Old" Technology is a Lifesaver in the Emergency Field
- Root Cellar
glync
Apparently "glync" now exists as some sort of link tracker service. Amusing, but I've been using "glync" since early 2005, whereas their usage was late 2008. So there.
2014-08-19
OwnCloud on RPi
Running OwnCloud on a Raspberry Pi (tutorial) seems like a very worthwhile project. This will be a good application of the B+, with all those USB ports.
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