Category: Personal Defense

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.

Monday Links – Writing Related and New Stuff

January 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week is a little light on news items, but I did find some stuff to share.

First, let’s do a couple of writing related articles.

From Medium, I have an article on how Toastmasters helps improve your writing. I have found that Toastmasters has helped me with my writing – and my writing has helped me craft better speeches.

From The Guardian, there’s an article on how Apple is looking to use AI to narrate audiobooks. There’s the normal sturm-and-drang about this disrupting the livelihoods of the current beneficiaries. However, considering the push for authors to read their own material, I can see how this technology would be beneficial. Further, it’s going to be interesting to see how AI deals with the fantasy and sci-fi worlds – and their unique vocabulary. I sometimes play with the read-aloud feature on Word – and the results are somewhat mixed.

Now on to new stuff!

I have a few items from The Verge about CES announcements.

First, Kensignton unveiled a couple of new trackballs. They look like nice mid-priced entries aiming to take on Logitech’s dominance. I love my Logitech’s MX Ergos, but I have trouble recommending them since they’re close to $100. These, might work better.

Second, a pair of articles about some new stuff from Ecoflow. They announced a few new tools to make living off-grid easier. The Wife is interested in the portable AC. The item that caught my interest was the new home battery backup systems. These have me re-evaluating my plans for power outages.

Finally, there was much discussion among the gun feeds about Patriot Ordinance’s new lever action PCC. I’m linking to the TFB article. I have many of the same opinions as the gun commentators. Neat idea and I’m glad you brought it to market. But $2K? And with a proprietary mag?

Monday Links

January 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This one is going to be a bit all over the place.

First, let’s do some fun gun stuff with a couple of articles from The Firearms Blog.

Mossberg is putting out a version of their new 940 Tactical with a red dot installed. I have a serious case of the wants for this. My gun fund is currently in “save up cash” mode with an aim to replace my current Mossberg 590. This is looking like a contender.

And someone put out a bullpup revolver. I find this interesting from a technological aspect, kind of like the Bond Bullpup. It’s also something I wouldn’t buy unless I had significant money to throw away on an experiment. After I got a Bond Bullpup.

Now for some not-so-fun gun stuff.

Local Fox affiliate article on a woman facing murder charges after tracking down the two lowlifes who carjacked her and gunned them down. This is one of those cases where you sympathize with the carjacking victim – and the vengeance part of your brain wants to cheer that two violent criminals aren’t going to trouble anyone else. Unfortunately, there are reasons why self-defense laws require an immediate threat. Those of us who choose to carry a gun need to know the laws. I’m hoping the local DA cuts this woman a good deal.

Let’s do some business news.

From another Fox affiliate comes an article about a highly automated McDonalds where customers have almost no interaction with the employees. Per the article: Social media response indicated people did not universally agree whether this was a positive or negative change: Some people celebrated the innovation as a move towards faster and more accurate orders, but others took a more cynical position and predicted that it would lead to a loss of “millions of jobs.” Having spent six years as a night manager for the local Mickey D’s franchise, I would have loved a store where my interaction with customers was nil, and I had less employees to worry about. As to the loss of millions of jobs? From all the help wanted signs and increases in pay to attract said help, it doesn’t look like people want those jobs. You know who won’t be losing their jobs? The high performers.

From Bloomberg comes an article on the IRS delaying its rule for reporting on transactions of more than $600. E-commerce sites and payment apps (like ApplePay and Venmo) are pushing back on the new reporting requirements.

Let’s end with a couple of entertainment items.

First, from IGN is an article that people can sue movie studios for deceptive trailers. Particularly if the trailer boasts scenes that don’t make the final cut. The ruling – however – does not mean that people can sue for bad movies. Much to Hollywood’s relief, I’m sure.

Finally, an article from Bleeding Cool that James Gunn’s DCEU will take inspiration from the DC Animated Universe. I’ve adored the animated universe, and this is very heartening.

Monday Links

December 5, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First some gun stuff…

First, from Fox News is an article about the doubling of people routinely carrying between 2015 and 2019. I can’t imagine that has slowed at all since 2019. Particularly with more states not requiring permits to carry.

Next, from the Volokh Conspiracy, comes the ruling that the SAF can challenge California on the state’s attempt to make people pay attorneys fees for challenging anti-gun laws. Not surprising it comes from Judge Benitez – who has been trying to tear down every crackpot gun law that comes across his transom.

From SAF’s own GunMag, a bunch of state AG’s want shipping companies to explain their new gun tracking policies.

Kind of gun stuff, but more civil liberty stuff…

Reason has an article that Mesa Arizona is paying the family of Daniel Shaver $8 million for shooting him. Unarmed. And crawling on his hands and knees while police were shouting contradictory orders. And the cop who shot Shaver was under qualified immunity.

I came across this article from The Civil Rights Lawyer blog. New source for me, but it says that the big hotels are getting into the tactical team game so it can do weapons searches on customer rooms. Oh that’s going to go so well. Better read the terms and conditions when checking in – particularly with large hotels in big cities.

Two more Reason articles for fun…

Elon’s rolling back Twitter’s rules on COVID misinformation. I’d be more sympathetic to the pearl clutchers if so many of the things they screeched were misinformation hadn’t turned out to be true.

Surprising no one who actually lives in Florida, the state is quietly making a deal with Disney to undo the legislation that revoked their special zone.

The light item…

Headstamp Publishing is funding a book called Clockwork Basilisk. About early revolvers. Early flintlock revolvers. Nifty stuff.

Monday Links

September 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, from US News & World Reports an article on how detrimental the school closures were for the kids. New federal data – the first comparing academic achievement from before the coronavirus pandemic to now – shows unprecedented drops in math and reading scores and the largest setbacks for students in more than half a century. Way back in March/April of 2020, there might have been a case for closing the schools. We didn’t know enough about how COVID was spread, how dangerous it was, and who it impacted the most. However, as we learned more, it was clear that the biggest obstacle to opening the schools were the unions who wanted their members paid for not having to go into the schools. I think we will be feeling the ramifications of this for a very long time.

It’s not Derek’s links without Reason articles. So here’s one on what happened when Sri Lanka banned synthetic fertilizers. The short version? Famine, inflation, government destabilization. Everything a country needs. <Sarcasm>

And here’s another on embracing the prepper mindset. Seriously, hasn’t the last two years kind of proven it’s probably a good idea to have some extra supplies on hand? As reader David says in his articles at Blue Collar Prepping, “Some is better than none.”

From The Reload, comes an article on a recent survey of gun owners. According to the article, this was the largest survey done with more in-depth questions. So, what did it find? Gun owners are more diverse, they are carrying more, and they often own the same weapons and magazines that many want banned. Oh, and they are possibly more than 1.5 million defensive gun uses annually.

Monday Link Time

August 22, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, just in time to celebrate the feds for passing their crony corporatism for the semiconductor sector, comes this article from Bloomberg about a coming bust in that sector. The semiconductor market enjoyed a massive run-up in orders during the pandemic, sending sales and stock prices to new highs and triggering a global scramble to find enough supplies. There was hope in some circles that the boom could be sustained for several more years without a painful pullback, but chipmakers are now facing a familiar problem: growing inventory and shrinking demand. [Snip] But fortunes have turned swiftly for the biggest chipmakers. Companies like Nvidia Corp. are reporting more that 40% annual declines in their core businesses, while Micron Technology Inc. warns that demand is evaporating fast in many areas. Well, this feels familiar. Particularly those of us who have watched the boom and bust cycles in the firearms industry.

The joke was that the lamentations of enlisted soldiers who couldn’t poorly spend their enlistment bonuses or sign up for bad loans on Dodge Chargers and Challengers, because the automaker is discontinuing them. Dodge will be putting an end to its iconic Charger and Challenger lineup real soon as the company teases a new era of mystery cars to come. The electrified future is slowly creeping into Dodge’s ICE-ladened inventory. It sounds like the lamentations will be short-lived as the young men will have electric versions to make bad decisions about.

At least, it will be cheaper in the future to hear better as the FDA approves OTC hearing aids. Come October, instead of being forced to visit an audiologist and shelling out thousands of dollars for the added expense, hearing aid users will be able to purchase FDA-certified hearing aids from any major retailer like Amazon, Walmart or Best Buy without needing a prescription. IMO, we will see some good, generic hearing aids, but the best will still require special testing and fitting. Kind of like electronic ear pro we have now.

In the life-saving category, we have an article from Active Response Training on the best tourniquets. You really need to RTWT. And take a Stop The Bleed course. And don’t cheap out on your tourniquets.

Finally, our light item (courtesy of The Brother) is on the proper method of peeling off Post-It Notes. The article is amusing, but the TLDR is peel side to side, not down to up.

Links Time Again

July 21, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, in case you haven’t heard, the report on the massive failures during the Uvalde shooting was released. Reason’s J.D. Tuccille takes the normal sacred goats to the woodshed. “If you really need further evidence of how foolish it is to surrender your right to protect yourself and defer to government employees who are supposed to assume that responsibility, the record of police non-response during the Uvalde mass murder should do the job. Those who, in the future, continue to insist that we disarm ourselves and venerate government enforcers who are tasked to protect us should be unceremoniously kicked to the curb.”

Second, while Texas cops were too afraid to confront a gunman, an Indiana concealed carrier wasn’t. Some asshole started opening fire, and Elisjsha Dicken ventilated said asshole. From apparently forty yards away. Per the New York Post article: “We’re very thankful for a young 22-year-old man who stopped this violent act,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said. “This young man, Greenwood’s good Samaritan, acted within seconds, stopping the shooter and saving countless lives.”

Lastly, for our light item, comes a Gizmodo article on Hasbro allowing anyone to turn themselves into an action figure. Face scanning is done through the Hasbro Pulse mobile app available for iOS and Android, and fans will be able to base their action figure on “classic to current characters seen across popular films, television series and comics.” Initially, that will include costumes based on G.I. Joe, Ghostbusters, Power Rangers, Marvel, and designs inspired by Star Wars characters. You probably won’t be able to slap your face on Princess Leia’s body, or get a green face lift to become Yoda—but a provided press release did mention at the least an X-Wing pilot, so you can probably imagine what other kinds of generic bodies could be used.

Friday Quote – Nancy Jane Moore

June 3, 2022 / / 0 Comments

“A criminal attack is always the fault of the attacker. The purpose of self defense is to limit your vulnerability to criminals, not to make you responsible for their bad actions.”

H/t – Kathy Jackson, ”The Cornered Cat” on FB