Bear's Blog

Book Pricing... and why

2012-03-03T01:07:00.005-05:00

First, a reminder that the free ebook download promo on all my ebooks ends midnight Saturday. Get 'em free while you can.

Next: I'm dropping the prices on all books – ebooks and paperbacks alike – to the minimums Amazon allows (I'd drop them further, but Amazon sets thresholds for listings; I am limiting the venues to drop them as it is).

Why: Ego-stroking.

I figure I'll keep the books available for those rare occasions when someone is in the mood for crappy hard SF. But my finances make hosting free downloads on my personal site iffy in the short run, much less the long run (the only people who've made any money off these books are the thieving pirates... and I got hit with their tax bill on their profits – thanks, Amazon). And I don't much feel like going to the bother of seeking out and building a freebie hosting site just for this. The Amazon account is already there, so I'll use it. Besides, I can hardly provide POD paperbacks otherwise (and no, I don't feel like bothering with another POD provider either; it isn't worth the hassle).

On the one hand, this sucks because I'm essentially giving Amazon a free product to peddle for their own profit with virtually zero royalities. On the other hand, thanks to various P2P asswipes and thieves, I'm pretty much used to not getting paid for my work. On the gripping hand, why the hell did so many people want to rip off books that no one wants? (That one still baffles me. I guess there's some compulsion to grab anything that's "free" whether they actually want it or not. It's probably listed in the DSM.)

It's been a strange run. My most "successful" book (it almost made enough money to pay the rent... for one month... once... almost... before it hit the P2P networks) was one I never intended to write at all. Yet, oddly enough, I get asked by wanna-be writers for advice.

I tell them to find a published Name and suck up (and likely to actually suck, from things I hear about some authors) to them for patronage, or to give up the damned stupid idea before it's too late.

I wish I'd gotten that advice.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Nuge Drinks NRA Kool-Aid

2012-03-02T17:16:00.003-05:00

Ted Nugent endorses Mitt Romney
after a long heart&soul conversation with MittRomney today I concluded this goodman will properly represent we the people & I endorsed him
— Ted Nugent (@TedNugent) March 2, 2012

Four words, Ted:

Mass
Assault
Weapon
Ban

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Amazon Determined Not To Do Business With Me

2012-03-02T15:29:00.007-05:00

You may recall that I received a really cool gift back in December: "M" sent me a Kindle! Cool!

Mostly what I've been doing with it is loading various ebooks I already had one my computer, and picking up a few freebies here and there. But yesterday, I decided to support Bracken's "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" push to drive his Amazon ranking by downloading his promo. Big mistake.

When you buy an ebook from Amazon, it tells you that you can change the "delivery options" during check out in case you don't have a WiFi'd Kindle. Actually... it doesn't do that. It sees that you don't have a Kindle registered and automatically dumps the book into the "Kindle Cloud". -mutter- -grumble- So I get into the Cloud...

And you can't download the book from there. Ah, but wait, all you have to do is download Amazon's "Kindle for PC" program and then download the book.

K4PC is a 27+MB download. On dialup. Because there is no WiFi here in the woods (obviously a gross design flaw in the local trees). -mutter- -grumble-

Several hours later, I've downloaded, installed, and downloaded some more. And finally I have...

A DRM'd file that reads only in the bloated K4PC. But at least I can transfer it to my Kindle...

Oh. Wait. The Kindle registration doesn't match the DRM. Can't read it. Back on line to register the damned device. -mutter- -grumble-

Oh. Wait. When I enter the serial number, Amazon rejects it, says it's already registered to someone else (and helpfully explains that it's most likely the device purchaser if I received this as a gift). All I have to do is log in via WiFi and deregister, and reregister....

Oh. Wait. See above comment regarding lack of woodsie WiFi.-mutter- -grumble-

Ah, but then it says that if I can't log in via WiFi to do this, to go to such-n-such page, and contact customer service to register that way instead. Ooooooo-kay. So I do so, carefully explaining the lack of WiFi-equipped oak or maple trees in the woods.

And get an answer: You can only register your Kindle via WiFi (then WTF did they include instructions for going through customer service when WiFi isn't there?). Just go to your school and log in... -mutter- -grumble-

School. Uh huh.

But it gets better. Amazon rep "Prabakaran S." further tells me to do a hard reset on the Kindle and then drive to "my school" to log in and register. No explanation of what a hard reset is supposed to do for me, since it doesn't help with registration. So I skipped that part. I suspect that what it does is wipe out any books currently stored on the Kindle, which I don't want to do, but would make Amazon's day with new sales.

From what Amazon has been doing to me lately, plus some interesting news stories I've encountered, it looks like the Big A has adopted a new business model: Fuck over as many customers as possible as hard as possible and drive them all to the competition.

I'm on my way.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

eBook Freebies

2012-03-01T23:30:00.005-05:00

Amazon has a Kindle promotions program that lets author/publishers make ebooks available for free for up to five days. You may have noticed the effort to get Bracken's Enemies Foreign and Domestic pushed up the Amazon charts with free downloads; he was using said promo. The niche market for my books is so small – SF readers who like "hard" SF by crappy writers, who aren't socialists (author or reader) – that I really didn't know what to bother doing with my "freebie fives". I think all 15 people in the world who like crap have have already bought the books.* But I was interested to see just how word-of-mouth "viral" marketing worked for Bracken, and how far up the Amazon charts he made it. Makes me wonder if I could see any blip at all with my books.

So, what the hell. I'm going to blow blow a few promo days at once. It isn't as though it'll cut into my... -giggle- -snort- -heh- -mutter- -mumble- ...profits. Follow the links below to "buy" the books for free for the next two days (Amazon claims promo starts Friday, March 2nd, 12AM PST/3AM EST). Tell your friends. Mention it on your blogs. Email your family. Spam your enemies (foreign and domestic). ~~Demand that your Congresscreep make downloading them mandatory (hey, Obamacare mandatory purchases are working for the insurance companies)jghqwdjkbhnf ed3 4~~

Sorry. Got a little carried away there.

Just go "buy" 'em, and see how many other people you can get to do likewise.

And you don't even have to read the things. Unlike Bracken, I'm not pretending that these books will change minds and save the world to make a buck. (Not that I begrudge him that; heck more power to him for finding a marketing technique that seems to be working. I'm just amused at some of the hyperbole I'm seeing on some web sites pushing the promo.) Just see if you can make a noticeable blip in the Amazon rankings.

* And, sadly for me, most of them bought the pirated editions that profited the Benners (NSP). By the time I got control of my own books, my infinitesimal market niche was saturated. You'd think that in a country, in which Gilligan's Island, pet rocks, Snooki, and Mitt Romney are easy sells, there'd be more demand for bad SF, too.

Bear
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What Exactly Makes THIS ONE a "Diplomatic Breakthrough"?

2012-03-01T13:03:00.003-05:00

U.S. announces diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea
Under an agreement reached in direct talks in Beijing last week, North Korea has agreed to allow the return of nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, and has agreed to implement a moratorium on long-range missile tests, nuclear tests, and nuclear activities at Yongbyon, including uranium enrichment activities, the State Department said. In return, the United States will provide North Korea with a large food aid package.

Seems to me I recall the CDT striped pants types making that deal a few times already. And the NKs never stick to it. What's the line? "...same thing over and over... expecting different result...?"

Oh, well. It's North Korea, which publicly claims to be working on nuclear weapons and which has repeatedly threatened to nuke America (but who would keep feeding them then?). It isn't as if it were Iran, with no nuclear weapons program, which clearly needs to be invaded.

Bear
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(pssst! Guys, I think they're making fun of you.)

2012-03-01T12:30:00.007-05:00

Behold! The "Elite Tactical Beverage Deployment Device"

Hmm. Let's get a clearer pic of that:

.

Yes, "machined out of a 13.5-pound solid block of aluminum", though they don't explain... why.

I suspect these started as rejects from a specialty receiver production run. Someone was looking over QA's reject bin bemoaning the wasted money, when the [politically incorrect incandescent] lightbulb lit up. "Hey, Mike. Don't these look sorta like... you know... beer mugs? Seal the base, and I'll bet we could sell 'em to the tactifool mall-ninja crowd; they'll buy anything if you tell 'em it's mil-spec tactical."

Ha! I'll bet you were waiting for me to say I needed one to go with my tacticool cowboy gun or the Tactical Brown Bess^™. No freaking way. Even my twisted excuse for humor only stretches just so far, and $250 for an awkward, heavy beer mug exceeds my design specs.

But I imagine the Keene, NH PD is pissing all over themselves in excitement as they order enough for every tank-riding jackbooted thug. I wonder if you can get tactical mug holders for a BearCat?*

* If the answer is yes, please don't tell me. I specifically and deliberately did not do a web search on "tactical mug holder".

Bear
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Survey Bias? What's That?

2012-03-01T12:19:00.002-05:00

Spotted over at Faux NeoCon News:

Should the U.S. threaten military action against Iran?
Yes, all options on the table and we must be prepared to follow through too
We could say nothing, but support the Israelis and maintain plausible deniability
Not unless it would reduce gas prices or stop Iran's nuclear program
Let's not threaten it if we're not willing to do it

How 'bout: Gee, the Secretary of Defense, IAEA, and pretty much everyone else in the world say the the Iranians aren't working on a nuclear weapon. Maybe the chickenhawks should STFU.

Those Iranian scientists must be pretty good, if Barry et al think they might be able to build a single nuclear bomb that can totally counter the thousands of warheads the US has stocked. I think we should hire them.

But yeah, sanctions and war threats probably are in order when dealing with maniacs with a proven track record of nuking civilian populat...

Oh. Wait.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

If New Hampshire Re-Elects These Disgusting Bastards...

2012-02-29T16:45:00.002-05:00

Covered under the bill is any person protected by the Secret Service. Although such protection isn’t extended to just everybody, making it a federal offense to even accidently disrupt an event attended by a person with such status essentially crushes whatever currently remains of the right to assemble and peacefully protest.

...then you probably should be locked away...

...in an institution for the mentally deficient.

Go read the text of H.R. 347 yourself. And yes, both Bass and Guinta voted for this crap. What; you thought they'd maybe say Gee, this looks like an unconstitutional prior restraint on free political speech, a clear violation of the First Amendment; I better vote against it? Hell no, not these idiots.

And your senators, "Stupid" Shaheen and "Police State Cheerleader" Ayotte, those paragons of Constitutional virtue? 2/6/2012: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.. Yeah, they voted for the Senate version first.

I hear they're refiling the old Alien & Sedition Acts next month.

Bear
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Go Read

2012-02-27T00:33:00.006-05:00

Re:Expanding Feddie control over all edibles in school
(“Oh, Vin, it’s not an ideal world. We see parents who don’t FEED their kids.” So the answer is to encourage more of this behavior by rewarding it whenever found? Those parents all went to your mandatory schools with their mandatory nutrition classes, right? Are you ready to admit the whole nanny-state model has failed?)

Pizza=vegetable, cheese not a milk product, fried chicken nuggets* healthier than low-fat turkey sandwich. Yep, the feds are definitely qualified to run your life and tell you what to eat. And when. And how much. And whether you're allowed to enjoy it (you aren't).

* For which the parent was involuntarily billed. So when are they going to start sending home bills for school-distributed condoms (and isn't that going to make for some interesting family dinner discussions).

Bear
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Keene, You Might As Well Pack It In

2012-02-26T12:07:00.002-05:00

When the Union Leader, bastion of hardcore, police state-loving Republicanism, thinks your plan to equip your Junior Commando Assault Squad Ladies Auxiliary with its own armored Urban Assault Vehicle is this stupid and ridicule-worthy, you should really admit thatb you crammed your collectiv heads a little too far up your asses:

The BearCat's bulletproof shell would have offered great protection against herds of bull moose rocketed downriver by raging flood waters. Also, it keeps out black flies, as long as the windows are rolled up. [...] Have the hippies and breast-bearing pot smokers begun hiding rocket-propelled grenade launchers in their guitar cases? What prowls the maple-lined avenues of Keene to spook its police officers so?

Bear
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I May Need To Scratch Wyoming Off My List

2012-02-26T11:51:00.004-05:00

Update, 2/27: See below

I see that the Wyoming legislature is planning for a complete collapse of the federal government. Not bad. Very forwarding thinking for politicians. Of course, it often scares me when politicians try thinking; they aren't very good at it.

Oh. Wait.

That's not quite it. They're considering legislation. To launch a study to consider what to do if there's a collapse.

Still, that's more than the DC idiots doing their best to cause a collapse have managed.

I like Wyoming. Beautiful country, all of it. Friendly people. I've spent some time there, and it's at the top of my list of places I've seriously been considering for permanent relocation if I can ever afford it (feel free to drop some spare change in my tip jar to get me there).

But then again, maybe not:
And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to...

Wait for it.

...implement its own military draft,

Uh oh.

...raise a standing army,

Apparently Kermit didn't notice how well that's worked for the US. But keep going.

...and acquire strike aircraft...

Well, if you're gonna have a permanent military force, you might as well go all out. And I mean, all out. So does Kermie:

...and an aircraft carrier.

BRB...

Nope. Just checked a map. Wyoming is still landlocked. It does have some bodies of water where you could put a carrier, especially a small one, but how the hell would they get it there?

And why?

A carrier is a mobile military base for projecting offensive power well beyond the borders and reach of your own territory. WTF is Wyoming planning, and should their neighboring states be acquiring SAMs and shipkillers?

ML: Is Kermit Brown particularly insane even for a politician? Or did he offer that amendment as a joke? Either way, why did it pass the house?

Update 2/27: MamaLiberty's remark that the carrier doesn't seem to appear in the bill (and might have been the invention of the Star-Trib reporter) prompted me to do a little research. The original bill is HERE. No aircraft carriers; it's a straight-forward attempt to start (remarkably sensible for government) a study of contingencies.

Kermit Brown's amendment actually exists as well. You'll find it HERE. And what does it say?

HB0085HW001/A
Page 3-line 19 Delete "." insert ";".
Page 3-after line 19 Insert:
"(vii) Conditions under which the state of Wyoming should implement a draft, raise a standing army, marine corps, navy and air force and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.". BROWN

I have written to Mr. Brown in an effort to clarify whether he simply possesses a fairly good, if dry, sense of humor; or if he is in fact bug-fuck-nuts batshit insane.

Bear
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Here's One For Your Quotes File

2012-02-25T21:37:00.004-05:00

"If you decide to work really hard making large rotary cell phones, you are not going to do well. EVEN THOUGH YOU WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD."
- Keith Koffler

Context: Response to a recent Obama speech expousing the basic Marxist labor theory that [even inefficient, pointless, useless] labor is inherently of equal value above anything else. Gee, and Keith managed to say it two simple lines, not a Randian dozens-and-dozens-of-pages speech.

Koffler is often worth reading, even when I don't agree with his usual neocon Republican views. Because sometimes he... just nails it like this.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Psychos for the Extreme Termination of Animals

2012-02-25T11:15:00.006-05:00

PETA kills more than 95 percent of pets in its care

Fun quotes:

PETA kills more than 95 percent of pets in its care

Fifteen years’ worth of similar records show that since 1998 PETA has killed more than 27,000 animals at its headquarters in Norfolk, VA.

Kovich also determined that PETA employees kill 84 percent of the animals in their custody within 24 hours of receiving them.

I suspect there's a bit of membership overlap between PETA and these guys, which would make wholesale execution of our critter-people friends entirely consistent. But that's only a WAG.

PETA's own "Baghdad Bob" says these animals had to die because they were inconvenient (to PETA), simply "somehow unadoptable". Funny that the groups Claire Wolfe works with doesn't really have that problem. At least not to the point where they have to kill 98.8% of the rescued pets, and dump the carcasses in some grocery store's dumpster.

No one can save all the rescues out there. But real rescue groups will at least try. This crap with PETA has been going on for years. Why the hell are they "rescuing" all these animals if they know (and, again, after at least 15 years of mass killings they ought to) they're only going to put them down (and not always in quite the approved humane way either). Do they want to kill helpless critters? Do they get off on it?

84% kill rate in the first 24 hours; they aren't even pretending to try to find homes for them.

Please, you psychopathic idiots, leave the rescues to someone who will really try to help the animals and find them homes.

Bear
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One Last Bit...

2012-02-24T15:46:00.001-05:00

Just saw this in blog stats: "how do i know if i got combat pay in desert storm"

Desert Freaking Storm? You could start by looking at your 20+ year old LESs.

If you're still active duty, you can request your pay records from the base finance office. When they're done laughing at your procrastinating pud, they might help you. Ditto for contacting the VA if you're out now.

Tell the truth: You're a general officer, aren't you, dumbass?

Bear
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More Kalistupidity

2012-02-24T15:36:00.004-05:00

Rocklin Considering Banning Smokers From Smoking Outside Their Own Homes
The Rocklin City Council is considering making it against the law for smokers to smoke anywhere outside on their [own goddamned] property. (emphasis added for clarity and accuracy- cb)

Any readers in that area? I have a counter-ordinance proposal: Make it illegal to emit any gas identified by the EPA as a "dangerous greenhouse gas" outside of any building. With double penalties for city politicians who violate the ordinance (since politicians are the leading human emitters of that lethal CO₂).

That should take care of the real problem.

(I think it's time to shut down the computer now.)

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Kalistupid To Judges: Out Yourselves

2012-02-24T15:26:00.001-05:00

People's Democratic Socialist Republic Demands To Know Judiciary Sexual Preferences
In order to make sure gays and lesbians are adequately represented on the judicial bench, the state of California is requiring all judges and justices to reveal their sexual orientation. The announcement was made in an internal memo sent to all California judges and justices.

I'm trying imagine any other scenario (or state) where this wouldn't be...

I give up. It is stupidly invasive. Just picture Blogger adding a "sexual identity" field along with the idiotic captchas to comments on this post.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

"Rate My Tool".com

2012-02-24T14:44:00.008-05:00

Otherwise submitted without comment. Do have fun (and take that anyway you wish).

Condom codes let users "check in" with smartphones
A Planned Parenthood safe-sex promotion involves QR-coded condoms. Scan them with your smartphone to plot the location of your rendezvous on an Internet map.

That would be at WhereDidYouWearIt.com.

The QR codes on the wrappers can be scanned by smartphones, connecting users to a mobile website that plot their approximate location and ask a few non-identifying questions such as age range and questions like: "The Safe Sex Was ... " — with choices ranging from "ah-mazing ... " to "things can only improve from here."

OK, I lied; one comment.

When you "check in" here the first thing they ask is your (or the encounter) address. I'm sure that no divorce lawyer would ever dream of datamining that site to match troubled spousal partners with extracurricular activities.[/sarc]

All right, all right; another comment: Now think Google Maps and Street View.

Added: OK, so I'm a naughty person: Now think "swatting".

Bear
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Someone Else Didn't Buy It Either

2012-02-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

Remember Mr. Hillson, the guy who "accidentally" shot his wife twice while "cleaning" his handgun a few months ago? I had a lot of trouble believing his story. It required a self-professed experienced firearms handler to break every damn safety rule there is, a physical malfunction unlikely in the extreme (particularly since he had just cleaned the gun and should have noted any such defect), a nonstandard loading technique, the dumb bad luck that the gun happened to be pointed at his wife through a wall, and the truly remarkable chance that a loosely held handgun would stay on the same target for two shots despite recoil. And then there was that little issue that his twice-wounded wife is the one who had to call 911; not him. I just didn't buy it.

Neither did a grand jury. Looks like Faux just regurgitated the AP report. I'll try to keep an eye on this story.

Bear
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So Much For That

2012-02-23T13:01:00.001-05:00

Yet another attempt to get some money for my books fell through. Which, I'm sorry to say, is about what I expected. In retrospect, it does look like I should have retitled it Weird Undead Trojan Space Invaders In the Machine, though actually cramming in the words "zombie" or "vampire" might have been even better.*

Sales numbers on the space cat short story suggest I should have named that one Green Alien VS Fuzzy Predator or some similar trademark rip-off. Explicitly X-rated sex scenes would have helped, too.

Over the years, a lot of people encouraged me to keep writing. I know they meant well, and I do appreciate that; but I wish they hadn't.

* Now I'm seriously considering doing a Kindle edition with that title just to see WTF happens. I think that's what they call hitting rock bottom and breaking out the pickaxe.

Bear
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Keene, NH's BearCat: For The Children Floods

2012-02-23T11:47:00.005-05:00

The stupidity metastasizes. Facing national ridicule fo trying to buy a mil-spec armored vehicle to police a pop. 23,000 college town, the proponents keep... floating new irrational rationals:
“We lost one cruiser directly in the flood trying to evacuate people from out of their homes,” he said. “We certainly would have used this vehicle in those floods.”

In response to that one, you might think, "Floods? Then buy a fricking boat, dumbass." But then they'd want their very own Swift boat.

The comments are getting pretty good. One person points out that, unlike big cities where an M1 Abrams main battle tank is suitable for patrolling, a mere armored personnel carrier with machine gun mount points is about right for a little college town. Someone else mentions that it will be helpful in repelling the invading hordes of Vermonters from the western border. I could almost go along with that one if this were one of the southern border towns trying to save us from Massholes.

There is another NH town that could get away with that "We lost one cruiser directly" excuse, since their highly trained officers manage to total a cruiser damn near once a week. The BearCat would be a little more survivable. Not so much the innocent people they keep hitting, though.

Ah, yes. The standard [foreshadowing alert!] we-would-never-do-something-like-that-disclaimer:
"The BearCat would not be used to disperse a peaceful assembly," [Keene Police Capt. Brian] Costa said.

And cops would never use Tasers for anything but occasional emergencies as a less-lethal alternative to firearms.

My favorite comment (for oh-so-many reasons):

"[N]othing a LAW won't take care of."
– Gerard Farrell

Bear
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Beating A Dead Horse

2012-02-22T17:56:00.003-05:00

pro·mote [pruh-moht]
verb (used with object), -mot·ed, -mot·ing.
1. to help or encourage to exist or flourish; further: to promote world peace.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
: : : Preamble, U.S. Constitution

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
: : : Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1; U.S. Constitution

Not "guarantee", "mandate", "regulate", "control", or "forbid" the general welfare, dumbasses.

If entertainment event promoters could "interpret" promote the way the idiots in DC do, they'd be shaking down every single man, woman, transgender, questioning, et cetera, and child in the country to pay for tickets (wanted or not) to every single crappy play, concert, rigged boxing match, movie, NEA-endowed art show, and other dubious endeavor their tiny little minds could dream up.

And people would shoot them.

Bear
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Proper Pronunciation

2012-02-21T13:27:00.002-05:00

Lit Professor bemoan linguistic shifts
Last month, Reisner sent an email to CBC headquarters in Toronto, complaining about the mispronunciation of "electoral"...

C'mon, Prof. Everyone knows "electoral" is properly pronounced awr-guh-nahyzd krahym.

Bear
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Tip Jar: Amazon Payments Account Suspended

2012-02-21T11:42:00.003-05:00

Update, 2/22/12: Amazon confirms my account is suspended. They tell me to withdraw any funds now. Unfortunately, the system won't actually allow me to withdraw (convenient for someone, eh?). What I can do – and have – is refund the last donation.

On 2/21/12, I received the following message apparently from Amazon:

In the course of reviewing your website, we determined that your business challenges our Acceptable Use Policy, which requires all companies receiving donations to be federally chartered as 501(c)(3)nonprofit organizations.

As stated in our Acceptable Use Policy the following product or services are prohibited from using Amazon Payments:

- Donations and Charitable Solicitations - includes charities and non-profit organizations without a valid 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, charitable solicitations, commercial fundraisers (including commercial co-venturers), or any activity associated with the solicitation of donations.

We regret that we are not able to offer further use of our services at this time.

Translation: You didn't get government permission to ask for donations.

The email header appears to be legitimate. I am contacting Amazon by other means to confirm, but at this time it does appear that Amazon does not want my business. I have deleted the Amazon payment links.

I spent more than a year trying to get Amazon to remove pirated listings of my books. Then they hit me with the taxes on the payments to the pirates. Now this.

Bear
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Ah, Savor The Irony

2012-02-21T00:11:00.010-05:00

If you try to keep up with news on the Sapiogenic Galactic Warming front, you may have heard about what some people were calling "FakeGate" which quickly morphed into "GleickGate". I'll recap for newcomers:

Some "anonymous" person released documents purportedly obtained fraudulently from the Heartland Institute which seemed to make HI and some bloggers (specifically and explicitly Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That) look very bad. But only briefly, because a cursory glance at the most "incriminating" document showed it to be an extraordinarily clumsy fake. In fact, it was so poorly rendered, and in a style familiar to some people, that we get to the "GleickGate" part. Several people quickly concluded that Peter Gleick created the faked document.

Today, Gleick confessed to fraudulently obtaining the verified source documents from Heartland by impersonating an authorized member of HI. He claims that the faked document was provided to him anonymously.

Gleick is toast: The faked doc is defames HI and several specifically named individuals. HI and Watts have already stated that they are looking into legal remedies. Gleick may be attempting to distance himself from responsibility on this by asserting that someone else made the doc. However, he did publicize and publish (via Internet; blogs news outlets, etc.) this document that was so bad anyone could tell it was faked even though he admits to having source documents which would appear to counter the faked doc. Not good, Gleick. And since even instant amateur forensic analysis was pointing to Gleick as the faked doc originator, that's going to be hard to beat.

Gleick is toast: He has publicly admitted to impersonating someone else to perpetrate fraud. That's not just a tort; that's a criminal offense.

Gleick is toast: He accomplished his act of fraud via electronic communications, which put him into the arena of criminal "wire fraud". Another criminal offense, to which he confessed.

Gleick is toast: He is based in California. HI is based in Illinois. Oooh: Make that interstate wire fraud and identity theft. Federal offenses, on top of the state-level crimes and torts.

"That's all cool," you say, "but where's the irony you mentioned?"

Right here:

AGU's new task force on scientific ETHICS and INTEGRITY begins work
Peter Gleick
Pacific Institute, Oakland, Calif., USA

Randy Townsend
American Geophysical Union, Washington, D. C., USA

In support of the new strategic plan, AGU has established a new task force to review, evaluate, and update the Union's policies on scientific misconduct and the process for investigating and responding to allegations of possible misconduct by AGU members. As noted by AGU president Michael McPhaden, “AGU can only realize its vision of ‘collaboratively advancing and communicating science and its power to ensure a sustainable future’ if we have the trust of the public and policy makers. That trust is earned by maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity in all that we do. (emphasis added- cb)

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Only 38%?

2012-02-20T21:17:00.007-05:00

Mustached Americans seek tax break for grooming products
"Members of the American Mustache Institute traipsed up to Capitol Hill Monday [...] to seek a tax break for men with facial hair, who (AMI-authored studies show) are 38 percent better-looking than the rest of America."

No idea how serious these guys are, but I like 'em anyway:

Perlut said only 34 representatives, "not including Nancy Pelosi" have facial hair while 26 states are "unrepresented by mustached Americans."

On the other hand, you do have to wonder about a guy who claims to spend "somewhere between $1,000 to $1,500" every year keeping his 'stache pretty. [Full disclosure: I wash and shave – when I shave – with plain soap and water; I cut my own hair and trim my own mustache (and beard when applicable).]

But only 38% better looking? C'mon, surely I'm a good 47% better-looking:

Let's take a poll!

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Covert Communications

2012-02-20T14:45:00.001-05:00

Primate communication in the pure ultrasound
"For Philippine tarsiers, ultrasonic vocalizations might represent a private channel of communication that subverts detection by predators, prey and competitors, enhances energetic efficiency, or improves detection against low-frequency background noise."

Why not? It worked for Zarathustran Fuzzies.

[Hat tip to Bruce Schneier.]

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Playing By With The Rules

2012-02-18T21:31:00.003-05:00

Roberta X addresses the inconvenient fact that Indiana Scumsucker Dickhead Lugar lists his "residence" as a house he hasn't lived in (in fact, sold) for freaking decades. She observes that, "Even Senators ~~have to play by the rules"~~ should have to play by the rules."

Play by the rules? Heck, most Senators (and I specifically include Lugar, based on extensive personal correspondence with same nutjob) aren't even playing with all their marbles. Judging by New Hampshire's senators Shaheen and Ayotte, relinquishing their marbles is apparently a job requirement: Live in-state? They aren't in the same spacetime continuum.

Constitutionally-speaking, she's right. But following the Constitution is alien to the vast majority of DC Swamp Things, and has been for centuries; the Alien & Sedition Acts spring to mind - duly passed by the House and Senate, signed by an oath-breaking President. Why should you expect them to start now?

Heh. This bears a passing resemblance to the whole Obama-is-really-from-Kenya bit*. People are sweating whether or not these guys pass Constitutional muster to hold offices where violating the Constitution is regular, everyday business.

* Hey, Barry: When Michelle Antoinette gets back from her monthly 1-2 week vacation, you really need to talk to her about telling people you're from Kenya; it looks bad when your own wife is on the "Birthers'" side.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

AR-WTF?

2012-02-18T15:08:00.007-05:00

Courtesy of The Clue Meter, I bring you this odd device:

"Wuttenhelzat?", you ask. Allow me to put that in perspective:

Yes, your eyes deceiveth you not. Someone was that stupid. This little bit of dumbfuckery is being sold by Cheaper Than Dirt*... for several hundred dollars. I anticipate police departments across the country ordering these en mass for their wanna-be soldiers of fortune. Keene, NH is no doubt ordering a dozen. A turret-mount AR-15 is gonna look so cool on that Bearcat.

You know, this would go great with my Tactical Brown Bess...

* CTD will not get a link from me. Not since they started boosting their revenues by hanging onto my credit card info and billing me for hundreds of dollars per shot for stuff I did not order. Yes, it was CTD doing it, not some ID thief ordering stuff for himself. CTD billed me and shipped the unwanted crap to me.

To add to the irony, the last time I actually did order something from CTD...

They shorted my order.

I know some people swear by CTD. I used to myself. But then so many things started going seriously wrong that I figured it couldn't be just one of those occasional, random "shit happens". Now I swear at CTD.

Come to think of it, given CTD's proclivities, I might even be getting a few of these – like it or not – if I hadn't killed that credit card.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Tanks Are A Keen[e] Idea

2012-02-17T16:32:00.003-05:00

Stupid. But Keene.

Most of my readers don't seem to be from New Hamphire, so you may need a little background. The town of Keene, NH (pop.23,000) has decided the cops need a ~~tank~~ new vehicle.

Ok, so the thing isn't exactly a Main Battle Tank, but the specs on the Bearcat appear to place it several notches above the "Peacekeeper" Armored Personnel Carrier which would already be serious freaking overkill for a rural college town where the biggest crime "problem" is cops busting college kids for daring to video record them.

(But to be fair, I've heard some rumors that the Bearcat has... problems, that make it a pisspoor choice for downtown (such as it is) Keene or a battlefield. That would explain why the company is pitching them to tiny, rural PDs instead of relying on Pentagon contracts.)

One "Henry Acton", though, argues for the acquisition of military armor:

"There are two main sets of arguments as to why Keene needs such a beast of a vehicle. The official view is that it would be useful for emergencies…and stuff. The popular contrary view is that it is useful for militarizing the police to prepare them to wage war upon the populace, and because they want a really huge really fancy truck to play with at no real cost to themselves.

Both of these views are true".

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

NH Elections: State Senate, District 9

2012-02-17T00:35:00.002-05:00

Democrat Nyquist eyeing state Senate run
"Nyquist said he has been politically “inspired” by Gov. John Lynch and U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and considers himself a Democrat in their mold."

Oh, joy. Based on my experience with Shaheen and Lynch, that means he's clueless, willfully ignorant, and unresponsive to voters who don't want a socialist paradise. Just what we needed. But then there's this:
"He said he is opposed to the imposition of a sales or income tax."

That has to be the traditional NH pol's disclaimer (since anyone who says he intendeds to active work for an income tax pretty much can't elected; they just lie, and do it once elected). There's no other way to square that with the Shaheen/Lynch mold.

Nyquist is running for Ray White's seat (he chose not to run for a second term, darn it). White has been responsive, and even – mostly – supports stuff I like. No doubt the state Rep catastrophe will find someone completely useless and unelectable to oppose Nyquist, rather like they did in the last special election for the state House.

Got popcorn?

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Homeland Security vs. Solar Terrorist

2012-02-14T16:03:00.003-05:00

OECD/IFP Futures Project on “Future Global Shocks”: “Geomagnetic Storms” (PDF, 1.87 MB)

Just in case you aren't up to speed on this stuff, a Carrington Event, even if of no greater amplitude than the namesake incident, would be a very bad thing for our electrified civilization. Or a really good thing, from the POV of some wanna-be survivalists I've encountered. And given that our celestial light bulb isn't a politically correct CFL, but an active G2V, it's probably inevitable. Totally unpredictable by current knowledge, but inevitable.

But do we really want DHS (think VIPR Social Security office raids and ~~frisking~~ molesting disembarking passengers, stolen luggage/etc, pedophile convictions, "national security" copyright raids...) heading up preps? I mean, real scientists and engineers have been looking at this issue for decades already (and implementing protective measures). Science fiction writers have been addressing this since at least the '70s (Niven, Inconstant Star). DHS only just now noticed. About the only thing worse would be putting NASA (new motto: "We destroyed manned LEO access in just 50 years and trillions of dollars") in charge.

Come to think of it, sending all the TSA's VIPR teams (appropriately reinforced by every passenger-rapist and baggage-thief they've got) to the surface of the Sun is a damned good idea. And we could smoke test the Orion crew capsule (NASA: "It took us 40 years, but we might have figured out how to cram 6 people into an Apollo capsule") while we're at it.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Look! I'm Special, Too!

2012-02-14T00:13:00.006-05:00

I got a chain letter!

Only they call it a "Liebster Award". I got tagged by Drang over at The Clue Meter. His Liebster list is right here.

I've no idea where this originated, nor am I sufficiently motivated to backtrack the chain of tags to figure that out. And... well... "liebster" meaning "dearest"... a male bear getting tagged dearest by a guy using a cat as an avatar...

I think that's illegal in this state. Pretty much everything else is. As opposed to Massachusetts, where I think it's mandated.

I'm supposed to tag five more blogs in turn. But I have to pick blogs with 200 or fewer followers. I think most of those were already tagged. And as awards go: "Congratulations! You've been recognized for the sheer inability to draw more than 200 readers out of an Internet population of billions!" All things considered, tagging some of my acquaintances might get me shot. Well, hell; the ballistic vest still fits. Check in later to see who I tagged, and if they got me.

Added: Just couldn't work up the enthusiasm needed to find and spam low-readership bloggers with a chain letter. But if you really want to get involved, I don't see anything that says you can't initiate your own chain. Enjoy.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Just In Case You Chalked Up The Destruction To Incompetence

2012-02-13T15:19:00.000-05:00

WH Economic Adviser: 'We Need a Global Minimum Tax'
"[W]e need a global minimum tax so that people have the assurance that nobody is escaping doing their fair share as part of a race to the bottom".

Just remember, when they start talking (again) about leveling the playing field, they really do mean razing everything in sight with a D12 dozer.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

If You Regularly Read My Blog...

2012-02-11T11:17:00.003-05:00

...you probably won't want to read this communist Gawker screed:
"Some people think that if the money is legally made, it is the right of the moneymaker to use that money how they see fit,"

Yeah, pretty much.

"... and it's not anyone else's business."

Spot on.

"Well, if you believe that you're some sort of Randian libertarian,"

'Not hardly,' I says cogently, if ungrammatically.

"...and you should not be reading this websi-CLICK-

Got that right.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

NASA Strikes (Out) Again

2012-02-11T01:10:00.011-05:00

Update, 12:30PM: Joel weighs in. See below.

Amazing. NASA finally did something I can approve of: Nasa announces plans to cut funding for missions to Mars
Nasa spokesman David Weaver said that, just like the rest of the federal government, the space agency has to make 'tough choices ... and live within our means'.

Tough choices. [grin]

Like the Space Race Blast Off game. You wondered where they found the funding for that? Now you know. Think I'm kidding, that the game cost couldn't compare? Think again: this is a federal bureaucracy; mis-spending and overspending is what they do.

Living "within our means". [grin]

I'm pro-space exploration. That's why I'm glad to see this report. NASA hasn't been about real exploration (as if it ever was) for a very long time. If they were, we'd already have people there (there was a realistic manned mission proposal back in the mid-1970s – almost 40 years ago). Instead, we've spent billyuns and billyuns [grin] repeatedly discovering that there are no signs of life on Mars. Heck, give NASA another 40 years and a few hundred billion and they might determine there's no life there. And they still wouldn't put any [human] life there (certainly not by an agency that considers people a harmful pollutant: a human presence might introduce contamination that would adversely impact the search for Marvin the Martian; "environmentalists" have already raised that objection).

It used to be that Mars exploration was hyped as giving us another planet for comparison, to better understand our own Earth. Please note that science barely makes the cut as a rationale for continuing the interplanetary pork-barrel:

We are the only country on this planet that has the demonstrated ability to land on another planet, namely Mars. It is a national prestige issue.
– Edward Weiler, former NASA associate administrator for science

Prestige. Propaganda. PR. Inter~~national~~planetary one-ups-manship.

Not science.

Update, 12:30PM: Joel weighs in:
I'm picturing two vast and trunkless legs of stone, right? Near them on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies. And on the pedestal these words appear:

`My name is NASA, Hope of Generations:
Look on my works, ye taxpayers,
and Don't get fooled again!'

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

I Will Not Run For Governor

2012-02-10T18:19:00.006-05:00

(Isn't that a relief?)

New Hampshire's Union Leader ran a story today announcing that some guy isn't going to run for governor. I hadn't heard a damned thing suggesting that he ever considered running, so I read the article for some obscure detail I might have missed: forming an exploratory committee, filing for the race, anything.

Nada thing. Just out of the blue, he sends a letter saying he won't run.

This being New Hampshire, there's a few ways you can interpret this. He might be fishing for someone to "talk him into it". He might have such an inflated ego that he just knew everyone expected him to run (and win, of course). Or, bearing in mind that generally some 1.29 million people of NH's 1.3 million population try to run for governor, he was merely trying to clear some space for someone else.

There is a fourth possibility. He might have a sense of humor, and wanted to see if the paper would run the announcement. Good question, actually. So I just sent the UL my announcement:

For Immediate Release:

Noted science fiction writer, columnist, and liberty activist Carl "Bear" Bussjaeger announced today that he will not run for governor of New Hampshire.

Bussjaeger stated that he prefers a role in which he can advise and criticize candidates more appropriately; "Someone has to be free to toss popcorn at the screen and ridicule these chuckleheads." He noted the value of an outside, nonpartisan observer: "Partisan politics is tribes of lemmings following their separate leaders over the cliff. Bipartisan politics is an attempt at lemming-leaps of mass destruction. I prefer nonpartisan politics in which I can point out that, 'Hey, you're all a bunch microcephalic lemmings demanding we join you in self-destruction'."

For further information, please see Mr. Bussjaeger's website (www.bussjaeger.org) and blog (carlbussjaeger.blogspot.com).

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

And As Soon As It Is Released, I'm Applying For SSI Disability

2012-02-09T22:26:00.006-05:00

Shyness soon to be classified as mental illness

Yepper, the new DSM is a-comin'. You heard about "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (i.e.- anyone who thought the Declaration of Independence meant what it says). But...

Shyness? I'm in twice! But wait, there's more!

"[A]pathy syndrome". I think I qualify for that one, too.

I guess I'm finally going to get some of my tax dollars back. I might even be able to afford popcorn and Scotch while I watch the collapse.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Oh, The Irony...

2012-02-07T13:39:00.008-05:00

Amazon claims that they are going to remove the listings for the NSP/Benner-pirated Kindle editions of Net Assets and The Anarchists (the authorized editions will still be available). It only took well over a year and multiple DMCA letters to get them to do so. If they do. I'm not actually holding my breath. As for the irony I mentioned...

The Amazon notice arrived at the same time as did a 1099 tax form from Amazon. For royalties. Paid to the Benners for sales before I finally managed to get control of the paperback editions they pirated.

That's right, all you copyright-is-evil-piracy-is-good-and-the-right-of-all-good-socialists/communists-to-the-work-of-others-must-prevail. You tell me piracy is fine because it doesn't deprive the creator of any tangible asset.

I'm getting hit for taxes on the profits earned by the pirates who stole my work and never paid me.

Go fuck yourselves, thieving scum.

P.S.- If any of you were hoping to see me, and maybe get a book signed, at the NHLF reception, I won't be there. Couldn't afford it in the first place (see empty tip jar) and with unexpected taxes on pirates' profit... I'm out of the authoring biz.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Updates

2012-02-07T01:52:00.002-05:00

If you haven't clicked that funny looking round logo up top, and want a few laughs, do so now.

It's some of my SCA reminiscences. Scadians can be... interesting folks.

and

Return of Kalashnikitty!

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

The Original Assault Rifle

2012-02-04T17:05:00.002-05:00

Optional high capacity paper cartridge bandolier not included.

(I'm sorry. But... it had to be done.)

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

If Safety Matches Were Invented Today...

2012-02-03T22:51:00.005-05:00

...and somehow made it through the federal bureaucracy labyrinth.

But wait! There's more!

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

I'll Let You In On A Secret

2012-02-03T18:22:00.005-05:00

OK, so it isn't really terribly secret, but here goes: I haven't quite reached that peaceful Zen-like state of not caring, but I've pretty much accepted that things are going to to hell. That's why most of my posts are liberally dosed with cynicism.

I'm just sitting back and enjoying the show.

The unemployment rate is down. Of course, there are a million or two more unemployed people than last year, but they don't count because they've been unemployed long enough that... they don't count. Convenient, that. If the feds still calculated unemployment rates the way it was done for the (first) Great Depression, we'd be looking at closer to 35% rather than the 8.3% the feds just announced. But unemployment is down; they told us so.

A war with Iran is now inevitable. Only the timing is still up for discussion. Because they're working on nuclear weapons that... um, the CIA, US Secretary of Defense, and Israelis all say they aren't working on. Cool. In other news, North Korea is still running an active nuke program and still hasn't been invaded (which suggests someone in DC might have one or two brain cells).

At this writing, party chieftains and media have decided for us that our Presidential choices this year are:

A mentally erratic incumbent who his handlers won't let speak without a Teleprompter, and who still can't convince people he was born in this country (hint: Barry, get Michelle Antoinette to stop telling people you're from Kenya). (He's also none too sure how many kids he has, or what their genders might be.)
A Republican who pushes socialized medicine and gun bans. Except when he doesn't. Unless it's convenient. Or he forgets. Or it doesn't count if states violate rights. Or...
Another Republican who was the only Speaker of the House in history to be convicted on ethics violation charges.

And the big controversy was which idiot that clown Trump would endorse. All we need now is for the Libertarians to put Drug-Warrior Barr up again.

While the feds argue the need for rights infringing/violating/mutilating/stomp-in-the-mud-and-laugh SOPA/PIPA to "fight copyright violations" by shutting down web sites, the feds proceed to shut down Megadownload and 309 more web sites for alleged copyright infringement... without any need for SOPA/PIPA. Or due process.

Meanwhile, Amazon is still selling pirated editions of two of my books. I'm waiting to hear that the feds have shut them down. -giggle-

With the country headed to Hell-In-A-Handbasket, a NH Senator (Shaheen) and House Rep (Bass) turn to the absolutely-fucking-vital-to-national-security issue of... southern NH cable viewers being blacked out of Super Bowl coverage.

Just to prove that wasn't an isolated burst of stupidity, Senator Shaheen [Dangerously Delusional-NH-in-some-other-spacetime-continuum-where-skies-are-pink-not-blue] explains that it was absolutely-fucking-vital-to-national-security to protect the country from a federal debt disaster by increasing the federal debt ceiling by another trillion or two... or three, or... 'cause if she didn't increase "our" debt how were "we" gonna pay the interest on our growing debt?

Meanwhile in law enforcement, a park ranger tasers a guy for walking his dog off-leash in a park that was off-leash unless the feds took it over a month ago, while cops shoot to death a young autistic boy with a butter knife. In Memphis, a cop responds to demands that cops be held to a higher standard by buying 22 pounds of coke to get higher. And in several jurisdictions police respond to federal court rulings that it's legal to record cops in public by beating and arresting anyone who attempts to record cops in public and carefully remembering to delete to recorded footage).

Back in DC again, Congresscritters are debating the best way to rationalize to voters why they aren't going to make it illegal for Congresscritters to engage in illegal insider trading. Which just proves how stupid they, because the voters don't give a rat's ass one way or t'other unless it's on Jersey Shore.

In NH, redundantly idiotic politicians are arguing over taxing telephone equipment that they've required The Phone Company to use and maintain. That's when they aren't arguing the best way to tax views. Or what constitutes a view. Or even (dear Bog) who gets to decide (so why are they arguing... never mind).

The State Department just raised the price of passports for escaping the zoo, as well as the price of renouncing citizenship in the zoo (and last I heard, the old proactive tax on lost future earnings is still in place for those trying to get out, too).

The TSA.. -headshake- well, the TSA is... the TSA. VIPR raids on Social Security offices and disembarking train passengers, pedophilia busts, granny-groping, routine theft, and all.

I could go on. And on. And on. And... and...

Yeah. But why bother?

Things are going to get worse. They aren't going to get better. So I'll sit on the sidelines and laugh. I used to care. A lot. I used to try to act. A lot. Part of why I'm where I'm at (financially, etc.) is because I tried (in part, hardly completely; I'm not copping out). As I said, I haven't achieved complete "don't care anymore" Nirvana, but I'm close.

I don't have a wife or kids to worry about. I don't have any "future generation" to save the world for. So why bother fighting a losing battle? If the younger generations think it's worth saving... well, there are plenty of them old enough to do their own fighting. And what I see is that the vast majority of them like the current well-intentioned-paved road just fine.
-slip-
Ah! Just a little closer to complete Nirvana. I think all I need now is a drink and some popcorn. Oh. Yeah. I can't afford those either. Tip Jar, anyone?

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Combat Pay

2012-02-03T11:51:00.006-05:00

Someone emailed me a link about the recent combat pay cut:
Danger Pay Now Calculated By the Day.
"Starting this month, the Defense Department will calculate imminent-danger pay by the day rather than the month, a cost-cutting move the department estimated last year could save $30 million annually."

If you really want to save money, you could always stop trying to police the world (where's that listed in the Constitution?). Specifically, you could stop trying to invade and conquer a rather tough bunch of pre-industrial warriors who, historically speaking, have never been conquered, who lack the means to actually attack America thousands of miles away. Think of the savings in military medical expenses alone, let alone the cost of munitions, transport, general logistics...

But we'll ignore all that for a moment, and just consider the combat pay change by itself. How many of you are familiar with the term per diem? Raise your hands. Yeah, it's normal for folks to only be paid for actual time put in.

Another thing: Back in Gulf War Part One (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) I spent most of a year camping in the sand in-theater. I got combat pay. But I actually served in the UAE, which was in the combat zone only by a stretch of the imagination; theoretically, a Scud might have made it as far as our TAB, but given the accuracy and precision of that system, it wouldn't hit anything it was aimed at. The only things that I really thought endangered me were the SPs and SP-augmentees (I remember the night a guy on guard duty discovered that an M16 will fire if you take it off safe, hold down the trigger, and charge the weapon by operating the bolt; it took him three rounds to figure out that he really was firing his rifle that way. Or the time I almost got a free grenade launcher, when the SPs forgot it – and a bandolier of 40mm grenades – after posing for pictures to send home. Or the... Eventually the Air Farce had to disarm nearly every USAF member in-theater due to such incidents.). But I got combat pay.

In fact, according to some air crew members I spoke to, cargo planes were being rerouted through our TAB just so they could touch ground in-theater and get combat pay for the month. Were they mistaken or lying? Maybe. But once they landed, they were eligible; that much is a fact

My correspondent included a post by a commenter:
"It is sad that my son in law's life is worth less than a coffee pot. "

But apparently she's cool with his life being worth less than an iPod or iPhone.

ADDED:

"General Washington, sir?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"I've been making the rounds of the Valley Forge encampment..."
"Yes, I do that myself. So?"
"So... The men all want combat pay."
"But they aren't in combat."
"They say it's a combat theater whether or not the Redcoats are shooting at them. And if they don't get bonuses, they're going home."
"Money's tight. Can't they settle for bonuses when they get shot at? I mean, this is a fight for their freedom; don't they value that?"
"No, sir."
"What the Hell did they think they were volunteering for?"*

* I am not equating the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan. This is just something that popped into my head while considering "volunteers" wanting to be paid extra. But you might turn it around and ask if Taliban and other Afghani soldiers are demanding non-combat combat pay to fight invaders.

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Spendable Silver and Gold

2012-02-03T01:51:00.006-05:00

Kn@ppster mentioned a silver/gold "alternative currency" I was previously unaware of: Shire Silver.

Strictly speaking, it isn't an alternate currency at all. It's just actual physical silver and gold in readily spendable quantities (and packaged for easy handling). They pack small amounts of the metal in question in a wallet-sized card like a credit card. This solves a couple of problems with other "alternate currencies".

Denomination: Have you ever tried buying twenty bucks worth of something with a 1 ounce gold round? Making change is... problematical.
This is the metal itself. Not a warehouse receipt which the feds frown upon and send people to prison for.
The metal is apparently pure, unlike a well-known (and defunct) silver currency coin which was a lower silver content alloy. The weight you're getting is the weight of the real metal.
And of course, putting the tiny bits of metal in a wallet card makes it easy to carry and handle.

This looks like a winner to me. If I ever crawl out of poverty and can buy metals again, this is going to be part of my portfolio. (And along those lines, if anyone is feeling generous, I'd be most happy to accept Shire Silver (or gold!) cards in my Tip Jar.)

Bear
SI NULLUS UMOR, FORNICARI EIS

Pole Tax

2012-02-01T16:12:00.008-05:00

No, not "poll tax". Pole tax. I realize this is the neverending election season, but money-grubbing politicians go on forever (wait.. I just said that).

FairPoint fights municipal pole taxes

I get to be objective for once. I don't like greedy politicians (wait... that's redundant). And I don't much care for FairPoint. But let's look at this situation. New Hampshire towns looking for revenue want to tax utility poles.; it's what they do. Conventional thinking might say, "Hey, that nasty ol' phone company is making a profit from those poles; we should ~~steal~~ get a share." In fact, towns are trying for anywhere from $100 to $1,000 dollars per freaking pole. (Quick game: Walk out to your road. Count the telephone poles. Multiply by $1,000. Divide by the number of neighbors. Add that to your phone bill.)

Libertarian thinking might run something like, "Hey, that idiot town is trying to jack up our expenses (which we have to pass on to customers); let's shut off service in that town, pull out, and let 'em seize the damned poles for back taxes." I confess, that option would have a great deal of appeal for me.

But when politicians are involved, nothing's that simple. FairPoint bought out Verizon (which was not subjected to these pole taxes) landline services a few years ago. In an ideal world, that would have been a simple business deal. But we have politicians.

FairPoint was only allowed to buy out Verizon on the condition that they (mandatorily, mind you!) provide certain services. In fact, they were required to expand services beyond what Verizon ever had to offer.* Note: required; they get fined if they fail to comply. And those services require that they use....

Telephone poles.

So FairPoint isn't allowed to pull their poles out, and the customers get fucked.

So... the idiot politicians have mandated that FairPoint use telephone poles on pain of monetary fine for failure... and the towns get to make FairPoint then pay to use those poles. What a racket.

Which brings us to the current legislative ruckus. Some pols have figured out that taxing a major phone provider, one teetering on the edge of another bankruptcy filing, might not be a good idea. So they're pushing a bill to ban local taxation of utility poles.

I'd rather have a ban on politicians.

* FairPopint was specifically required to expand DSL coverage. In fact, if the politicians stayed out of it, the company could have offered wireless broadband with more coverage, sooner, and cheaper. But politicians – being too stupid to figure out that DSL technology was never supposed to be more than a temporary transitional tech – insisted on DSL. Among FairPoint's many strategic errors was that it then attempted to pay for both types of network expansion. Result: Both flopped (even though FairPoint claims on paper to have met the DSL mandate). And years later, you still can't get DSL where I am.

Bear
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OK, So Iraq Might Be Better Than A Detroit Ghetto*

2012-01-31T17:01:00.005-05:00

Del, you really should have read your letter a couple of times before you sent it. The best you can suggest is that Iraq might be better off now than some of the poorest, most violent cities in the US? You can't even say so for certain?

Which, in fact, does pretty much say it all.

(And... "In whose economy is Ghandi the supreme source of wisdom and information?" WTF? I'd like to know that myself, 'cause I can't think of one.)

* A Detroit ghetto? Considering the state of the city overall – what there is left of it – that's getting pretty frightening.

I'll have to admit, that based on Katrina-period behavior of the NOLA cops, a New Orleans ghetto probably does make a good comparison to war-ravaged Iraq.

Bear
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NASA's Facebook Game

2012-01-31T02:12:00.006-05:00

NASA has put together a little self-promoting game on Facebook. Aren't you glad to learn that all our country's financial woes are fixed, and we can afford to waste money like this? Don't you feel good knowing your tax dollars are being spent on games to "teach" the kind of stuff that used to go out and learn on their own?

The game is a "race" to launch your rocket ship by answering basic history questions. It isn't exactly dial-up friendly; I suppose NASA's pukes are too accustomed to surfing the web on their high speed, taxpayer-funded broadband links.*

I have a better set of questions for them to use.

1. What were the names of the three Apollo astronauts who died in a capsule fire in 1967?

2. How many people died in the Challenger disaster? Names?

3. What was the name of the NASA manager who overrode the engineering safety recommendation not to launch the Challenger in the morning because of the risk of seal failure?

4. How many ISS oxygen tanks did NASA throw away because they stored them outside in a salvage area?

5. How many satellites did NASA shake apart because they screwed up the g-table vibration tests?

6. Who mandated NASA's use of new "green" adhesives that failed, causing the damage that led to the destruction of the Columbia?

7. How many people died in the Columbia disaster? Names?

8. Which NASA director announced that NASA's priority is now Muslim outreach (instead of space exploration)?

9. Which NASA Mars probe missed the entire planet because of a metric/English conversion error, even though spacecraft telemetry told NASA it was off course?

10. Which Mars probe crashed into the planet because of a design flaw, warned of by engineers, shut down the descent motor?

11. Which spaceplane project, which set speed and altitude records that remain unbroken, was canceled by NASA almost as soon as they grabbed the program away from the Air Force? (Bonus: when NASA sold the engine for scrap, how much did it cost the buyer?)

12. How much did taxpayers spend to send a golf club and ball to the Moon?

13. How much did NASA's "Space Race Blast Off" on Facebook cost taxpayers?

RE; my question 8. As it happens, the official NASA game questions support that new outreach mission. One of the first questions the game threw at me was about Muslim faith and holy objects (and yes, I got it right).

-sigh- I can't go on. And I haven't even touched SkyLab, ISS, GISS...

* Yeah, I'm still getting NASA visitors. Lately, I've seen them coming from GISS; the timing suggests Hansen and Gavin are scouring the web for their critics. And yeah, the game is very bandwidth intensive; actually, I wrote this post while waiting for the second "bonus" round to load. Still waiting...

Bear
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"We'll Support The Bill Requiring Warrants If It Doesn't Require Warrants"

2012-01-30T14:21:00.003-05:00

Paraphrased, of course. But very accurately.

NH police would need warrant to access cellphones
"Assistant Safety Commissioner Earl Sweeney said police usually get a warrant but currently can act without one in an emergency. He said he could support the bill if it allowed for emergency situations."

Whether you're talking about snooping in cell phones, planting a GPS bug on a guy's car, or waterboarding, you can't deliberately violate rights without being a criminal.

And what constitutes an "emergency" look at a cell phone, one that requires the officer to skip little legal niceties like... a warrant? All I can think of, even hypothetically, is a case where for some unexplainable reason someone is about to die if you can't get a look at the nude phonecam pix the guy took of his girlfriend, in the next five minutes.

Uh huh.

But allow me to point out that there actually is a loophole that lets cops ignore the Constitution (sort of). It goes like this: Cop really, really believes something bad will happen unless he does something bad. Cop lays his career and life on the line and places his bet. Maybe he saves a life, and goes to prison knowing he did the wrong thing for the right reason. The judge could even take that into account in the sentencing phase. Or... maybe he was wrong, and he looked in the wrong cell phone or broke the wrong fingers. Innocent fingers. Which he might've figured out if he'd taken the time to investigate and obtain probable cause for a warrant. Worst case: he let himself get so distracted by the wrong phone or innocent screams that the real bad guy went ahead with his bad thing; maybe someone dies because the cop was busy violating the wrong rights.

And cop goes to prison knowing he did the wrong thing for the wrong reason and people suffered.

When wanna-be criminals like ~~Weenie~~ oops, Sweeney demand to be unaccountable for abuses, that tells me they plan to commit a crime and want proactive immunity. If some clown went to the legislature and in all seriousness demanded that bank robbery be legal for him in whatever he decided was an emergency wouldn't you be a little suspicious of his motives?

Bear
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Wake Me When It Gets Here

2012-01-30T02:03:00.002-05:00

Oh, look. Another ice age.

Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again)

-yawn-

This is already old news to us Solar Cycle watchers, but...

Look, I'm not that old. But even so, during my life we've had apocalyptic warnings of an ice age. Followed by apocalyptic warnings of earth-scorching global warming.* And again with the ice age crap. This silliness was even reflected in fiction: Time of the Great Freeze (ice age), The Heritage Trilogy (Hansen-scale global warming). Niven et al managed to work both into one cheesy novel: Falling Angels (human-caused global warming held off the ice age until the greens killed industry); you have to give them bonus points for satirical humor.

Enough already. We don't know enough to make predictions like that. Damned near every freaking day, I read about a new climate-affecting discovery that no one had a clue about... so how can models that don't include it be accurate except by purest chance?

Until forecasters can accurately tell me if it's going to snow tonight or even the temperature within 4 degrees, they can't tell me that the whole planet is going to warm (or cool) by 1.758863409 degrees in 90 years. Similarly, until solar scientists can predict the sunspot number a week in advance (much less which sunspots will... and whether the eruption will produce a CME? And where that CME will go? And what effect it will have?) they can't tell me that the next solar will begin a new recording breaking minimum before we've even hit solar max in this cycle.

Hell, they still can't explain the missing solar neutrinos without inventing a new, never observed neutrino that can't be observed

I'm still waiting for the killer bees. Or SNL's giant, radioactive, man-eating lobsters.

* Literally, dear bog. You may recall a recent post about a claim that global warming is going to cause fields to burst into flame. Sheesh.

Bear
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Eek, And... WTF?

2012-01-28T02:16:00.005-05:00

I believe I'm going to boycott my own blog stats. As mentioned previously, I see odd or humorous search terms in the stats. And then I see this:

"what is the black head on he tip of my penis"

Don't know, don't wanna know. But... it gets... is better the right term? 'Cause this is what Google – in its all-powerful algorithmic wisdom referred that guy to. The poor guy's worried about his appendage and Google's patented, optimized search algorithms think he should look at blurry, Sasquatch-quality pictures of bears?

Bear
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Oh. That Explains It. I'm A Thief.

2012-01-27T23:16:00.005-05:00

The topic is copyright/intellectual property again.

One reason that Caveat Emptor (the Bargaining Position sequel) is taking so long is that every day when I sit down to the computer I have to convince myself that it's worth the hassle. That maybe this time people will... you know, pay for the book instead of demanding free downloads and free sequels (or even pirate my work for their own commercial profit, a la the Benners).

And most days I manage to delude myself and get a little more done. And then I see crap like this:

From the mental forum: "I honestly believe copyright tools and abuses aren't about keeping funds but about customer service. You either treat your customers as customers, or you treat them as enemies and thieves."

Do feel free to read the whole forum thread. If you can stomach it. The consensus there (with a couple of holdouts) seems to be that anyone who wants protections for his work is a thief. The poster quoted seems to ~~think~~ feel that anyone who doesn't give away their free products on cheap high speed Internet backbones is the worst kind of thief.

Last year, on top of providing many of my works for free, just asking for voluntary donations of no set amount, I finally offered the upcoming short story to those who donated anything at all. My books were downloaded thousand of times. And when it came time to send out the free short story...

I converted it into several formats to be friendly to multiple platforms including PCs, Kindles, and paper. I set up the download site. Then I went to my file to send notice to the ~~donors~~ donor, and realized that I should have just emailed it to the one guy.

Sorry, folks. Caveat Emptor is going to be delayed again. I'm too busy stealing by not giving enough shit away to assholes.

(And no, I don't know why I've been dropping by that site sometimes. There are damned few of the decent people left, and a disturbing percentage of the times I do read anything there, it pisses me off like this time. No, I won't be back.)

Bear
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Word Choice: Context Matters

2012-01-27T20:40:00.004-05:00

M[emphis] PD Officer Caught Trying to Buy 10 Kilos of Cocaine
"“The citizens of Memphis have a right to expect police officers to be held to a higher standard and as Director I fully understand this and demand the same."

And Ossifer Robinson bought that cocaine to get higher, Mister Director.*

(And what's with the "attempted" possession? He did buy it. He had it. In his squad car.)

* Granted, I've been away from Memphis for years now; things might have changed. But I truly would not be surprised if the officer argued that the 22 pounds of coke was for personal use.

Bear
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Speaking Of Web Searches...

2012-01-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

Taking Liberties: A lawsuit worthy of a Google search
[I]f you Google Matt Couloute, the first thing that comes up is: Liarscheatersrus.com, a site that warns women web-surfers about men who lie and cheat in their personal relationships.
[...]
Couloute is now suing Ryncarz for “tortuous interference with prospective business relations. It’s a case that could determine what people are and are not allowed to post on the Web.

...someone should have googled the Streisand Effect before getting stupid(er) with the lawsuits.

Interestingly, while the article mentions "slander", that isn't what lawyer-boy is alleging in his suit. IANAL but one once told me about a similar case: It isn't slander if it's true, but the truth can still be actionable "interference" if bringing it up is... meaner than circumstances warrant, which is up to the jury. Which leads me to suspect that the lawyer really is – surprise! – a cheating scumbag. I'll guess he'll sue me next.

Bear
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Trying To Reach El Neil

2012-01-26T22:38:00.003-05:00

Disregard. Got through to him.

His email server was snubbing my SMTP, but I finally realized that I have access to another machine that turns out to be on speaking terms with his.

I've been trying to email Neil, but his Netzero/untd.com mail server keeps bouncing my emails. If anyone has a better address for him, tell him I've got a free short story to give him. Since part of it was... um, inspired by him, I thought I'd give him a chance to read it over and issue a rebuttal.

Bear
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It's The Evil Totalitarian Thought That Counts

2012-01-26T13:46:00.004-05:00

In Bloomberg's alternate reality...

Blame Photoshop, Not Diabetes, for This Amputation
"New York City’s health watchdogs warn that drinking too much sugary soda could cost you a leg. But you also might lose a limb if you appear in one of their ads.
[...]
But it turns out that the person shown in the advertisement did not need crutches because his legs were intact. The health department confirmed on Tuesday that its advertising agency had removed the lower half of the man’s leg from the picture to make its point"

When asked to comment:

"This works out well for us," the megalomaniac mayor gushed. "I've been having trouble getting any more investigators to conduct unsanctioned, illegal, interstate strawman gun purchases. So now we'll just PhotoShop machine guns into stock gun show pictures, and lie. It's a lot cheaper and well... lying is what I do best," he elaborated. "Well, maybe second best. I'm really good at hoity toity arrogant hypocrisy: banning other people's cigarettes and cheap beer while I toke on cigars and guzzle fine wine."*

* Legal Disclaimer: We're scratching our heads over this. We don't think it's real – just satire – but Bloomberg refuses to confirm or deny, saying that inconvenient facts are for the little people. And Al Gore.

Bear
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Offered Without Comment

2012-01-26T12:16:00.002-05:00

Obama to Ignore Order to Appear in Court
"President Obama will ignore an order by an Atlanta judge to appear in court Thursday for a hearing in a case challenging his qualifications under the Constitution to be president."

Man Failed to Appear, Ordered to Carry Sign
"A prospective juror in a fatal drunken driving crash case who left during jury selection has been ordered to stand in front of the Lake County Courthouse the next two Mondays with a sign that says, “I failed to appear for jury duty.”"

Bear
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Meet A Porcupine NH Writer

2012-01-26T00:29:00.010-05:00

I've been invited to participate in a "Meet a Porcupine Writer" gig at the opening reception for the Free State Project's New Hampshire Liberty Forum next month. Basically, a signing. I'd like to do that, so hopefully they won't retract the invite now that I've reminded them that I'm not an FSP "Porcupine".

I'm hoping this will be manageable. My 19 year old vehicle is becoming an issue again. Some visits to my "tip jar" could help resolve those issues (damn, am I subtle or what?). (Note: Any deities wishing to reveal themselves unequivocally and gain a follower may arrange for me to win the lottery in time to attend.)

Anyway, if at possible I plan to be there with some books to peddle and sign. So you plan to come meet your favorite SF writer no one ever heard of. If you already have a copy of any of my books, bring it; I'll sign that, too. Heck, I'll sign your Kindle if you accidentally set it on the table; you'll want to be careful of that. Pencil it onto your calendar (no, George, you use a computer calendar; put the Sharpie down): Thursday Feb. 23, 2012 from 6-7pm.

Crass commercialism aside, I'd also like to be there to meet some of the Porcupines. I've been critical of the FSP in the past, and certain impulsive members, but there are a lot of Free Staters doing good work that doesn't get noted by the press, or even most of the NH residents who've benefited from their efforts.

Bear
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Sen. Ayotte And "Enforcement Mechanisms"

2012-01-25T13:41:00.006-05:00

Remember my attempt at a bit of fun with the congresscreeps, re: how to budget? I do wish the Dump Crawlers would hire mail screeners whose sole job isn't to keyword match constituent mail to find the databased form response that comes closest without going over.

Kelly "gimmea-P-gimmea-O-gimmea-L-gimmea-I-gimmea-C-gimmea-E gimmea-S-gimmea-T-gimmea-A-gimmea-T-gimmea-E whatsthatspellperpetualpoljobsecurity!" Ayotte replied.

-sigh-

Let's be fair, though. For the Airhead, this response was [almost] substantive:

As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, I have introduced bipartisan legislation (S. 1681) with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) to create a real enforcement mechanism to ensure the annual budget resolution is passed by its statutory deadline. (emphasis added- cb)

If you don't know Kelly, that could sound promising. Enforcement mechanism? Tar? Feathers? Flogging? Nuke 'em from orbit (the only way to be sure)? Harsh language, man? Let's go see.

S. 1681* is surprising short and to the point, especially for something from a lawyer politician. But I can compress and summarize it further: If we don't pass a budget by the Constitutional deadline, we can't consider any other legislation unless we feel like it. ~~Or else.~~

Oh. Wait. There is no "or else". Kelly assured me there was an "enforcement mechanism" so I naturally assumed [-giggle- -snort-] that there'd be... you know, an enforcement mechanism. Kelly-girl, go get a dictionary and look those words up.

In the meantime, you want an enforceable budget resolution? Here ya go:

After April 15 and unless the concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year has been adopted for the budget year, said budget to either balance revenues and expenditures or if a revenue surplus would exist paying that surplus against the national debt, that session of Congress shall be ended, all members of the House and Senate return to their respective home states under house arrest pending independent citizen investigation, and trial for as appropriate, of their activities for misfeasance in office, malfeasance in office, and treasonous violation of their oaths of office and the requirement to pass a budget on schedule.

Those convicted will face mandatory penalties as follows, and the convictions and sentences shall not be subject to further judicial review:
Misfeasance: Twenty lashes to the back of the torso and gluteus, followed by being secured in stocks in a publicly accessible park in the respective offender's home state capital for seven days, to subsist on bread and water only during that period.
Malfeasance: Forty lashes as described above, 30 days secured in stocks as described above, and branding of the face with hot irons to label the offender "criminal dumbass" in letters no smaller than 1 inch in height, and total forfeiture of all assets and monies personal and real.
Treason: Offenders shall be subjected to the penalties prescribed for misfeasance and malfeasance consecutively, followed by tarring, feathering, and then slow death by suspension by rope from the ankles over hot, burning coals (Representatives and Senators from New Hampshire may opt to be beaten to death by off-duty police officers in the Strange Brew tavern).
None of these requirements may be waived or voted down by either House or Senate, nor any combination of the two.

~~Survivors~~ All Representatives and Senators who are cleared during investigation or found not guilty shall face immediate recall elections to be funded from their personal assets, at no further expense to taxpayers.

I'll admit, my version isn't as short and elegant as Kelly's; but it has the advantage of... well, actually having that "enforcement mechanism" she mentions. And being damned satisfying.

* Note that the bill got shoved off on committee where it's been ignored/dead for almost 4 months. I love the way pols pretend that submitting a deader covers their asses for the next year.

Bear
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Buy A Lot Cracker Jacks, Danae

2012-01-25T02:12:00.006-05:00

Bear
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Ready For A Baby?

2012-01-25T01:44:00.002-05:00

Here's How to Get Pregnant in 2012!
"19 Things You Need To Do To Get Pregnant This Year"

Huh. I would have thought the procedure was pretty much the same as last year's model. Allow me to give you the basic program:

10 PRINT "You're on the Internet. TURN OFF THE COMPUTER!!"
20 LET X=1
30 SEX
40 IF X=19 THEN 70
50 LET X=X+1
60 GOTO 30
70 SMOKE

Their system is a lot more complicated, but I'll bet mine works better; lot more fun, too.

[Hat tip to Dave Barry.]

Bear
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Book News: Short Story and More

2012-01-25T00:58:00.008-05:00

Lot's of good news this morning.

The new NA/BP short story, "A Little Pussy" is now available as a Kindle ebook (and other electronic formats, not restricted to Kindle devices specifically, yada, yada, yada). And MamaL, before you get all upset about that title, look at the cover art.
You can get it HERE for just 99 cents. If you aren't sure you want to splurge a whole 99¢ yet, you can read an excerpt HERE.

I've sent the free story to the people who hit my tip jar while I was working on it. At least, I think I got it to everyone. If I promised you the freebie, but you haven't seen it yet, email me.

Amazon/CreateSpace has been tweaking their pricing model, which I realized lets me drop list prices on the paperback editions:

Bargaining Position is now just $14.00, a reduction of a buck.
The Anarchy Belt dropped a whopping five bucks, down to $14.00.
Net Assets is still $11.50. That already being just a nickel above the minimum allowed, it hardly seemed worth taking the time to change it.*
And The Anarchists is now only $8.05; as with NA, that's the minimum Amazon allows.*

If you enjoy my work, please share those links with your friends. Nice reviews on Amazon would also be very much appreciated.

Dankë!

* Just a reminder that the ebook editions of those two are pirated, not controlled by me, and I didn't set the ridiculous prices. BUT: There is a cheaper authorized Net Assets ebook. Just look for the reasonably priced "Net Assets: The Authorized Edition" for three bucks.

Bear
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Fiction Update: Bill & Jeanie Short Story

2012-01-24T02:38:00.002-05:00

Some of the regulars may recall me mentioning a short story in progress. It's titled "A Little Pussy", and it's another tale of Bill & Jeanie, the Hunters of Bargaining Position. I kept getting sidetracked by other projects, but at long last I've finished it. I'm going to step away from it till tomorrow so I can approach the final proofreading fresh. Then I'll get it converted to assorted formats, and up on Amazon in a Kindle ebook. I plan to price it at 99 cents. I'll also be getting copies to the people who supported my writing via my tip jar, along with more thanks.

"A Little Pussy" bridges Bargaining Position and the next novel (still in progress; the scope keeps growing) Caveat Emptor. The basic idea: It's good to have friends. It's better to have friends who give thoughtful gifts.

Sometimes.

Bear
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"Hockey". Yeah, Right.

2012-01-23T16:46:00.002-05:00

John Kerry Breaks Nose Playing Hockey

I'm a-thinkin' "constituent close encounter".

Bear
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Who Says Urology Is Boring?

2012-01-23T08:18:00.004-05:00

A Memoir of the Famous Brindley Lecture

While I try hard to stay on top of down and dirty science issues, I somehow missed this huge report of Brindley's penetrating research project. Do read it; I think you'll see the thrust of the situation. It isn't a long report, and you get to the meat of the matter right away. The climax is spectacular.

Bonus Points: UroDYNAMICS Society. Very dynamic.

[Hat tip to Derek Lowe (who also brought us this wonderfully energetic report of fluorochemistry).]

Bear
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And ACORN* Has Already Registered It To Vote

2012-01-23T06:31:00.002-05:00

Russian scientist claims signs of life spotted on Venus

Even assuming the "shapes" aren't just a figment of the guy's imagination (oddly, there're no pix or links to such), I think it's easier to attribute them to imagery artifacting in rapidly failing cameras in an environment that pretty much defines "hostile". I'd be surprised if any lifeform cut out for Venus was that easy to recognize, because it couldn't have much in common with any lifeform we've encountered to date.

* Yeah, I know. Technically, ACORN is defunct, but it pretty much just changed its soiled diapers for dirty underwear and reincorporated under a new name(s).

Bear
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Al Gore and Buds To Recreate The Scott Expedition

2012-01-22T22:33:00.004-05:00

Update 2, 1:05 PM: See below.

One can always hope, I suppose.

Scientists, celebrities to cruise with Gore to Antarctica

I'm... not... exactly sure what to make of this report: A boat trip organized by Gore... taking Hansen and Trenberth... to view declining Antarctic ice (better check those maps again, Al)... and to celebrate the Scott expedition (-blink- well, maybe they'll emulate that little adventure completely).. with stops in Nepal and the Alps (by boat?)...

A quick look (which is about all I can stand) at Gore's blog (no, I won't link to that SOB; look it up your own damned self) doesn't seem to mention this winter wonderland adventure.

Satire?

Update, 9 AM: So I wrote to the article's author Lauren Morello to be sure whether or not this was meant as satire. I got a response this morning:

Carl --

ClimateWire is a news service. We don't publish satire. If you read the article again, you'll see that one of Gore's representatives confirmed the trip.

Lauren

Touchy, ain't she? Could be she's getting a lot of flack over that silly piece of ~~journalism~~ crap. I replied:

Um... Lauren, when someone is asking if a specific article is satire, pointing to the article itself as confirmation otherwise is... let's be kind: _silly_.

I'll take your word for it that it wasn't _supposed_ to be satire. But when you write a piece about a failed politician dragging his friends to Antarctica to see if the ice is melting in the summertime and include a quote about it being a celebration of the Scott expedition...

Well, you're going to get inquiries like mine.

Update 2: She says:

Carl --

Asking a reporter from a well-established news site whether an article published by that well-established news site is satire is ... let's be kind ... silly.

Have a good day.

I says:

I'll bear that in mind if I ever need to ask that of a well-established news site.

Heck, I was hoping y'all had developed a sense of humor.

Guess not.

I believe we're done here.

[Hat tip to WUWT.]

Bear
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Staying In Touch With The DC DipShits

2012-01-21T14:59:00.008-05:00

Not that it ever does any good, but I occassionally write letters to "my" congress-scumsuckers. Usually it's just to be on record as having stated a position on a issue (for some reason, that carries weight with some voters – though not the congresscreeps). Other times, I just want to have a little fun with them. I did this with Indiana's* Senator Lugar once, and got him to personally respond, rather than leave it to a staffer, and claim that the Bosnians or Serbs or saucermen from Planet X (he wasn't real clear on that point) were going to invade America. Or something (He wasn't too clear on that either, but he knew one of them was a clear and present danger to the continental US. With ~~North Korean~~ ~~Iraqi~~ Iranian ICBMs, no doubt.).

This would be another of those times. Sadly, I doubt that I'll get a personal response from any of "my" NH reps (actually, Shaheen never responds; I think she's still looking for the ANY key to SEND).

Dear Senator Ayotte/Senator Shaheen/Representative Bass,

The Federal Trade Commission has published an excellent primer for economic/financial illiterates in Congress, titled
"Knee-Deep in Debt"; it's a nice little guide to getting out of debt, written at the 2nd Reading Grade Level just for Senators and Representatives. An excerpt reads:

"[L]ist your "fixed" expenses — those that are the same each month — like mortgage payments or rent, car payments, and insurance premiums. Next, list the expenses that vary — like entertainment, recreation, and clothing. Writing down all your expenses, even those that seem insignificant, is a helpful way to track your spending patterns, identify necessary expenses, and prioritize the rest."

Oh. Wait. That wasn't for Congress. That's our financially responsible, debt-free federal government lecturing us citizens on ..!~ > eeeeek! $$^&_)HHJ%$^#jjk...

Sorry about that jumble; the sheer irony overloaded my laptop's CPU.

I guess they didn't bother with a Congressional version, figuring you're all too damned stupid to learn.

Never mind.

Sincerely,

Carl "Bear" Bussjaeger
Author: Net Assets, Bargaining Position, The Anarchy Belt, The Anarchists
Site: http://www.bussjaeger.org/
Blog: http://carlbussjaeger.blogspot.com/
Books: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ref_=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1&field-author=Carl%20Bussjaeger&_encoding=UTF8&tag=bussjaegesworld&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

I do wish one of them would really respond. At L~~oser~~ugar was fun to play with.

ADDED: To be fair, I generally do see a response to these little missives: A sudden spike in dot-gov visits here on this blog and at my web site. If this follows the pattern, nothing much will happen until around 10AM ET Monday morning, when the feddie traffic will jump. I like to imagine there are a few staffers who look forward to seeing WTF that Bear guy is gonna say next. [grin]

Yeah, a response. But no answers.

* Hmm. It seems that Dickhead Lugar has been using a fake address for Senate residency, driver's licensing, etc. for the past thirty years or so, and doesn't have even a Indiana mail drop much less an in-state residence.

Bear
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More SOPA/PIPA/Son Of SOPA

2012-01-20T15:14:00.003-05:00

Censorious feds and the rogue RIAA and MPAA say they needed SOPA/PIPA to shut down "pirate sites"; that it was an essential tool. Some people even think the Megauploads shut down was coordinated to emphasize that claim. I don't.

Everything that SOPA/PIPA would do to shut down pirate sites...

...the feds have already been doing, lack of due process and all. The Megauploads bust – likewise conducted without the benefit of SOPA/PIPA – really only served to emphasize that, the lack of need for the tool. Which really leaves only one reason for the fed scumsuckers to push for it.

Censorship. Just like we've been trying to tell you.

ADDED: Good article about current, pre-SOPA/PIPA abuses.

(Explain that away, you senatescum, Ayotte and Shaheen. Re(rehensible) Bass is – or so rumor has it, and I've never seen anything to indicate the rumors are wrong – solely motivated by large campaign contributions, so he was likely only a tool of the gag-wielding thugs.)

Bear
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Live Experiment Webcam

2012-01-20T00:40:00.005-05:00

Via Improbable Research...

Pitch Drop Experiment, designed to demonstrate that pitch is actually a fluid by letting it drip for 80 (and counting) years, they've averaged 1 drip every 9 years. Which some clown over there, with a sense of humor almost as twisted as mine, thought warranted a live web-cam feed.

Seriously. Maybe.

I strongly suspect they've actually stashed a damned GIF behind that Flash player. I would have.

Bear
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Anonymous vs. Feebies

2012-01-19T22:04:00.004-05:00

'Anonymous' hackers claim to take down Justice Department website in retaliation for Megaupload shutdown

As of 1/19/12, 10:00 PM ET:

Oopsie. (Yes, that was after multiple reload attempts. Looks like someone is playing DNS redirect games.)

Point: Anon

Added: FBI back at 10:10 PM.

Bear
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SOPA/PIPA Lives

2012-01-19T19:26:00.005-05:00

Something to bear in mind: People claim SOPA/PIPA is dead in the water. Others say that "reasonable" alternatives are in the works (reasonable censorship?). Be wary.

One "reasonable compromise" I've seen floated (sorry, no link, but it may have come from Issa), would require that anyone filing an infringement claim post a "bond" first. Presumably (hah!) this would slow down MPAA and RIAA by making them cough up more bucks.

No. It wouldn't. Those guys already have deep pockets and won't notice the "burden".

Who will it stop? You. The small, unbacked-by-massive-lobby creator who is the actual person allegedly being infringed. The folks who can't afford lawyers (much less the additional bond), partly because of the loss of a revenue stream. This would just clear the field for RIAA and MPAA. What's next; a "compromise" requiring independent creators to register (and pay a fee!) with an approved RIAA-style lobby which would file complaints for them, raking off 99.99999% of the proceeds before the creators see a penny?

Heck, Amazon is still carrying two pirated editions of my books (they even show up in search results when you look for my legit books). They already blew off multiple DMCA takedown requests. If you can't afford a lawyer to send the letter for you, Amazon (and other outfits- Smashwords is also carrying – despite DMCA takedown letters – those pirated ebooks, and DeviantArt has some of my stolen artwork) know you can't afford to fight them in court. The "bond" requirement would make that worse.

Bear
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SOPA/PIPA Fallout

2012-01-19T18:48:00.007-05:00

Update, 1/25/12: See below.

Says here that PIPA support collapses, with 13 new Senators opposed. Maybe. The article has an update that says Kelly "Police State Cheerleader" Ayotte [Repugnant-NH] twitted that she has withdrawn her support (she's a co-sponsor):

Note the use of present tense in my parenthesed comment above. Then go check out the THOMAS bill status report with sponsors. As of this writing, Ayotte is still a PIPA sponsor*, despite her twit-claim (and yes, that THOMAS link does show withdrawn sponsors). For that matter, she doesn't claim that she'll help kill the bill; just pretend to listen before moving forward anyway.

Pol = labial motion = lies. Yep, that's Ayotte.

Shaheen [Dimwit-NH] at least is honest enough (or more likely, too stupid to find the Twitter submit button) not to claim to have withdrawn her support; still sponsoring this shit.

* Update, 1/25/12: As noted in comments (thanks, Mr. Sand) THOMAS shows Ayotte withdrew sponsorship several days after claiming to do so. She has yet to explain either the delay or why she she is stupid enough to sponsor the bill in the first place. "Sock Puppet" Shaheen, apparently faced with a daunting lack of instructions for Reid, is still sponsoring.

Bear
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OhioCCW Requests Aid From Angry Blogger AI

2012-01-18T22:41:00.007-05:00

Readers with an interest in the Canton, OH Psycho Harless case may recall that OhioCCW.org decided their best approach to fixing OH carry legislation was to reach out to Canton City Council President Allen Schulman, who supported the nutcase, and vilified and blamed all honest gun owners for Harless' actions. I kinda thought that might be counter-productive, but OFCC's Christopher L. Harben assured me that I'm just an angry blogger with nothing useful to add to this.

Tonight I've received two separate emails from OFCC requesting assistance in... fixing OH carry legislation; one marked URGENT. I can't imagine what an angry blogger AI can do to help – I thought that was why they snuggled up to their enemy Schulman – but here's their email.

(And guys, spamming someone who 1) isn't an Ohio resident, 2) whom you already dismissed with bare... courtesy, and 3) who didn't ask to be put on your mailing list is rude.)

CALL TO ACTION!

Ohioans For Concealed Carry is calling upon the grassroots gun owner community to make some phone calls as soon as possible - even if you're reading this in the middle of the night.

As many of you know Ohioans For Concealed Carry has written proposed legislation that will repeal the criminal charges and statuatory obligation to "inform" a police officer that you are in possession of a firearm in a "prompt" manner.

The crux of the problem is simple: Prompt has been considered not met if the person didn't manager to interupt a police officer and successfully bring their attention to the fact within a mere 50 seconds, and a prosecutor took that to court.

The potential for abuse is ripe: As anyone who owns a firearm in Ohio likely knows former Canton Police Officer Daniel Harless refused efforts by a shaken William Bartlett to state that he was armed. Despite Barlett having his driver's license in one hand and his concealed handgun license in another while being cut off saying "I have a carry....", Harless arrested Bartlett and charged him with the crime.

For the duration of the incident Harless verbally abused Barlett, stated he should have "put ten rounds" into Bartlett and "let him drop", and proceeded to tell Barlett he was going to be charged with a felony.

Don't believe us? Watch the video: http://OhioCCW.org/CantonPD

Thousands of OFCC raised dollars later Bartlett was vindicated by a court who dropped the charges on a procedure rule 29a, or better put: Because the Prosecutor hadn't brought evidence that a crime occured.

Why our proposed legislation should become law:

It removes the mandate that you must notify a police officer. (You still may do so)
It removes the crminal penalties for failing to do the above.
It DOES NOT prohibit a police officer from asking "Are you armed?"
You still must answer a police officer truthfully or choose to remain silent

This legislation does not harm officer safety. Police officers should assume that everyone is armed and that everyone is a threat -- and they retain the authority to ask if you're armed. Lying to the police remains a crime, but failing to "talk over" a verbally aggressive cop literally barking orders at you is not criminal

Further:

OFCC's proposed legislation removes the similar "hands in plain sight" mandate.
You still must follow a police officers lawful orders
Hands in plain site is basic common sense, but if left in the law it becomes just as ripe for abuse by a rogue police officer who could simply argue your hands were not visible.

HOW YOU COME IN:

Representative Ron Maag has taken over the job of spear heading our legislation in the Ohio House and has set a deadline for co-sponsors to join this bill for THIS FRIDAY at the end of the business day.

You need to immediately call your Representatives and politely ask them to become co-sponsors of Representative Maag's Law Enforcement Notification Reform Bill before the end of Friday.

Since many law makers leave Columbus on Thursday after their committments are met and return to their districts its important that you make this call right now and leave a message on their voicemail if you must.

Follow these simple steps:

Go to http://legislature.state.oh.us
On the right under "Locating Legislators" choose Zip code and enter your zip.
Identify Your Represenative and their phone number (do not email them!)

Determine if your Representative has already committed to co-sponsor this legislation:

If your representative is Blair, Boose, John Adams, Johnson, Uecker, Watchmann only THANK them for their support, they've already committed to co-sponsor this bill.

For any other represenative call (do not email) their published office phone number right now, and:

If you reach them off hours leave a polite voicemail indicating who you are, that you're a constituent, and that you are asking Representative XYZ to co-sponsor Representative Maag's Law Enforcement Notification Reform Bill before the end of Friday. Tell them that OFCC has written a story on it's website OhioCCW.org explaining the purpose of the legislation.

If you reach a person politely introduce yourself and ask if you may speak to Representative XYZ about a piece of legislation you would like them to co-sponsor before Friday. Some offices and some legislative aides will allow you to speak to the representative directly, others may ask if they can take a message. Do not hang up without expressing what you want your representative to do, and then if you get a call back explain why you want your representative to co-sponsor this bill.

Tell them that OFCC has written a story on it's website OhioCCW.org explaining the purpose of the legislation.

Remember - You might be the only person who reads this alert and makes a call to the representative in your specific district, so its imperative that everyone reading this do this. Do not assume someone else is calling and you'll be fine, PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL.

We live in a democracy, but are you practicing it?

Finally: Forward this email to everyone you know who is willing to do the same. When OFCC calls upon the grassroots to pick up their phones the response is overwhelming and obvious to those who we direct our attention upon. Be prepared to attend a proponent hearing on this legislation in February or March even if just to fill a seat wearing one of our shirts.

Remember - Ohioans For Concealed Carry is funded by the dollars and donations of people like you. We are an entirely volunteer work force and we have expenses to run the organization. Tax return time is upon us and some of our more fortunate supporters are likely expecting sizeable returns.

Please consider a donation to Ohioans For Concealed Carry Here On Our Website:

If you have not filed your State of Ohio Tax Return and you made a $50 (or $100 if filing jointly) contribution to a statewide candidate or a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate you are entitled to a 100% return of that contribution by filing out line 51 of the Ohio 1040 form.

Bear
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Looking For A Cowboy Lever Gun?

2012-01-18T02:33:00.005-05:00

Keep looking.

Leapin' Loki, what's next? The Tactical Brown Bess™?*

* Added: Yes, I'm afraid.

[Hat tip to Drang.]

Bear
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Arrogantly Stupid Question

2012-01-17T14:10:00.001-05:00

Man, you try to get a little sleep, and look what you miss:

Q: “Why can’t they just hire a lobbyist like everyone else?”
  - George III, KoE

Oh. Wait.
  ~~- George III, KoE~~
  - Congressional aide for the House Judiciary Committee*

My bad.

A: Because bullets are cheaper.

Added: BTW, free copy of Bargaining Position ebook to the first person to positively identify that staffer... preferably with all the same publicly available "personal" information that seems to bother them.

[Hat tip to Joel and Claire.]

Bear
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Conundrum

2012-01-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thought about how hard it is to prove who invented a time machine first?*

* Kudos to Christopher Stasheff.

Bear
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Stupid Lawsuits: Sneakers

2012-01-16T01:12:00.003-05:00

Lawsuit Claims Dozens Injured By Company's Special Shoes

Class action lawsuit by a class of mental defectives whose collective IQ is exceeded by individual shoe size:
San Diego native Lisa Baseet, who now lives in Ventura, saw the ads and bought a pair a year and a half ago. She said she slightly twisted her ankle twice. After nine months of wearing the shoes, she suffered a serious injury.

Nine months. Hey, Lisa... Take the freaking shoes off!

The company touts a patented design -- including a rolling bottom -- that changes the way a person walks. (emphasis added- cb)

Note: The advertised point of the shoes is to change the way you walk. Which brings us to...

"Man has been walking the same way for many years, and this changes the way you walk. It's not a surprise people are going to have problems," said [the slavering ambulance chaser]. (emphasis added- cb)

So this scumbag is suing because the shoes worked exactly as advertised and his clients were too damned stupid to take them off. Maybe he should be suing someone else... for causing his clients' congenital brain damage.

Bear
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Obviously, The US Should Invade England In Support Of Scottish Independence

2012-01-15T23:04:00.001-05:00

Scotland's 'explosive' push to secede from the U.K.

Bobbi's mention of Senatorial Asshole Dickhead Lugar's little residency contretemps reminded me of a snailmail discussion I once had with the scumbag regarding the US military adventures in the Yugosphere; he maintained that 1) the US was obligated to invade in support of the right to secede from Yugoslavia (and somehow forgot to answer my question ofwhen he would sponsor legislation to recognize that same right for the Confederate States of America [grin]), and 2) that the ongoing strife (several centuries and counting, not to mention predating the existence of the US) was a threat to the security of the United States, several thousand miles and an ocean away.

He's a senator; you expect him to be bright? Or even semi-rational?

So... Secession, independence is a right. There's even an applicable precedent for secession from the UK. And Scotland's a lot closer than Yugoslavia/Bosnia/Hurtstogoweewee/etc.

Let's do it.*

FREEEEEDOM!

* Tongue-in-cheek, for cryin' out loud. Chill.

Bear
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Book Review: Kill Code, by Joseph Collins

2012-01-15T21:34:00.007-05:00

I wrote this review back in November last year, and sent it to TPoL, which never ran it. I think it's a decent book, so I decided to go ahead and post the review here.

Book Review: Kill Code, by Joseph Collins

“The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.”
- Voltaire

Kill Code is a new offering by Joseph Collins in the general “Constitutionalists strike back against oath breakers” genre, but with a pleasantly refreshing twist. This is “The Adolescence of P1” meets "Assassination Politics".

This is a short, fast-paced thriller that pits a retired hit man and young female hacker against the “Children of the Constitution” who are out to get abusive civil servants... along with anyone and everyone else inconveniently in their way. In short, the gang usually seen as the good guys in recent libertarian/constitutionalist literature are not quite so good, and the heroes have their own ethical issues.

The primary plot element hinges on the tactical question of how one might structure a successful revolution, especially in the early stages, to avoid detection and capture. Collins has come up with an interesting take on cell-of-one that requires no more suspension of disbelief than a typical “Jason Bourne” novel, and much less than most science fiction. Collins does this without getting too bogged down in details, which is one of my own weaknesses.

Assassinations – via sniper fire, explosives, poison, and “accidents” – abound, along with a little discrete off-stage sex. Anyone who has experienced the joys of puffed-up bureaucrats will find themselves cheering. Until you notice the collateral damage. I will admit to appreciating the demise of the code inspector, even if it was a little horrific by my own standards.

One flaw: Collins may be giving the FBI far too much credit for intelligence, competence, and restraint based on my experience with federal investigators.

The tale leaves some major threads hanging loose, which suggests that Collins already has a sequel in mind.*

Kill Code is worth reading, and the price is right. It is available from Amazon in Kindle e-book format ($3.99) and paperback ($12.99).

-----

KILL CODE, by Joseph Collins. Available from Amazon.com:
Amazon Kindle, $3.99.
Paperback, $12.99

* Since that review was originally written, I've heard that the sequel (working title, Abnormal End) is in progress, and that Collins anticipates the series running to 5 books.

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

2012-01-14T18:26:00.006-05:00

Put down your coffee. Place scissors and other sharp objects in a locked desk drawer. Place your wastebasket between your legs in preparation for extreme nausea.

Do not beat, or throw massive objects at, your computer monitor. It isn't the monitor's fault, and won't help anyway.

-10-

-9-

-8-

-7-

-6-

-5-

-4-

-3-

-2-

-1-

FINAL WARNING

-0-

Speculation on Michelle Obama for Senate in 2016

I'm a-wonderin' if McLaughlin understands how... polarizing Her Imperial Highness is for real people. I suspect even the Chicago deaders would refuse to go to the polls. And if she did get elected, that ass would take up both Illinois senate seats.

Dear Bog, if they elect her, can we finally expel Illinois (or at least Chicago) from the Union?

Oh, Look. An "Accidental" Shooting.

2012-01-14T18:01:00.005-05:00

Update, 1/16/12, 6:15 PM: See below.

Former Memphis firefighter says shooting of ex-fiancee was accident

According to that bit of reporting, the defendant claims to have shot the victim accidentally.

3 times. Oh, wait. He says he only remembers accidentally pulling the trigger twice. Maybe the third was merely chance.

But this got my attention, too:

"In the statement read to the Criminal Court jury Friday, Graham, 41, said he borrowed a neighbor's car and put 9mm bullets in his .40-caliber Glock."

This is the Commercial Appeal, so I'm not sure if that was sloppy reporting, or if the defendant actually thinks he loaded 9mm "bullets" [sic] into a .40 caliber weapon. I've written to the reporter for clarification.

It could be worse, I suppose. I once dealt with a self-identified police officer who insisted on purchasing ".22 caliber bullets" [sic] for his Glock 22. And no, he wasn't using some odd chamber adapter for training purposes. (We used to get cops in there all the time with stories and requests that... well, if a non-LEO did what they claimed to have done, they'd be in prison. Or dead. The guy who returned fire in a hunting "accident" scared the hell out of me.)

Update, 1/15/12: I heard from the story reporter, Larry Buser, this evening:

i can't vouch for the wisdom of doing this, but that is what graham told police he did. the weapon he used was not recovered. thanks for the note. lb

Update, 1/16/12, 6:15 PM: No shit.
Former Firefighter Found Guilty of First Degree Murder
Defense attorneys for Graham argued that Crawford's death was unintentional

Yeah, he "unintentionally" loaded a handgun, borrowed a car for the trip, drove to the woman's workplace, waited for her to come out, and "accidentally" pulled the trigger two times (or three; see above). Then he "unintentionally" disposed of the murder weapon. This, of course, after he was alleged to have "unintentionally" threatened to blow her head off.

The Paleo Diet. Simplified.

2012-01-13T23:21:00.006-05:00

My friend Sunni posted a cute chart to aid in understanding the "paleo diet". I'll confess that I... question many of the assumptions made by proponents of the (oh-my-freaking-gods-how-many) paleo diet variants. Some people make some remarkable stretches to somehow include their favorite treats and comfort foods. But let's get real.

The one basic assumption of all of the paleo diets (regardless of how well they live up to it), is that this is what we evolved eating and are now best suited to digest and use metabolically.

Meet the real paleo diet:

(If I don't post for a while, it's probably because Sunni and the other paleo types hunted me down and killed me. And likely ate me. Which, so long as they don't cook me, is cool.)

It Snowed Again Yesterday

2012-01-13T18:50:00.004-05:00

And today.

Psych! Actually, that pic was taken at Cape Lisbourne, Alaska, February 1982 (that's the Arctic Ocean behind me). To grasp the full irony, you need to know that I spent the summer before that in the desert in Nevada.

I keep ending up in the damnedest places.

2,000 MPH Car In The Works

2012-01-13T00:08:00.009-05:00

Pretty.

The vehicle uses parts taken from an $8 million rocket engine that once powered the famous X-15 to a top speed of 4,519 mph in 1967, still the fastest manned aircraft that doesn’t go into orbit, as far as the public knows. He says it was purchased as surplus for $1,500 in the mid-1980s.

Cool. I wish him the best of luck.

I was interested to note his mention of stability issues, as well as Holloman test track speed runs, since both were plot elements in my novel Net Assets. And my supersonic launch platform had a designed top speed of Mach 2, considerably less than Stakes is shooting for.

I do wonder about that tiny stabilizer assembly in the rendered image, though. Generally, supersonic aircraft need fairly prominent vertical stablizers for Mach 1+. But he's been running fluid dynamic sims, so presumably that's modeling out well (or it could be a sleek marketing-only bit of artwork, and the real thing does have more in the way of control surfaces). Frankly, I'd expect some canards to compensate for ground effects (again, something I used in NA).

I'm looking forward to seeing this thing run.

And Mach 3 on the ground? His driver might be female, but she'll have bigger balls than me.

So What Does That Make The Person Searching Them Out And Reading Them?

2012-01-12T23:47:00.002-05:00

If you haven't noticed, I'm often amused by stuff that turns up in my blog stats (and my web site stats). Spotted this Google search term tonight:

blogs by stupid assholes

I make no claim to genius. And I'm often an asshole. But here's someone apparently with less of a life than I.

Rarely Has A Politician Been Named So Appropriately

2012-01-12T23:27:00.002-05:00

[NUTTER] had strong words for the parents of Philadelphia’s youth, telling them “not to act like idiots and a–holes.”

"I mean," the mentally disturbed mayor continued, "stop treading on my personal perogatives!"*

And proceeds to demonstrate exactly what that means (real quotes).

* Disclaimer: Not a real quote. But with Nutter, it might as well be.

What A Surprise

2012-01-12T14:51:00.002-05:00

College Named For Politican Specializes In Bull Shit*

Oddly enough, while the topic is crap, the study isn't. City folk may not get it, but this is a useful tool. That could be why there's no mention of taxpayer funding, that being reserved for true BS.

[Hat tip to Improbable Research.]

* Dr. Tom Troxel

Name That Facility!

2012-01-11T20:37:00.009-05:00

Let's have a little fun. Who can identify this facility?*

And The Answer Is... See below.

Extra Awesome Bonus Points if you can identify the location, too.

* This is just for fun, not trying to ID a mystery. I know what/where it was. I should disqualify Roberta too, but WTH.

And The Answer Is...

That's Mount Pateras Radio Relay Location (outside Athens, Greece), part of the old US mil 486L longhaul communications system. The big dishes were for "forward propagating tropospheric scatter" over-the horizon microwave links. The big dishes were 60 foot parabolic reflectors.

The forward-facing looked towards Levkas, Greece. That was a 10K W (10 KW per transmitter, there being two transmitters operating around 2.6 GHz, for "quad diversity" reception – space and polarization diversity) shot.

The dishes to the right faced Crete; a "1 KW" shot. There was another 10 KW shot going to Turkey. The red and white tower held the dishes for a more conventional 8 GHz LOS space diversity microwave link to... Elefsis, Greece, I think. This picture was taken in '92, after another LOS link had been decommissioned; when I was first stationed there in the '80s, there had was a second LOS shot to a station I can't recall the name of (it'll hit me as soon as I hit the publish button, of course. Eureka! Mount Parnis [sp?] I do believe.).

The 10 KW tropo transmitters were water-cooled (yes, water and high voltage mix all too bloody well), with radiators big enough for a small fleet of semi trucks. (Ask me how I know, and I'll tell stories, including one about an idiot at Levkas who decided his rank entitled him to a personal desk, much to the detriment of the network.)

When I first arrived at that site, the tropo links were all still tube types, with discrete down converters, receivers, and baseband combiners, which we eventually upgraded to solid state systems (oooh, Pre-Detection Combiners, how... modern). The LOS shots were already solid state by then: AN/FRC-127s.

All that fed into an analog FDM multiplexer: Around 300 voice channels handled by 18 freaking 8 foot racks of tempermental crap (one of the few systems I worked on where "impact maintenance" wasn't a joke; we had specific points we would pound on to clear alarms, a poor situation that shouldn't have occurred but was all we could do without down time TPTB would never allow).

There was also a bank of TTY multiplexers which used ballast lamps for loop current control. They never quite got bright enough to read by.

Here's where I'll really show my age to the younger digital-age kiddies: During my original tenure there, we installed a "high speed data backbone"; a 2400 baud analog data circuit that took up a 7 foot rack all by itself.

The word in '92 was that the station would be decomm'd in another year or so, but I didn't keep up with that after I left.

I also did time at other 486L sites, but the only pic I have of that is from the site bar at Malatya, Turkey.

Canton Psycho Harless Reportedly Fired

2012-01-11T10:58:00.006-05:00

Update, 1:05 PM: Newsnet5.com picks up story, too. See below.

Daniel Harless fired from Canton police force

Color me surprised. I'm still reading the article, so expect updates. But this sounds like a good start. Nothing like the felony threatening charges he should be facing (like you'd get – if the cops let you live – if you had threatened to kill multiple cops) for threatening to kill multiple civilians.

Update, 11:10 AM: Beyond the firing, not much new. The police union is still making excuses for Harless (someone tried to bite his finger 8 years ago inducing PTSD which no one – including Harless and his partner in crime Diels – noticed until he was caught on camera threatening to kill cooperative people; it ain't his fault, says Adams).

Interesting quote: “It is quite clear that (Harless’) actions represented a pattern of behavior where inappropriate verbal abuse and threats of death or great bodily harm of the various complainants occurred,” Ream wrote.

So you have lots of video evidence and witness statements to support verbal abuse and felonious threats? Where are the criminal charges, Ream?

Harless, of course, plans to appeal. Presumably he will continue to be paid while the appeal is pending. If nothing else, I'm sure his fellow "good cops" will make sure this violence-prone criminal will get more free sick leave time. Or... we did just roll into a new calendar year, which probably reset the annual vacation clock, so Harless probably has a few weeks-to-months of his vacation and sick time to burn on the taxpayers' dime.

Added, 11:35 AM: OK, just for the sake of argument, let's give the union's PTSD-due-to-attempted-finger-biting claim the benefit of the (enormous) doubt. That means they are asserting that as a result of a finger-bite attempt, Harless has been permanently (well, eight years and counting by their claim) mentally disturbed to the point that he is an active threat to others and that he is not capable of being responsible for his criminal actions.

Fine. Involuntarily commit the crazy SOB, and get him off the streets.

He's a criminal or he's dangerously insane; their own arguments admit no other option.

Oh yeah, and I still want to know if Harless has a family which would be endangered by this PTSD-disturbed mental incompetent's uncontrollable violent outbursts. If so, is anyone taking action to protect them from Harless?

Update, 1:05 PM:
Newsnet5.com has the story, with more quotes:
This escalating pattern of potentially dangerous behavior cannot be justified or excused and clearly illustrates the seriousness of the departmental infractions," said Thomas Ream. (emphasis added- cb)

"Escalating pattern". But only "departmental infractions", not crimes?

Otherwise, They Don't Bother

2012-01-11T10:36:00.001-05:00

Police attributed the delay in filing charges to the work involved in juvenile cases. "It is not atypical for investigations into cases involving juvenile suspects and victims to take time to properly document and review all evidence before an arrest is made," police said in a statement.

My problem with this isn't that they (maybe; read the article) took the time to get the case and evidence right before busting a couple of kids.

It's the implied assumption that adults don't deserve that consideration before the cops begin destroying their lives.

Great Moments In Marketing

2012-01-10T22:00:00.007-05:00

Having noted a couple of amusing instances of marketing foibles found on the web, I thought I'd share one I spotted in ~~the real world~~ near Salt Lake City, UT.

Yeah, this was during the height of the "Mad Cow" hype. Can't imagine why the parking lot was almost empty.

Please pardon the picure quality. I had gone out on a fact finding assignment for the LRT*, and still had a few exposures left in my disposable camera (you remember those; with film you had to develop?) when I saw this shop.

* Which was an experience in itself. Very shortest form: Couple wanted legal assistance in a dispute. I went to interview them and check the story. They probably had a legitimate case, but you could not keep them on topic. I knew we had problems when they got to the part about the flying saucer crash. When they brought in a friend who decided I should be interrogated... I – for the first and only time – broke and literally ran from an interview. I grabbed my laptop, scooted out, jumped into my truck, and sped down the road.

And they followed me.

Scary people. And even as a non-lawyer, the thought of them on the witness stand talking space invaders... -shudder-

WPBF 25: ProCards Reporter Phone Tag

2012-01-10T16:06:00.008-05:00

Been playing phone tag with West Palm Beach TV station WPBF 25's Ari Hait. He left me a message saying that he does plan to do a story on Gellin/LEO ProCards, hopefully to air in a couple of weeks. I'm not holding my breath; I'm done with it.

Hait also said he doesn't know why it took months for anyone to follow-up on this (he says, and his bio agrees, that he's only been at the station since late November). Let me give him a little hint as to why:

This wasn't just a documented and verified story falling through the cracks at one news service. I contacted several outlets in the WPB area. So far as I could tell from searches before I gave up, no one touched it.

Frankly, I'm not even sure why Hait is bothering. He's having to go to a guy in New Hampshire for information on what should have been a local Florida story. He can't find a local resident to talk to? (Unsurprising, since I couldn't either; no one down there cares.)

But if I'm wrong, and someone from WPB area does care (yep, still see WPB visitors in my stats; not sure why), they can call Hait at 561-252-7564. You could even write to WPB PD Internal Affairs boss Captain Sarah Mooney and ask her why Gellin is still peddling his cards (she never got back to me, as promised, with the results of her pretend "investigation").

LEO ProCards Again: Local News Notices?

2012-01-10T13:22:00.007-05:00

Update, 3:20 PM: See below.

Remember Gellin and his cops-get-out-of-jail-free cards? As a former peace officer, I found his little ~~scam~~ scheme pretty offensive. So I criticized, publicized, and ridiculed it. I complained to the West Palm Beach PD. And I tried to stir up interest in what I perceived as incredibly unprofessional behavior in a cop. The latter included asking West Palm Beach readers if they even gave a damn.

Since none of them even gave a sufficient damn to answer that question, it seemed pretty clear they did not. If WPB residents don't give a rat's ass what their cops are doing, I decided I didn't either. I dropped the matter a month ago.

I thought.

Today I received a voice mail from a person identifying himself as a West Palm Beach reporter responding to my email of some months ago. Repeat: months ago. Way to stay on top of breaking news, guys. Guess you couldn't even be bothered to do a web search to learn I gave up on this weeks ago (and yes, they have my site and blog URLs along with my email address).

I might reply to that call. I might not; haven't decided. I mean, what's the point? The PD Internal Affairs unit already blew it off. Residents don't care. Gellin is selling his cards again. The issue seems settled. What's left for the news to – finally – report?

But I still see visitors coming in from WPB. Why don't one of you contact your own media, or tell me if you did and got ignored. I can give your name and contact data to this reporter.

Update, 3:20 PM: I decided to return the reporter's (Ari Hait, WPBF Channel 25) call. I got sent to voicemail, so I told him I'm no longer covering the Gellin/LEO ProCards issue, and read this statement:

The West Palm Beach police department doesn't care. West Palm Beach residents don't care. News services demonstrably care very little, if it all. I see no reason to continue wasting my time and angering more police officers by pursuing this matter.

I also said that if he did decide to do a story on it, he can find my facts and documentation online, on my blog and web site.

Case closed.

Web Search Question: How Do Cops Avoid Tickets?

2012-01-10T00:23:00.001-05:00

Actually, the question I spotted in my blog stats was: "What do the green, blue, or gold bear stickers on car windows mean in washington state?"

They identify LEOs during traffic stops so the first thing a cop knows to (not) do is log the stop. And not give a fellow LEO a ticket for breaking the law, like you'd get.

They call preferential enforcement of laws "professional courtesy". Ironic, eh?

Now THAT'S A Sale

2012-01-09T14:23:00.004-05:00

But I'm holding out for the sale at this place:

Or maybe the right one, since I always have trouble finding the book I want at that one.

Thousands of Stupid Assholes...

2012-01-09T13:57:00.007-05:00

...actually document their own uselessness.

I don't often link to gov sites, but this should be looked at.

TSA Top 10 Good Catches of 2011.

Yep. The dumbasses have posted a list demonstrating how ineffective they are. Ten years of not catching a single terrorist. Ten years of reacting inappropriately. (Possible bombs in cargo on planes in the Mid-East? Grope pre-teen girls on domestic US flights. Idiot sets self on fire on foreign-origin flight and is captured by passengers? Irradiate domestic flight passengers.)

My personal favorite from Blogger Bob there is #10: the C4. What Bobster forgot to mention is that the GI was on his return flight. He'd already been flying across the country (and successfully navigating TSA security-theater) with his plastique samples.

Someone who mistook the Federal Sex Assaulters for security might think that after ten years of terrorists crawling out of the woodwork, saturating our country(or so they'd have us believe), that the TSA would have caught one of them, that said capture would make the top ten list.

But we know better.

Ah, well. Maybe they'll have better luck catching retired terrorists at Social Security offices. Or Amtrak stations: "Local TSA officials in Orlando worked with Amtrak police to quickly provide information that led to halting all Amtrak and CSX train traffic throughout the Orlando area". (Not much of an accomplishment, since the real trick is getting Amtrak trains to run, preferably without crashing. And no mention that despite TSA fielding Air Marshals, TSA Surface Transportation Security Inspectors, Transportation Security Officers, Behavior Detection Officers and Explosives Detection Canine Teams, and VIPR teams, the shooter was caught by local cops in his home; yeah, shutting down all train traffic [i.e.- commerce] was real useful and cost-effective.)

Lighting Up Something For Peace

2012-01-08T18:52:00.004-05:00

Weerd suggested countering the Bradys' pro-violent criminal stupidity with some posts of our own. Here's mine.

I don't really do candles, so the flash I normally carry will have to do.

I'll bet my .45 has stopped more violence than Sarah's candle.

And I know where my sidearm has been.

Pic Reflects Personality Type?

2012-01-08T16:40:00.006-05:00

(FauxSnooz link)

That would be:
Cheap
Trashy
Teen
Hooker

Now where the heck is that in Briggs Meyer?

Honey, I'm all in favor of freedom of speech. But... just maybe you should think about what you're saying. You're probably lucky they didn't decide this was "commercial speech" and charge you for the ad.

Oh. Wait.
"But they say the photo can run in a section reserved for paid senior advertisements".

They did. [grin]

Apparently she missed the joke.

If "Interstate Commerce" Applies To Every-Fricking-Thing...

2012-01-08T11:56:00.005-05:00

Why not "Full Faith and Credit"?

Knappster Oberves:

Santorum:"We have to have one law. We can't have someone married in one state and not married in another."

Problem solved:
Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. ... No State shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Funny thing. "They" tell me that other states accept my driver's license because of the "Full Faith and Credit" clause.

Why not my carry license?

Look, if "Interstate Commerce: can be applied to hypothetically potential tourists spotting a "red wolf" while on vacation, or wheat grown privately for private use, why can't "Full Faith and Credit" actually apply to "public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State" like it actually freaking says?*

* Rhetorical Q. I think we all know damned well why. Just venting. Real Q: Why bother pretending there's still a Constitution that somehow binds us but not the government (you know; that supposed "social contract" bit they like to throw in our faces)?

Yeah, I'm liking Jerry Doyle.

2012-01-08T00:30:00.002-05:00

Jerry Doyle Show