All Hail The Victor Triumphant!

I just burned my finger. I burned it on a transistor. The transistor is being used as a switch. The switch is part of a heater control that looks like a pile of junk. I designed it. And it controls to a set temperature. And apparently this transistor needs a heat sink.

I designed a solid-state thermostatic controller for a heater. It is part of a larger project I have been working on between family/work/school/etc. for the last seven years.

Finally I have a working protoype of something new on this project. I had previously constructed a precision voltage source, but now it is dead and needs to be repaired. The main event was at one time partially-working, but I managed to blow it up also. It still needs to be fixed and have the design finalized and constructed, but I think I have all the proper parts for it.

It WORKS. I designed and made this thing and it frikken works!!! w00t!

Armed Response Saves The Day In Wisconsin

When the Police showed up, the “suspect” shot himself. If there had been an armed teacher or school security guard, this could have taken n fewer minutes to happen. Time and again experience shows that the best way to get a gun-wielding Bad Person to stop wielding their guns in a “gun-free zone” is for someone else to show up with a gun.

Tell me why, again, we disarm the Good People in schools in America?

That school will be out and mental health councilors will be in tomorrow is a sign of mental frailty on a tragic scale – and I’m not talking about the students.

And I’ve Got A Bridge For Sale.

Further proof that you don’t have to be smart to be the owner of important stuff: a Spanish woman has claimed ownership of the Sun. Yes, that the Sun. She wants to raise money for her bankrupt nation by charging royalties.

Good luck collecting on that

Good luck proving ownership in court if you try collecting on that

I’ll be joining the class-action lawsuit for damages from sun burns, but I expect the people dying of melanoma will probably beat me to the payments.

You, Senora, are an idiot.

No Smoke, Just Mirrors.

President Obama hiked the baseline federal budget to a couple trillion MORE dollars in the red, then started making insignificant mentions of cutting spending and being fiscally responsible. Part of that newfound “fiscal responsibility” is cutting out future increases in federal employee pay . . . after federal employees are reported as already being paid way more on average than private employees. The MSM is reporting this as being tough on spending.

Okay, then. Way to go there chief. I’ve cut back on spending to pre-recession levels and then some. When the .gov starts doing the same, talk to me again about fiscal responsibility.

Nothing, That’s What.

“I’ve prayed for my family and friends, because obviously if someone was deliberate to do this, what’s to stop them from coming to our homes and our schools?” said Mohamed Alyagouri, who worships at the same mosque as a dude who tried to wage Jihad in Portland.

The entire article -which includes quotes from multiple people who worship at this mosque- fails to mention any public statement of condemnation of the anti-human activities of Mohamed Mohamud, who was recently arrested when his atempt to be a good muslim landed him in jail.

They are upset that someone set their islamic center on fire. That is proper. What would also be proper is for their imam to be all over the news saying he’s against blowing up innocent Americans over religious differences. Here’s a hint: if you don’t want to be associated with a terrorist, make a very big public effort to come out and say you’re against him. Otherwise (note I am not advocating, only mentioning) don’t be surprised when you are lumped in with your co-religionist and your mosque is set on fire.

But VFD, they HAVE condemned the bombing plot! lookit here! (.doc file warning) they’re part of the religion of peace! There’s no reason to try to burn down this Islamic Center!

Uh-huh. I’ll allow for the sake of the current discussion that the general falsehoods in that condemnation don’t make the whole thing a farce. Then we are left with (at least) three other obvious possible explanations:

shades of reichstagbrand

random act of violence, or

shot across the muslim world’s collective bow

A lot of nominal moslims who were not participating in Jihad were killed in the crusades. The crusades were not started because there was nothing else to do that Tuesday.

I’m just sayin’.

Technical Difficulties

Busy with computer troubles. Spent two days trying to get up to date and 100% backed-up. I hate dealing with computer security junk. I wish people wouldn’t be jerks and write malicious code so I could just USE my PC.

Update: Temporary (?) Good News!

You may recall that we were losing a lovely little section of woods behind our house. I noted that the workmen didn’t come back after the weekend to finish the job. There was a note on our door that they were not going to continue the clearing until further notice. One of the neighbors said something about destroying wildlife habitat and that was enough to kill the project, for now.

I’m happier to have coons, ‘possums, pigeons, cardinals, and mosquitos than I am to have a view of the neighbors, so whatever. I guess my tax dollars are going to be used for an environmental impact study here shortly, if the City wants to keep clearing out the ditch. I hope not – I hope they decide to just leave it. It’s not hurting anybody and not clearing it saves the city probably a few thousand bucks. We’ll see.

Gun Porn: The Original Marlin Goose Gun

It’s not every day that you see a detachable box magazine-fed bolt-action 12 gauge shotgun with a 3-foot barrel. I have been around guns since before it was a good idea for a child so young to be handling them unsupervised, and I had never until this day been exposed to such a thing.

As always, click any image to see a somewhat better version.

It’s in good cosmetic condition overall

The stock really looks nice when it’s rubbed with oil, from a few feet away. Figured, even.

This was a field gun. It shows honest wear from use, and has the “bonus feature” of either unscrewed or ripped-out sling swivel stud holes.

The action operates pretty smoothly, as one would expect of a working piece. The cocking indicator is a nice touch. Bolt action. Huh! A FAT bolt action.

With a detachable box. A FAT detachable box. Ooookay. Remember the scale: 3-plus inches long by over an inch wide. Three rounds of 2-3/4″ 12 gauge.

Well, at least the business end is in good condition.

The one, the only, the ORIGINAL . . .

What Happens When An Education Bubble Bursts?

I think they made a movie about it, called “Idiocracy.”

The poor, poor, pitiful poor people who happened to be dark-skinded couldn’t get a home mortgage. Not because they couldn’t afford it and 100% for-sure would default on the note, but just because those rotten ol’ banks were racist and greedy! So the Democrats in Congress passed laws to make it easy for race hustlers like Al Sharpy-sharp to pressure banks into making loans to poor people who would never be able to repay them, in the name of racial equality. Those people and a few others were not economically literate enough to realize they were being screwed and they went out and got houses they couldn’t afford. Now they are in foreclosure and the economy is in the tank.

Why bring up old stuff, VFD?

Because this story just reminded me of it. Here we have the poor, poor, pitiful poor stupid children whose parents won’t force them to study and get good grades, and who are non-white, not getting into advanced courses in high school. The obvious solution: take away the courses because it’s not fair for the white kids to be educated. Spread the mediocrity around.

How is it not obvious that this only makes Evanston, Illinois a city with less well-educated citizens? What good is it to deny intelligent students an exceptional education? Oh wait, I forgot . . . it’s for equality.

Not everyone can excel, but everyone is capable of sitting on their ass and failing at life. If you insist on making everyone the same, you have to enforce the lowest possible standard. Then when everyone is declared to be special, nobody is special. To a Socialist/Communist, that is the stated goal . . .

Economy To Fall Along With Unemployment

Either they will get off their asses and find jobs after two years of drawing unemployment checks, or they will draw savings down further, or they will stop contributing to the economy almost entirely when two Million people get their last unemployment checks in the next two months. That’s in addition to the last 1.5M from the month just past.

Millions. Unemployed for two years, and soon to have no income at all. All hail the great recovery from the Great Recession! Soon they will no longer be counted as unemployed, and all will be well with the economy!