Category: Personal Defense

Monday Links

May 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments

It’s going to be a little sparse on the ground this week.

First, we have a Reason article about Disney suing DeSantis. Based on statements made and the timing of actions, I think Disney has a decent case. I’m also not liking this populist trend of DeSantis using government power to achieve political ends regardless of civil liberties.

Next, Professor David Yamane has an article in The Hill explaining that Stand Your Ground laws do not give people a license to kill. I agree with a lot of commentators that the consistent repeating of this mantra is misinforming a large segment of the populace – who then rely on that misinformation to inform their actions. When it comes to self-defense, that has life-changing and life-ending consequences.

From The Verge, we have an article that Microsoft is shuttering a large segment of its peripheral business. They’re shifting to “premium” Surface-branded peripherals. Which means I probably need to stock up on some Sculpt keyboards.

The Drive has a profile of an Oregon company that does custom lifts for Subarus. Okay, the idea of lifting the Ward Wagon intrigues me, but the likelihood of me using any off-road capability is minimal.

Finally, Blabbermouth reports that a new Savatage album is coming next year. According to Jon Olivia, this will be the last album for Savatage. Thank you Jon for giving me decades of music.

Tab Clearing

April 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Monday Links was pre-empted by history. I still need to clear out some links that I’ve built up.

Let’s start with a few Reason articles.

First, one on the EPA banning the production of gas-powered cars. I’m not a fan of mandates. I know surprise.

Second, a discussion on the benefits of teen employment. I am a fan of young people learning work ethics from their first job. My years managing fast-food showed me the best and worst of employing teens.

Third, a discussion on proportional representation. I’m kind of leaning more and more to something like this.

From ABCNews comes a story about every gun owners worst nightmare. Police get wrong address, homeowner comes to the door with a gun, and as the article states “chaos ensues.” Homeowner ends up dead.

An article from Android Authority reports that the FBI warns not to use public charging ports. Also, don’t plug your phone into the USB ports in a rideshare or taxi. Just don’t.

An article from Bounding Into Comics about WoTC’s decision to remove half-races from Dungeons and Dragons. On the one hand, it invalidates decades of lore and characters (both in the novels and players’ favorite characters). On the other hand, it would be more in line with actual biology – unless orcs and elves are some form of human. On the gripping hand, the stated reason for the change is fucking bullshit.

Finally, an article about finding the original recording of the Wilhelm scream. H/t to FB friend Rob Reed.

Monday Links

April 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Let’s start with getting one of the big stories out of the way. Some asshole decided to shoot up a small private Christian school in Tennessee. The fact the asshole identified as transgender has sent the normal talking points all skewed. Here’s Operation Blazing Sword’s press release which probably encapsulates my feelings on the issue. I don’t judge a movement by its lunatic fringe – unless the moderates are celebrating the lunatic fringe.

Moving on to a couple of Reason articles.

US Trade Commission admits that tariffs caused increased prices to consumers. Which is what I’ve always said.

DeSantis signed a bill banning rent control and pre-empting local zoning. This could be good or bad. Particularly in the current housing market.

A couple of other serious items.

How do you treat someone who’s been a fixture of the local television and radio market for better than fifty years. According to The Tampa Bay Times, you fire him after a show to cut costs. I listened to Jack Harris for many a year – particularly before I got into podcasts.

According to Mac Rumors, General Motors is going to phase out CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its own infotainment system. Great way to make sure your vehicles are not in the running the next time the Ward household is in the market for a vehicle. Or renting a vehicle.

Wrapping up with a couple of light items.

Gizmodo discusses Makita’s portable microwave. Which, the prepper side of me is interested in, but the more realistic side is telling me I’m not the target audience.

And because of the explosion of crochet in the Ward household, we have a Guardian article about how crocheters tried using ChatGPT to create patterns and hilarity ensued.

Cameras Out, Not In

March 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

First, hat tip to Borepatch. I’d heard about this on one of my podcasts first, but he came with the article. According to The Register, police in Hamilton, Ohio served warrants to Ring for not only the videos for a person’s outside cameras, but those inside his home. Quoting liberally from the article:

Last year, around the Thanksgiving holiday, Ohio businessman Michael Larkin received a request for video from his Amazon Ring security system from Hamilton city police.

He complied, providing video from his doorbell camera that was stored on Ring’s servers. After balking at further demands, he subsequently learned that authorities had bypassed the need to get his consent by presenting Ring with a search warrant for video from several of his Ring cameras, including one that covered an indoor area of his home.

According to Politico, Larkin received a notice from Ring that the tech biz had received a warrant and was required to turn over video from numerous cameras, without giving the owner with any say in the matter.

The police reportedly sought neighborhood surveillance as part of a drug investigation in the US city. Larkin’s video-enabled Ring doorbell and other recording devices, they believed, might have captured information that would be helpful with their investigation.

The City of Hamilton Police Department did not respond to requests seeking comment about the scope of its search warrant.

EMPHASIS MINE

For transparency, Ward Manor uses the Echo ecosystem for its smart home stuff. This includes Ring cameras for the outside. We have the ubiquitous doorbell camera (because the one that came with Ward Manor sucks), and a couple more to cover areas that I can’t observe from the windows.

One rule I have enforced is I will not have dedicated cameras pointing inside the house.

Are there cameras inside? Yeah, but that’s because there’s somethings I can’t have without cameras, such as monitors the family uses to view the feeds from Ring. I don’t always like it, but for the Ward household, we’ve judged the trade-off acceptable.

When making your own arrangements, understand that any camera that feeds to anything other than a server you control, can be compromised. Plan accordingly.

EDC Post for 2023

March 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Another in my series of seeing how things change year over year. I tend to carry a lot of stuff. Here are my previous posts:

2018 post.

2019 post.

2020 post.

2021 post.

2022 post

My EDC hasn’t changed much since my post last year.

Just Around The House

This is the EDC I will carry most days that I don’t go outside the house.

Phone

I’m using an iPhone 12. I have the 128 GB model. I used to need to have all teh space, but since I work from home, I can manage more under Wi-Fi and need less space. I switched to a case that lets me use MagSafe chargers and has a small folding wallet for a few cards.

Earbuds

I’ve switched back to my Apple AirPods Pro. I particularly like Apple’s "transparent" mode which allows more of the outside sound through. I was trying a pair of Jabra’s, but they didn’t last the whole year. I’ll probably try them again, as I preferred the controls than to my AirPods.

Pocketknife

I carry a Leatherman Skeletool for just around the house. Much to The Wife’s chagrin, I’ve found I need a knife or one of the myriad of little tools far too often.

Flashlight

For walking around the house, I carry an older Streamlight ProTac. It’s good for quickly looking in shadowed and/or darkened areas. Like under the bed. It’s also surprisingly good at finding where one of the cat’s decided to mark its territory.

Watch

I’m using a 44mm Series 5 Apple Watch. I like the always on feature.

Going Out Of The House – On Person

Additional stuff when I’m going out.

Wallet

I use a Saddleback Large Leather Wallet. I keep a Tool Logic Credit Card inside it. It’s not that I use it that much. Mostly, it’s because I’ve had the damn thing for probably twenty-five years, and my wallet feels empty without it.

Keys

My brother picked me up a Lifelong Ring 300 key ring system. I mainly use the main big ring and have all of my keys on the wire key rings. In addition to my keys, I have:

  • Kingston 32GB Flash Drive – Because you never know when someone has a file they want to give you

  • Gerber Artifact – I’m not sure if Gerber is still selling these, but their Shard would be a good substitute

  • Surefire Sidekick – Of course, I have to have another flashlight. It doesn’t get used as much as it did when I was commuting in the dark early morning, but it’s still come in handy a couple of times.

Pocketknife

If I’m out of the house, the Leatherman gets switched out for a Kershaw-Emerson CQC-10.

Flashlight

For going out of the house, I carry a Streamlight ProTac 750 lumen flashlight. It’s too big to really be a pocket flashlight, so I carry it in one of my IWB spare magazine holders.

Pepper Spray

I carry a small Sabre Pepper Spray for when I need something between strong words and deadly force.

Pen

I carry around a CRKT tactical pen.

Sidearm

Unless I’m going to someplace I’m not legally allowed to carry, I generally have my Smith and Wesson M&P9 M2.0 equipped with a Streamlight TLR-1. I keep it and the spare magazine loaded with 124-grain Speer Gold Dots (since that’s what the local cops use). I’ve switched to using a Bravo Concealment kydex IWB holster after the leather on my hybrid started folding over and preventing good holstering. I’ve started using a pair of IWB kydex magazine holders for a spare magazine and my flashlight.

Going Out – The Bag

After much discussion with The Wife, I switched to carrying a 5.11 LV10 Sling Pack for carrying all the bits and bobs I normally carried in the pockets of my cargo jeans. Since I switched out to the bag, some of the items I normally carried were switched out for bigger items.

Electronics Support

In addition to the spare batteries for all my various items, I make sure I have the needed cords for all my devices. For charging, I use an Anker PowerCore I also keep a spare set of Apple Earpods in case my wireless earbuds aren’t working or out of power.

First Aid Stuff

Tools

  • Bic disposal lighter – Must Have Fire

  • Gerber Dime – This is a good little multi-tool for quick jobs. And the purple one I have is just cute.

  • Leatherman Skeletool – This is not the one I carry around the house. This is another that I happened to have. It lives in my bag since this one came with all the little bits Leathermen made to fit into the modular screwdriver.

  • Mini Tape Measure – I think mine is actually from Tractor Supply, but running around with The Wife necessitates having a tape measure when she finds stuff for the house.

  • Reusable twist ties

  • Smith and Wesson M&P tactical pen – Because writing. And tactical. And there may be more than one.

  • Streamlight Polytac X Flashlight – Yes, I have another flashlight. Don’t judge. I like this one because it has a rechargeable battery, but will also run on a couple of CR123’s.

Odds and Ends

  • Amazon Microfiber Cloth – These are really handy for cleaning my eyeglasses and my electronics’ screens.

  • Hand Sanitizer – I prefer the small little bottles from Bath and Bodyworks.

  • Post-It Notes – Because you never know when you’ll need to write something down or leave a note for someone. I like the vibrant colors in case I need my note to draw attention.

  • Travel Pack Tissues – Because allergies. And occasional cleaning.

  • More magazines – Since I had the space, I figured I could keep a couple more spare magazines in a Blackhawk Double Magazine Pouch. Yes, the likelihood I’ll need these is very low. It’s still comforting to have another thirty-four rounds available.

  • Emergency cash – No, I’m not going to say how much

Preventing Mass Attacks In Public Spaces

February 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

First, hat tip to Active Response Training for putting this on their weekend knowledge dump.

Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center recently put out a report “Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016-2020. You can go to the link and get your own copy.

The definition of a mass attack used by the report is an incident in which three or more people, not including the perpetrator, were harmed during an attack in a public or semi-public space. Between 2016 and 2020, the NTAC identified 173 of these incidents.

The TLDR is that the perpetrators were known to have issues that made people wary of them, often had a history of violence, and most used guns that were often possessed illegally. This is my shocked face after seeing the results of investigations into some of the more high profile cases.

From the Executive Summary:

The 173 attacks contained in this report impacted a variety of locations, including businesses/workplaces, schools, houses
of worship, military bases, nonprofit service providers, residential complexes, public transportation, and open spaces.
In many cases, the attacker had a known affiliation with the site of the attack.

Snip

  • Most of the attackers had exhibited behavior that elicited concern in family members, friends, neighbors, classmates,
    co-workers, and others, and in many cases, those individuals feared for the safety of themselves or others.
  • Many attackers had a history of physically aggressive or intimidating behaviors, evidenced by prior violent criminal
    arrests/charges, domestic violence, or other acts of violence toward others.
  • Half of the attackers were motivated by grievances, and were retaliating for perceived wrongs related to personal,
    domestic, or workplace issues.
  • Most of the attackers used firearms, and many of those firearms were possessed illegally at the time of the attack
  • One-quarter of the attackers subscribed to a belief system involving conspiracies or hateful ideologies, including anti-government, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic views.
  • Many attackers experienced stressful events across various life domains, including family/romantic relationships, personal issues, employment, and legal issues. In some of these cases, attackers experienced a specific triggering event prior to perpetrating the attack.
  • Over half of the attackers experienced mental health symptoms prior to or at the time of their attacks, including depression, psychotic symptoms, and suicidal thoughts

Again, this is not surprising to those who have seen coverage of these types of attacks over the years.

Looking in the back, the NTAC had some interesting stats. Approximately 73% of the attacks were done with a gun. Of those, three-quarters were done with handguns. Here’s another part I found interesting:

Mass shootings have been perpetrated by those who were legally prohibited from possessing firearms. One-third of attackers in this study were prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm, including those with a prior felony or domestic violence conviction, fugitives from justice, those previously adjudicated incompetent or involuntarily committed to a mental health institution, and those who were currently the subject of a domestic-related protection order. Despite these prohibitions, 38 of these attackers used firearms during their attacks, including those that were acquired through straw purchases, theft, purchases from private sellers, and purchasing parts online.

emphasis mine

IMHO, those of us in the gun community already know some of this. We also have the benefit of being able to discern what would be considered normal behavior for a gun enthusiast and someone who’s acting in ways that could be indicators.

State of Podcasts – 2023

February 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Previous posts:

<p><a href="http://www.derek-ward.com/2018/03/state-of-my-podcasts/">State Of Podcasts 2018</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2019/03/state-of-podcasts-2019/">State of Podcasts 2019</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2020/03/state-of-podcasts-2020/">State of Podcasts 2020</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2021/02/state-of-the-podcasts-2021/">State of Podcasts 2021</a></p>

State of Podcasts 2022

This is the sixth year I’ve reviewed which podcasts I listen to, how I listen to them, and when I listen to them. Part of it’s my own curiosity at how my podcast habits change. I’m also curious what others think about the same podcasts and which podcasts come and go.

I listen to my podcasts in Overcast. I prefer Overcast because the app deletes podcasts I’ve listened to, plus it has a smart speed feature which will speed up if it hears dead air. Generally, I listen to my podcasts at 2X speed.

Rather than try to fit podcasts into categories, I apply categories to the podcasts. Also, I try to listen to podcasts "with a shelf life" (i.e., current events) first. I’m going to include the show’s "blurb" and then any of my comments.

Podcast Categories

Comedy – One of the central themes of the podcast is making me laugh

Debate – The podcast uses a formal debate format

Economics – Discusses economic theory and impacts

Entertainment – Main subject matter is an entertainment form or persons

Free Speech – Discussing the current issues and assaults on free speech culture and laws

Government – Discusses the review of government operations

Guns – Discussing gun hardware and associated technology and skills

History – Delving into history in general or one facet/era

Legal – Discussing legal cases and theories

Libertarianism – Discusses libertarian theory

Interview – Substantial episodes interviewing guests

Opposing Views – Hosts regularly espouse politics or theories that are substantially different to my own

Prepping – Discussing prepping gear, methods, and skills

Politics Of The Day (POTD) – Discussion of current political events

Right To Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA) – Discusses issues around gun rights

Science – Discussing current science news and skepticism-related issues

Self-Defense – Discussing best practices for self-defense

True Crime – Podcast is a narrative/story of real crime events

War – Discusses issues surrounding armed conflicts

Writing Improvement – Helps me improve my writing

My podcasts as of February 2022:

Active Self Protection Podcast (Guns, Interview, RKBA, Self-Defense) – Active Self Protection exists to help good, sane, moral, prudent people in all walks of life to more effectively protect themselves and their loved ones from criminal violence. On the ASP Podcast, you will hear stories of life or death self defense encounters from the men and women that lived them. If you are interested in the Second Amendment, self defense and defensive firearms use, martial arts or the use of less than lethal tools used in the real world to defend life and family, you will find this riveting. One of the shows I listen to build up my "scenario card file" for self defense. Plus, the end segment with the host of The Reload (see below) is excellent.

Advisory Opinions (Legal, POTD) – Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur have a weekly conversation about the law, culture, and why it matters This one helps me understand how the law "thinks" and why it sometimes is at odds with what people think it should think.

Alienating the Audience (Interview, Entertainment, Science, Skepticism) – Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what’s science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets. This hasn’t been active since April of 2022, but it has some excellent discussions on different aspects of sci-if. The comedy bits aren’t my favorite, and I tend to skip them.

Angry Planet (War, Interview, Opposing Views) – Conversations about conflict on an angry planet. Formerly known as War College, this podcast is an interesting look at politics and military issues through interviews with specialists, but definitely not from my political point of view.

Assorted Calibers Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Entertainment, Interview, Self-Defense) – Everything including the kitchen sink. Weer’d Beard and Erin Pallette are the real reason I listen to this, but the other segments are generally surprisingly good. I’m also a patron, and listen to the Mag Dump round tables, Film Tracks, and Blooper Reels (which are hysterically funny).

Black Man With A Gun (Guns, RKBA, Interview, Self-Defense) – Discover American history, gun training tips, product reviews, and interviews with great people on the responsible, family friendly, gun owners podcast hosted by Kenn Blanchard (since 2007). I have a soft spot for this podcast as it was one of the first podcasts I found. Plus, there was the whole Zombie Strike thing.

Blocked and Reported (Free Speech, POTD) – Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster files. This one is just full of amusing internet drama. Okay, sometimes the internet drama is more worrying than entertaining.

Bound By Oath (Legal, Libertarianism) – Bound By Oath is a new podcast by IJ’s Center for Judicial Engagement where the Constitution’s past catches up to the present. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution requires every judge to be "bound by Oath" to uphold "this Constitution". But to understand if judges are following that oath, it’s important to ask, "What is in ‘this Constitution’"? In this podcast series, Short Circuit takes a deep dive into specific parts of the Constitution, starting with the 14th Amendment, which turned 150 in 2018. "Bound By Oath" features interviews with historians, legal scholars, and the real people involved in historical and contemporary cases. The first season was on the 14th amendment and the second was on qualified immunity. Good primer on the legal issues surrounding those topics.

The Bradenton Times Podcast (POTD, Interview, Opposing Views) – A weekly podcast by the Bradenton Times that highlights the people and issues in the Manatee County community. This is one I use to get to know what’s going on in my local community. And as much as I disagree with the host, at least he makes me think and re-evaluate my stances.

Bribe, Swindle, and Steal (Interview, True Crime, Opposing Views, Writing Improvement) – Alexandra Wrage, president of TRACE, interviews luminaries in the field of financial crime, including bribery, fraud, money-laundering, inside trading and sanctions. Each week, Alexandra and her guests will discuss who commits "white collar crime", how it works, and what is being done to stop it.

The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast (Interview, POTD) – A show about politics, music, technology, rollercoasters, golf carts, and the United States of America. The spiritual successor to Mad Dogs and Englishmen after Kevin Williamson’s departure to The Dispatch. Charlie Cooke’s still providing thought provoking takes and brings on guests to expound on them.

Clockwise (Tech) – Clockwise is a rapid-fire discussion of current technology issues hosted by Dan Moren and Mikah Sargeant and featuring two special guests each week. Four people, four topics – and because we’re always watching the clock, no episode is longer than 30 minutes. Generally enjoyable, even though it gets a little too Apple-centric or a little too media-centric.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (History, Writing Improvement) – In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn’t academic history (and Carlin isn’t a historian) but the podcast’s unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners. This podcast is a master craft in how to tell history in an exciting and entertaining way. It’s probably better to treat the arcs as audiobooks and just listen to them all at once to get the width and breadth of the story. This updates very infrequently.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Addendum (History, Interview, Writing) – Interviews, musings and extra material from the makers of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. If it did not fit in the HH feed it’s probably here. A companion to the Hardcore History podcast where Dan Carlin does segments outside his normal narrative style. Often very informative.

The Dispatch Podcast (POTD, Interview) – Host Sarah Imgur is joined by Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and David French for a weekly thoughtful discussion on politics, policy, and culture. The panel rotates a bit more often with other members of the Dispatch staff which gives the panel discussion a wider variety. The interviews are always entertaining.

The Economist Asks (Interview) – One question posed to a high-profile newsmaker, followed up with lively debate. Anne McElvoy hosts The Economist’s chat show. It’s mostly an interview with a newsmaker on an issue. The host doesn’t really have a lively debate, but occasionally asks more probing questions.

Econtalk (Interview, Economics)- Econtalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford’s Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it’s like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. I’ve been learning a lot on economics, and even more on some wildly different topics.

Editor’s Picks From The Economist (POTD, Opposing Views) – Selected articles from the audio edition of The Economist. I listen to the Economist, because it provides a different perspective and reports on areas that barely hit my normal feeds.

The Editors (POTD) – Unravel the threads of American politics with incisive commentary and in-depth analysis on the state of the political scene. Editors from National Review discussing the issues of the day. Part of my keeping an idea of the conservative side of the issues of the day.

Fall of Civilizations Podcast (History, Writing Improvement) – A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fail? And what did it feel like to watch it happen? This is a good companion to Hardcore History and Revolutions. Not that they cover the same things, but this one does an excellent job in showing the decline and fall of various civilizations from every level.

FBI Retired Case File Review (Interview, True Crime, Writing Improvement) – Host Jerri Williams is a retired FBI agent and author on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does by interviewing retired agents, her former colleagues, about their most intriguing and high-profiled cases, as well as fascinating but not as well-known FBI investigations. This has been very useful in dispelling some misconceptions about how the FBI works. Plus many of the cases are very compelling.

The Fifth Column (POTD, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – Your weekly rhetorical assault on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (formerly Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. This is an excellent roundup focusing on the issues of the day and how the media reports them. They also bring on guests who will disagree with them and have excellent discussions.

Geeks Gadgets and Guns (Guns, Tech, Entertainment, POTD, RKBA) – A show of geeks discussing passions from technology and video games to firearms, design, history, and testing. A roundtable of geeks discussing guns and other geeky stuff with sometimes politics intruding.

GLoP Culture (POTD, Entertainment) – Jonah Goldberg, Commentary’s John Podhoretz, and Ricochet’s Rob Long discuss culture and politics. The hosts often muse on current POTD and culture through the lens of Gen X experiences.

Government Accountability Office Podcast: Watchdog Report (Interview, Government) – Featuring interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports, the Watchdog Report is recorded, hosted, and produced by GAO staff. The Government Accountability Office discussed some of their reviews they’ve done on federal agencies. Kinda dry, with occasional interesting insights.

Gun and Gear Review (Guns) – Gun Reviews – Gear Reviews This is a good review podcast for new stuff in the gun world. I enjoy the reviews and the banter between the hosts.

Guns Guide To Liberals (RKBA) – Talking guns across the aisle with better communication and better arguments. This is a good podcast focusing on techniques to use when talking about guns and RKBA to those who don’t share our views. Not active, but would recommend going back and listening to the whole series.

Handgun Radio (Guns, Interview, Self-Defense) – Your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world. Delving more into the history and technological aspects of guns – mostly handguns. Also, just fun musings on different aspects of guns. Sometimes they bring on interesting guests.

High Caliber History (Guns, History, Interview) – A podcast for enthusiasts about firearms, history, museums, and more, with a goal of providing an understanding of what it’s like to work with these items in an environment that is becoming less and less accepting of the scholarship and work being done in this field. Logan Metesh interviews specialists on the history of guns, as well as lending his own vast expertise.

The History of WWII Podcast (History, Interview) – A biweekly podcast covering the last Great War. Join Ray Harris Jr as he explores World War Two in intimate detail. This one is going through WWII chronologically, with interview episodes interspersed. Good for learning about areas where my own knowledge is skimpy.

Honestly (Free Speech, Interview, Opposing Views) – The most interesting conversations in American life now happen in private. This show is bringing them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss. Sometimes this one is interviews, and sometimes Bari brings on several guests for a panel to discuss an issue.

Honoverse Today (Entertainment, Writing Improvement) – Honoverse Today is a fan podcast providing review, commentary, and opinion for the Honor Harrington and Honorverse book series written by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The Honor Harrington series is one of the largest and most successful science fiction series in history. Yet it has never had a podcast. Until now. The series chronicles the life and world of Honor Harrington from her humble beginnings through the changing of the galactic order. The series includes 14 main series books, 2 spinoff series, several anthologies, 2 prequels, a comic series (which we will not be covering at this point), and several non-fiction reference and/or RPG game books. Honorverse Today will be covering the body of fictional stories, with the possible exception of the comics. More imporant, we will be covering all of the books in publication order. The three hosts analyze the Honor Harrington books. The nifty catch is that two of them are brand new to the series, while the third is a fan who has read the series multiple times. It’s interesting to hear the different items they pick out from the books.

The Incomparable Game Show (Comedy) – The people of The Incomparable play various games, including trivia, classic board games, word games, and even a few reimagined classic game shows from years gone by. Rotating panels playing rotating series of ostensibly board games. Often hilarious, sometimes dangerously so when driving. Some of the games I look forward to, others I bypass.

Left, Right, & Center (POTD, Opposing Views) – Left, Right, and Center is KCRW’s weekly civilized yet provocative confrontation over politics, policy and pop culture. This podcast covers the week’s political events with a progressive, a conservative, and a host who’s a left-leaning centrist. Guests are brought on to provide additional commentary – who tend to be overwhelmingly on the left-side of the aisles. Still, the debates are more conversational rather than confrontational.

Managing Uncertainty (Prepping, Writing Improvement) – Welcome to Managing Uncertainty, a podcast series discussing crisis management, business continuity, and crisis communications. You’ll learn strategies, tactics, and resources about preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all sorts of disruptions and critical moments. Will you be ready to lead through your company’s critical moment? This podcast is mainly focused on risk management from an organizational standpoint, but I find it’s useful as a prepping exercise as well.

The Michael Shermer Show (Interview, Science, Opposing Views) – The Michael Shermer Show is a series of long-form conversations between Dr. Michael Shermer and leading scientists, philosophers, historians, scholars, writers and thinkers about the most important issues of our times. Very thought provoking conversations as Dr. Shermer interviews scientists, scholars, and other intellectuals – generally on their new books.

Part of the Problem (POTD, Libertarianism) – Dave Smith expounds upon current events, our government, foreign policy, and all things Libertarian. He is part of the new generation of pundits. He’ll educate you and open your eyes to the possibility of a truly feee nation. Rabid anti-war libertarian comedian Dave Smith is interesting. He’s certainly challenging some of my ideas. Particularly when he veers over to the conspiracy theories.

The Political Orphanage (Interview, Libertarianism) – Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff. Andrew Heaton interviews a variety of individuals to discuss issues. Not necessarily just the POTD.

Pop & Locke (Entertainment, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – Political ideas meet pop culture. This one looks at pop culture media (books, TV, movies) through the libertarian lens. Sometimes the panel goes a little more woke than I appreciate.

Popular Front (Interview, War, Opposing Views) – Popular Front is a grassroots media organization that focuses solely on war and conflict. We go deeper than mainstream news in a way that makes important war coverage accessible for everyone. The podcast focuses on the niche details of modern warfare and underreported conflict. A look into smaller conflicts going on or unusual aspects of modern warfare.

Power Problems (Interview, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – Power Problems is a bi-weekly podcast from the Cato Institute. Host John Glaser offers a skeptical take on U.S. foreign policy, and discusses today’s big questions in international security with distinguished guests from across the political spectrum.

Quillette Podcast (Interviews, Free Speech) – Quillette is an online magazine founded by Australian writer Claire Lehman. The publication has a primary focus on science, technology, news, culture, and politics. Interviews and articles focusing in on free speech issues and cancel culture.

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie (Interview, Liberatarianism) – Want to know comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century. Reason editor interviews a variety of guests. This would be an even better podcast if they had a different host.

The Reason Roundtable (POTD) – Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of "Free Minds and Free Markets" – Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman – discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

The Remnant With Jonah Goldberg (Interview, POTD) – In "The Remnant", Jonah Goldberg enlists a "Cannonball Run"-style cast of stars, has-beens, and never-weres to address the most pressing issues of the day. Is America doomed? Has liberalism failed? And will mankind ever invent something better than ’90s-era "Simpsons"? Mixing political history, pop culture, rank punditry, and shameless book-plugging, Goldberg and guests will have the kinds of conversations we wish they features on TV. And the nudity will (almost) always be tasteful. Brace your bingo cards. The Wednesday show is interviewing pundits, politicians, and others. The Friday show is Jonah musings.

Revolutions (History, Writing Improvement) – A weekly podcasting exploring great revolutions. Really good series on various revolutions. Each season goes through one of the more pivotal revolutions in history, starting with the English Revolution. It’s ended its run, but I’m still getting through the appendices.

The Rewatchables – (Entertainment) – "The Rewatchables", a filme podcast from The Ringer Podcast Network, features The Ringer’s Bill Simmonds and a roundtable of people from the Ringer universe discussing movies they can’t seem to stop watching. Variety panel of guests discussing a movie that is considered highly rewatchable. Depending on what movie they’re reviewing, if it’s one I haven’t seen, I’ll delete it. The categories are neat, but sometimes I get lost when they make sports references.

Self-Defense Gun Stories (Self-Defense) – Weekly reports and commentary on civilian self defense. I like the analysis of what went right and wrong from a variety of professional trainers. This is another I recommend to new shooters and those who are thinking about using a gun for self-defense.

Short Circuit (Legal, Libertarianism) – The Supreme Court decides a few dozen cases every year; federal appellate courts decide thousands. So if you love constitutional law, the circuit courts are where it’s at. Join us as we break down some of the week’s most intriguing appellate decisions with a unique brand of insight, wite, and passion for judicial engagement and the rule of law. From the Institute of Justice, this one discusses notable cases that IJ is arguing. I put it under libertarian theory rather than politics because it discusses legal libertarian arguments rather than issues of the day.

Skeptoid (Science) – The true science behind our most popular urban legends. Historical mysteries, paranormal claims, popular science myths, aliens and UFO reports, conspiracy theories, and worthless alternative medicine schemers… Skeptoid has you covered. From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred. Another one that helped in developing my skeptical outlook. It takes a particular pseudo-science claim and investigates with a skeptical eye.

So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast (Free Speech, Interview) – So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations. FIRE’s podcast discussing free speech issues. The guests and legal theories put this more into theory although it sometimes delves into the issues of the day.

Stop The Killing (Self Defense, Opposing Views) – A deep dive into the case files of former head of the FBI’s Active Shooter program Katherine Schweit with co-host Sarah Ferris. This US-UK dynamite true crime podcast duo reveal the insider’s story of what happened and what went wrong at some of the world’s worst mass shootings, empowering listeners along the way. Not a fear and scary facts conversation, and no politics. Sarah and Kate prove true crime in not just for criminals as they provide a bit of reality check on just how much power each of us has to stop the killing. Okay, the no politics isn’t quite correct. Still, useful to think about how to react during mass shootings. Also about looking for warning signs in others who might be about to commit these atrocities.

Tactical Tangents (Self-Defense, History, Writing Improvement) – Mike is a police SWAT team member, K9 handler, and tactical medic. Jim is an Air Force pilot with a background in close air support and combat search and rescue. Our goal is to elevate the conversation about all the things tactical for public safety, military, and concerned citizens. Join us to hear lessons learned about decision making, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork. I picked this one up originally because it has some excellent breakdowns of historical gunfights and mass shootings. It’s mostly geared to the professional, but the regular person can pick up some really good info.

Techmeme Ride Home (Tech) – The day’s teach news, every day at 5pm. From Techmeme.com, Silicon Valley’s most read new source. Fifteen minutes and you’re up to date. This is a relatively short, but thorough examination of the big news in tech.

Unregistered with Thaddeus Russell (Interview, Libertarianism, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – A show about what you’re not supposed to say. Thaddeus Russell, author of A Renegade History of the United States, interviews people who break the rules of conventional discourse and expand the realm of the possible. Thaddeus interviews a varied list of guests he finds intriguing. Some are very interesting, some less so. It’s gotten a little weird since the pandemic.

The Way I Heard It With Mike Rowe (Entertainment, Interview, History, Writing Improvement) – In The Way I Heard It, Mike Rowe gives a different take on a variety of topics – from pop culture to politics, history to Hollywood, each mystery is trueish tale about someone you know, filled with facts that you don’t. Delivered with Mike’s signature blend of charm, wit, and ingenuity, these stories are a part of a larger mosaic – full of surprising revelations, sharp observations, and intimate, behind-the-scenes moments drawn from Mike’s own life and career. This one is mostly interviews with people Mike finds interesting.

We’re Not Wrong (POTD, Opposing Views) – Jen Briney, Andrew Heaton, and Justin Robert Young discuss the world of politics, government, and media. They have never, and will never, be incorrect about anything. This is another one of those I listen to because the guests bring different views than my normal feeds and challenge my ideas.

The Weekly Reload Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Interview, Opposing Views) – A podcast from The Reload that offers sober, serious firearms reporting and analysis. It focuses on gun policy, politics, and culture. Tune in to hear from Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski and special guests from across the gun world each week. The audio companion to The Reload newsletter. The host interviews a wide variety of pro-gun and anti-gun guests, or those who just have something to important to add to the world around guns.

White Collar Crime and Fraud Podcast (True Crime, Self-Defense, Writing Improvement) – An exploration of fraud and white collar crime. Your host is Gene P. Tausk of The Tausk Law Firm in Houston, Texas. We will discuss various aspects of fraud and white collar crim including: legal, historical, the personalities involved, law enforcement responses, and the victims of fraud. This show discusses more of the theory behind scams and frauds, but also discusses actual cases.

Words & Numbers (Economics, Libertarianism, POTD, Interview) – Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. An economist and a political scientist discuss different aspects of economics from a libertarian perspective. Sometimes dipping into issues of the day.

Writer Dojo (Writing Improvement) – The WriterDojo is different than most other writing podcasts out there – our primary purpose is to cut through all the bad advice and help you tell stories that people want to read (and get you paid in the process.) This is advice on becoming a Professional Writer from two very knowledgeable Professional Writers. Authors Steve Diamond and Larry Correia discuss the ins and outs of writing for fun and profit. Readers will find interesting tidbits as well and may come away with new insights into what goes into creating the stories they love. This one has helped me with the art of writing. If I ever decide to actually get my stories published, I’ll probably go back through those episodes. One of the podcasts I support financially.

Wards At The County Fair

January 26, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Last weekend, The Wife, MIL, MIL’s BFF, and me went down to the Manatee County Fair. We went last year and had some fun. It’s much smaller than the State Fair, so it’s more of an afternoon thing than an all-day thing.

Of course, we get through ticket gates and security wants to see my carry bag. Understandable. Then comes this exchange.

Security Guy: Do you have any knives, firearms, or weapons on you?

Me: Actually, yes.

Security Guy: I just need to see your license. <<Examines license>> Just in case you weren’t aware, this expires at the end of this year.

Me: Oh, thanks.

Security Guy: Hey, at least you weren’t like the guy yesterday. His had been expired for over two years.

The rest of the fair was fun. We had excellent doughnuts, saw some neat arts and crafts, and learned about a museum we’re going to have to explore in the future.

Monday Links on a Wednesday

January 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Let’s start with a bunch of Reason articles.

First, a discussion on how the real divide in how people are treated in regards to classified documents is less “left vs right” and more “important people and the peons.”

More fallout from closing schools – further declines in reading and math.

I’m just gonna quote the headline – Elizabeth Warren, Jamaal Bowman want to give Lina Khan the power to impose rent control on the whole country. Yeah, that will work. I’m also surprised – and somewhat unsurprised – how an activist wants to expand the power of the FTC into new areas. Particularly post-COVID.

This is technically from The Volokh Conspiracy, but they’re hosted over at Reason. It’s a dissection of the ruling that Florida can impose penalties on local politicos who flout state supremacy on gun control laws.

On the the theme of that last link, let’s continue with some gun-related news.

I’m using the Deadline article about Alec Baldwin and the armorer Hannah Reed being charged over the ‘Rust’ shooting. I know if the whip hand was in Baldwin’s hand, he’d probably be calling for the harshest penalties. Yet, I’m not sure if that’s in the best interest of all involved. I’m not sure how justice is best served in this.

I heard about this on the Assorted Caliber Podcast. The Heritage Foundation put together a visualization on defensive gun uses. Damn, those are a lot of dots.

A couple of quick hits on Amazon.

An article from reviewgeek.com about what the reviewer found when he bought a 16TB drive for less than $100. Yeah, it was a scam. Caveat Emptor. I found that out when I bought some cheap tourniquets. Fortunately not when a life was on the line, but when I tested one.

From NewsNation, Amazon is ending its Amazon Smiles program. I know a couple of organizations that got pretty decent change from that program.

A couple of entertainment related items.

From Tech Crunch, Hasbro has apparently been burnt by the backlash and put D&D under Creative Commons license. I’m not sure that it will recover from this debacle. It’s not like D&D has some IP that everyone wants to play – like Star Wars.

Speaking of Star Wars, according to We Got This Covered, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is going to play Hera Syndula on the new ‘Ahsoka’ show. Which I found interesting. What I found more interesting was that Winstead was married to Ewan McGregor.