…you shouldn’t have anything to hide. That’s the argument, right? But then I read what James Clapper told the Washington Post yesterday. It sure sounds like he thinks he’s got a lot to hide. As do Congressman Mike Rogers (R MI) and Senator Diane Feinstein (D CA).
Filed under Politics
Not, in this case, meaning the archaeology of extraterrestrial or other non-human societies, but archaeology by non-humans. Specifically, dolphins. According to the story here, a team of U.S. Navy dolphins being trained to locate mines found instead a Howell torpedo dating to 1889. The Howell was the first self-propelled torpedo used by the U.S. Navy – previously, the term “torpedo” had been applied to a wide variety of bombs and mines that were stationary, free-floating, or mounted on the end of long spars and used for ramming.
It’s an impressive find, but for now I’m still not too worried about being replaced by a dolphin. The sites I excavate are generally on land, plus the fact that I have hands does give me a bit of an advantage.
Filed under Archaeology, Technology
Given my professional interest in the development of technology, it should come as no surprise that I’ve been following Cody Wilson’s project to design a working firearm that can be produced on a 3d printer. For anyone not paying attention, Wilson succeeded in test firing his “Liberator” pistol a few days ago and posted the CAD files for anyone to download. Yesterday, the U.S. State Department ordered him to take the files down, claiming possible violations of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. In other words, the United States government is asserting that Wilson’s printable firearm, capable of firing only a handful of rounds before wearing out, is a secret defense technology that must be prevented from falling into the hands of any non-U.S. citizens who might be browsing the web. This despite the fact that, before they acted, those files had already been downloaded more than 100,000 times by people all over the world, and that they had also already been uploaded to Pirate Bay. As of this writing, the CAD files for the Liberator pistol can be accessed here. Clearly, somebody at the State Department saw a cloud of dust disappearing in the distance and started frantically looking around for a barn door to shut.
I have made no secret of the fact that I am both a supporter of civil liberties and a strong opponent of idiocy in government, both of which motives have prompted me to write this post. Having tried (and failed) to suppress a small caliber pistol of no conceivable military value, the State Department will no doubt now display even greater alarm at my posting here of technical drawings for a much more powerful weapon; one that has proven military value and has, in fact, been used on the battlefield by the U.S. Army, among others. I present to you now the official patent drawings for Richard Gatling’s famous machine gun (click to enlarge):
Gatling Gun Patent Drawing 1862
Further information, including a full technical description of this deadly weapon, can be found here, courtesy of the infamous weapons smuggling ring known as Google Patents.
Filed under Politics, Technology
Nor have I been silenced by agents of Lucasfilms. I’ve just been busy and distracted by other things. However, I’ve neglected this blog for far too long and I should be back to posting again shortly.
Filed under Uncategorized
Until now I have been content to let things slide, but enough is enough. Following in the footsteps of thinkers like T. S. Elliot and Monroe Beardsley, I have to declare that George Lucas is absolutely and unambiguously WRONG. Lucas may well have intended to have Greedo shoot first. It would have been idiotic, since it violates Han’s character and it requires a ridiculous suspension of disbelief to have Greedo miss at that range. Nevertheless, he might indeed have intended to show that. However, what Lucas intended to show is utterly irrelevant. What he did show in 1977, unambiguously, was Han shooting first. Not only did Han shoot first, but as a result Greedo didn’t get a shot off at all.
NOW CHANGE THE DAMN THING BACK FOR THE DVD!!!!!
Filed under Space, Uncategorized
Another find at Amazon. This one has to be seen to be believed (go ahead, it’s mostly SFW). I guess this is intended for people who’ve seen way too much fantasy art and want a modern version of the “traditional” chainmail bikini. And it’s not like there are any vital organs this outfit doesn’t adequately protect, right?
Filed under Weirdness
That is, the Justice Department’s scheme to allow thousands of guns to go to Mexican drug cartels without any surveillance, allegedly so that they could identify the “big fish.” Only now it turns out that the “big fish” were working for the FBI. According to the story reported in the Arizona Republic, the cartel associates being targeted by BATFE were FBI informants.
In view of this new information, I have to revise my previous assessment. These people make the Underpants Gnomes look like Nobel Prize candidates.
Filed under Politics
“Firing bottle rockets out of one’s own anus constitutes an ‘ultra-hazardous’ activity.”
Story here. I guess some people are just desperate to win the coveted Darwin Award. This also reinforces my longstanding belief that the most common words spoken immediately preceeding death are, “hold my beer and watch this!”
Filed under Weirdness
Well, close to my old neighborhood, anyway. The local paper reported on a fascinating excavation going on adjacent to the San Gabriel Mission. This is the kind of thing project that can almost make me wish I hadn’t left California; an early historic and ethnohistoric site that even has a connection with railroad history.
I also noticed in the video that the dirt is being screened under some kind of portable shade. There have been more than a few times when I would have loved to have had that! In fact, if somebody will invent a motorized shade that can follow me when I’m surveying, you’ll be my hero forever.
Filed under Archaeology
