tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159077272024-03-18T08:33:21.904-04:00View From The PorchBooks. Bikes. Boomsticks.<br>
“I only regret that I have but one face to palm for my country.”Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger18190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-75152504802122152722024-03-18T08:32:00.005-04:002024-03-18T08:32:37.948-04:00Meme Dump...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkuMFhwmL44rOCn7MQ8N7ySLd4HUSE5Iq3nml8DnIupvOm_xgWOU5X-hPKm_n5iI-7qoCVVn3GQGfOD-H8f1lCR5LVQ-rwXa1AfGEaYQK9cJMXochSAsuInwaJDBP0mL2v2paR1x-YNuPrU4-dBw65Lu7Oc3iVMJ9YQcZX3DJeX0MPjQwTE4jeA/s2000/25813327-FBC2-4DB0-A605-51AB242FBA4D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1274" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkuMFhwmL44rOCn7MQ8N7ySLd4HUSE5Iq3nml8DnIupvOm_xgWOU5X-hPKm_n5iI-7qoCVVn3GQGfOD-H8f1lCR5LVQ-rwXa1AfGEaYQK9cJMXochSAsuInwaJDBP0mL2v2paR1x-YNuPrU4-dBw65Lu7Oc3iVMJ9YQcZX3DJeX0MPjQwTE4jeA/w255-h400/25813327-FBC2-4DB0-A605-51AB242FBA4D.jpeg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbaHRHBFweNQo1MqO8KichDdTR8zIykm9jCwxBHXYUxJE7O4UvZyw3TUCvJW6uBY26mO_CLaAIPHDFGZRa7ZKXEtqC9hGJ112AhyXhGbOjQ5ftr79PhF52C7qXDViakJECqvP48Gl18oV2OcTnIEno-wlZyEndNR2UI975HvDmp9TwzBSaTfNyw/s2000/C5E3E648-EBDA-4006-B2EB-B2654D855BFE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="2000" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbaHRHBFweNQo1MqO8KichDdTR8zIykm9jCwxBHXYUxJE7O4UvZyw3TUCvJW6uBY26mO_CLaAIPHDFGZRa7ZKXEtqC9hGJ112AhyXhGbOjQ5ftr79PhF52C7qXDViakJECqvP48Gl18oV2OcTnIEno-wlZyEndNR2UI975HvDmp9TwzBSaTfNyw/w400-h358/C5E3E648-EBDA-4006-B2EB-B2654D855BFE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGWLFAnFgrx2rYr-SgjQwbxPnV48rjvqRjPgMJKXxlMIc5vjXGtxyLx9OcgEmltyYEOC4tWaggQfCP8c4N5OTSkOCrrraKVYvGAvuMVTNAp6XC5eRKaZ-D5ZLtJNcMEtStpxm7x1pfFiYMIrnaU9Yn8DqJ6BYi-zPucy_8yYfmM95D9S4yt0z1g/s843/dinosaur%20falling%20star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGWLFAnFgrx2rYr-SgjQwbxPnV48rjvqRjPgMJKXxlMIc5vjXGtxyLx9OcgEmltyYEOC4tWaggQfCP8c4N5OTSkOCrrraKVYvGAvuMVTNAp6XC5eRKaZ-D5ZLtJNcMEtStpxm7x1pfFiYMIrnaU9Yn8DqJ6BYi-zPucy_8yYfmM95D9S4yt0z1g/w400-h400/dinosaur%20falling%20star.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-45265632085577544262024-03-18T08:29:00.010-04:002024-03-18T08:29:57.240-04:00Tab Clearing...<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.twz.com/news-features/gps-jamming-of-u-k-defense-secretarys-jet-highlights-russias-regional-ew-activities">Russian GPS jamming out of Kaliningrad messes with Western commercial and government aircraft</a> operating into and out of the eastern end of the Baltic.</li><br /><li>When heterodoxy <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/wilt-chamberlain-conspiracy-theory-presentism">runs amok</a>. (Might be paywalled.)</li><br /><li>The surreal experience of being a <a href="https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2024/01/09/invisible-ink-at-the-cias-creative-writing-group/">guest speaker for the CIA's creative writing group</a>.</li></ul><br /><span style="color: white;">.</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-54824900291076711372024-03-17T10:53:00.002-04:002024-03-17T10:53:16.997-04:00Light, Shadow, Shape, and Texture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCec5r64Kta5THolwieOvhh6JiJo5uXyF36NPBiB9UeOYzJsVRvtlqmL7piyRh0dw_7SMnjGmC_VTbfZTMVWLuxdyUU6MarXpzHL9iz2Q7hR9hEqXwy52ZreFHiYynlpjdGpsiuYLdHeWlWOc2TVaXiikwSvTlcB-JVZE5xdJL0_kuLy6v-vkvXxU41EZ/s3706/_TRK1058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2478" data-original-width="3706" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCec5r64Kta5THolwieOvhh6JiJo5uXyF36NPBiB9UeOYzJsVRvtlqmL7piyRh0dw_7SMnjGmC_VTbfZTMVWLuxdyUU6MarXpzHL9iz2Q7hR9hEqXwy52ZreFHiYynlpjdGpsiuYLdHeWlWOc2TVaXiikwSvTlcB-JVZE5xdJL0_kuLy6v-vkvXxU41EZ/w400-h268/_TRK1058.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>This photo was shot with the handy <a href="https://amzn.to/3Pperx2">EF 24-105mm f/4L IS</a> general purpose zoom lens mounted on the Canon EOS-1D Mark III.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was shot in RAW and processed through Adobe Photoshop's RAW converter using the "B&W with red filter" setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I usually do, I have the <a href="https://amzn.to/3Vllefa">1D Mk3</a> set up to record both a RAW file and a high res monochrome JPEG. Even though I (almost) never use the straight-out-of-camera JPEG, this ensures that the image shown on the back of the camera is in monochrome and helps me keep my head in that B&W mode, looking for light, shadow, and texture rather than colors.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-21099467275630444702024-03-17T08:16:00.003-04:002024-03-17T08:16:29.674-04:00Automotif CDLXXVII...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4i81jIDxer_Yf3EWKdMOhPRX1xKDnlW2ED0-ET_C4SBcLEdWDvhuH3dL2OsZn2zoSTOZ4ZAe4X_kwhUk3zVBKFKODoi5njfuMCP6pJsLOYK0eBDqDbdXQd1-W4lY1thN_988UKEyJjNDKYwMHW6mRVebEivPAv325Bhdvqc9loWF7IW3xa5JgQ/s4040/_DSC4658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="4040" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4i81jIDxer_Yf3EWKdMOhPRX1xKDnlW2ED0-ET_C4SBcLEdWDvhuH3dL2OsZn2zoSTOZ4ZAe4X_kwhUk3zVBKFKODoi5njfuMCP6pJsLOYK0eBDqDbdXQd1-W4lY1thN_988UKEyJjNDKYwMHW6mRVebEivPAv325Bhdvqc9loWF7IW3xa5JgQ/w400-h255/_DSC4658.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The real find last Wednesday, though, was this immaculate 1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport coupe parked out in front of Good Morning Mama's on 54th Street while its owner was inside enjoying a delicious brunch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P-dAkVc7N8hrJO95sZ7XgCCx3U7OXw7oDbdzyIXqBQMfc4ooqdKkw8vSVwsTyDZ1rM_MS6foEEpSlH9Kz3GC_qb_xg2ezhJbqGw1lg-6Fd-Dq91yhnIMyKeeP9pU7knQ-j3umblddwL-K70stLqJUUC5DOGEy32fvFVmISvH_mO0Guj1t6uq3A/s4043/_DSC4659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2608" data-original-width="4043" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P-dAkVc7N8hrJO95sZ7XgCCx3U7OXw7oDbdzyIXqBQMfc4ooqdKkw8vSVwsTyDZ1rM_MS6foEEpSlH9Kz3GC_qb_xg2ezhJbqGw1lg-6Fd-Dq91yhnIMyKeeP9pU7knQ-j3umblddwL-K70stLqJUUC5DOGEy32fvFVmISvH_mO0Guj1t6uq3A/w400-h258/_DSC4659.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In Crocus Yellow with a black vinyl roof, this thing sure is a looker. While the late third generation "six-four" Impalas get all the love, I think the more flowing lines of the early fourth gen cars make them the best looking Impala SS of them all. That sloped rear window blending into the sculpted rear fenders is an aesthetic improvement over the more vertical rear window on the '64.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxwhPo2iEXDGz4oT7bsS7-B5njOAfa_K6VGmlWCwOr-YeKQ_apFa7y2JSMh7D8L4kxxN0drNywLgphsd_8rcTfLn2bcLR8ITABIOP7tEMR4L1bhjlQ2kuXlXN0GJ-MWVq97wfuTrA-Vj10m-xQXKFqaN1VidqPUL7KKRVnmBhpkysETnDA5H5Pg/s3970/_DSC4660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2678" data-original-width="3970" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxwhPo2iEXDGz4oT7bsS7-B5njOAfa_K6VGmlWCwOr-YeKQ_apFa7y2JSMh7D8L4kxxN0drNywLgphsd_8rcTfLn2bcLR8ITABIOP7tEMR4L1bhjlQ2kuXlXN0GJ-MWVq97wfuTrA-Vj10m-xQXKFqaN1VidqPUL7KKRVnmBhpkysETnDA5H5Pg/w400-h270/_DSC4660.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n9O2vjhXF_4lOBVggf9rdcyVelMbyN00hHl2Y9QOZAwD39U8SQseRp9LaRBM1d0BqvvohaW7dpQ0hZ1YXgGySLNLzMthaaEeuqI3bMpE14TGTxDCaC1pvrU2VkTwF6WwKbNi5FYrGyc_GdD2JeC5JApQyglku3gz_jd0Jzk3iVMG9hJwR5KIow/s4256/_DSC4664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2832" data-original-width="4256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n9O2vjhXF_4lOBVggf9rdcyVelMbyN00hHl2Y9QOZAwD39U8SQseRp9LaRBM1d0BqvvohaW7dpQ0hZ1YXgGySLNLzMthaaEeuqI3bMpE14TGTxDCaC1pvrU2VkTwF6WwKbNi5FYrGyc_GdD2JeC5JApQyglku3gz_jd0Jzk3iVMG9hJwR5KIow/w400-h266/_DSC4664.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Despite what you might think, not all Impala SS's came with V-8s. The base motor on the 1965 Super Sport was the 140 horsepower 230 cubic inch "Turbo-Thrift" inline six. Next up on the option list was the 2bbl L77 283cid V-8, rated at 220bhp.</p><p>The "327" fender badges and single exhaust outlet tell us that the buyer of this car sprang the ninety-five bucks for option L30: which was Chevy's 327 cubic inch "Turbo-Fire" V-8 with a 4-barrel Carter WCFB carburetor and 10.5:1 compression ratio for a rated output of 250 SAE gross horsepower. (For $138, they could have gotten the dual-exhaust 300bhp L74 327.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggraqKXYlzXAYnOugWf_zKFLPxYTuJBuTU1IrOu7EiwGMiYdepNcORf22aoEF84asdxsGJ0TVkj0tZEgpNCXhjikZfUuv8rMAb4yNtFAOrEPpr1wUlohcJU-xDbF1G2IyGh84XixRD96KW7uwTg04sL2gUC8lrkagvCaw-bQ1M5iMQDMvaomOhyA/s4152/_DSC4666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2722" data-original-width="4152" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggraqKXYlzXAYnOugWf_zKFLPxYTuJBuTU1IrOu7EiwGMiYdepNcORf22aoEF84asdxsGJ0TVkj0tZEgpNCXhjikZfUuv8rMAb4yNtFAOrEPpr1wUlohcJU-xDbF1G2IyGh84XixRD96KW7uwTg04sL2gUC8lrkagvCaw-bQ1M5iMQDMvaomOhyA/w400-h263/_DSC4666.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Dig those groovy taillights!<p></p><p><span style="color: white;">.</span></p>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-57992562668736766582024-03-16T08:11:00.006-04:002024-03-17T03:58:18.947-04:00Automotif CDLXXVI...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhIR4s57oQqoR-Wm0xvL-siPIRZa9lYKx9pYjsCCGbXVBU9NRUfRnBBWjX2TuKKPqi80mYOFKbe_CxRbMdFvznF4kRNu0RurknSvx-QmiTZSw0deK65sTUGHe9T4PDEMzMaH7UL6areUSCa5pjPAAlQFAtvmzwn8FjCmSCTSI_3qhiDizkgBbAA/s4140/_DSC4679.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2636" data-original-width="4140" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhIR4s57oQqoR-Wm0xvL-siPIRZa9lYKx9pYjsCCGbXVBU9NRUfRnBBWjX2TuKKPqi80mYOFKbe_CxRbMdFvznF4kRNu0RurknSvx-QmiTZSw0deK65sTUGHe9T4PDEMzMaH7UL6areUSCa5pjPAAlQFAtvmzwn8FjCmSCTSI_3qhiDizkgBbAA/w400-h255/_DSC4679.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Also from Wednesday's car-spotting session was this Cascade Green 1964½ Ford Mustang convertible. Officially, according to Ford and the VIN plate, it's a 1965 model, but the first Mustangs built from the spring of '64 until the actual start of Ford's 1965 model year later that fall are known by fans as "1964½" cars.</div><div><br /></div><div>By building a sportily-styled 2+2 coupe with front bucket seats and a console-mounted shifter on the basic underpinnings of their compact Falcon sedan, Ford created a whole new class of automobile for the American market: the "Pony Car". It sold like gangbusters and was immediately* joined by the Plymouth Valiant-based Barracuda and, later, the Chevy Camaro, which shared the front subframe of the Nova compact.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fender badges say it has a 289 V-8. Prior to the official start of the 1965 model year, there was no 2-barrel version of the 289 offered in the Mustang, with the cheap V-8 role being filled by the 2bbl 260cid Fairlane V-8. The 289 would be one of two 4bbl variants, either the 210bhp 9.0:1 compression version, or the hi-power "K-code" motor, which was considerably beefier, with an output of 271 SAE gross horsepower.</div><br />From a period Car and Driver road test:<blockquote>"<a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15143037/1964-1-2-ford-mustang-review/">Crankshaft design for this engine became the subject of a special study. The crank is made of precision-cast alloy iron and runs in five main bearings. About 70%of the total unbalanced couple is balanced by counter-weights on the crankpin webs, and the remaining 30% is balanced by two external counterweights—one mounted in front of the timing sprocket and the other integrally with the flywheel. In most previous passenger car applications of this engine, the fourth harmonic unbalance occurs beyond the normal speed range. But on the high-performance 289 the fourth harmonic comes within its 7000-rpm range, so the vibration damper developed for the Indianapolis engine, with enlarged rubber contact areas and tuned for higher crankshaft speeds, was adapted. The high-performance 289 also has the cross-bolted crankcase from the Indy engine, plus a number of special design features such as high-tensile strength connecting rods, copper-lead alloy bearing shells, chrome-plated valve stems, mechanical valve lifters, and a high-lift, high-overlap camshaft. The cylinder heads give a compression ratio of 10.5-to-one, and the air intake system consists of a low-restriction air cleaner, an opera-throat four-barrel carburetor, and direct manifold passages. The exhaust system boasts individual headers merging into twin tail pipes. Power output is an impressive 271 bhp at 6000 rpm with a maximum torque of 312 lbs-ft at 3400 rpm.Naturally this unit can be tuned still further for racing purposes by such patent medicines as Dr. Shelby's Cobra Elixir (or imitations available from your local Performance Drugstore). Over 300 bhp may be reached without impairing engine reliability. Specific output of the hottest production model Mustang engine is 0.95 bhp per cu in, as against 0.73 for the standard 289-cubic-inch power unit.</a>"</blockquote><br /><br />*...and when I say "immediately", I mean immediately. Mopar fans will gleefully point out that the Barracuda was actually the first Pony Car to go on sale, having beat the Ford to showrooms by almost two weeks. The Mustang program was a poorly-kept secret around Detroit, and the rush program to put a glass fastback and bucket seats in a Valiant got iron on the streets before Dearborn did.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-5729716569716532632024-03-15T10:34:00.005-04:002024-03-15T10:34:27.919-04:00Safety First, Accidents LastStill among my finest moments in prose:<blockquote><a href="https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/3/5/ccw-training-are-we-practicing-the-wrong-skills/">If you’re standing in the produce section at the grocery store and some dude pops out of the cereal aisle going all mass-casualty on the place and you successfully use your AIWB-carried blaster to save the day, it’s going to take some of the shine off the moment if you forget to de-cock your P226 Legion and shoot yourself right in the meat department while putting it away.</a></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6XuWWaKQ1vZD8DEv9L_rRXeRpFafnekoXJZpRS4XG_AmM0UVm5ASOIwML30iwflBiZEcawdAZS-VP8X0EOY1XokbzH7wHUKGDOAvoXExo3bbQJZVdN0sqbqkyrWM__-jHyYbA5P0ApQ4b9_3x1H_cit0oy9X0jk2XFhqomg2ZUzpUnihYPtWBQ/s4032/0D843410-7036-4416-B449-508F845161C2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6XuWWaKQ1vZD8DEv9L_rRXeRpFafnekoXJZpRS4XG_AmM0UVm5ASOIwML30iwflBiZEcawdAZS-VP8X0EOY1XokbzH7wHUKGDOAvoXExo3bbQJZVdN0sqbqkyrWM__-jHyYbA5P0ApQ4b9_3x1H_cit0oy9X0jk2XFhqomg2ZUzpUnihYPtWBQ/w400-h300/0D843410-7036-4416-B449-508F845161C2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice hitting that decocker or applying the safety every time you come off the sights.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><span style="color: white;">.</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-33574037029204435522024-03-15T09:43:00.002-04:002024-03-15T09:43:38.571-04:00Attention Seeking<blockquote><a href="https://wapo.st/3v2M1lP">“A lot of the so-called mischievous behavior of cats is simply an attempt to get the owners’ attention,” Serpell says. “They’ve learned by trial and error if they sit on your desk and throw your pens on the floor, eventually you’ll give them attention or get up.” Taking an extra 30 minutes every day to interact with your cat could lead to a happier dynamic.</a></blockquote>I don't know where the cultural trope of 'aloof cats' came from. Whenever my ex would lounge on the sofa to watch TV, his big black tomcat, Lucifer, would perch on his shoulder like a parrot on a pirate. No sooner would I lay down on the bed than Mittens would come a-running from wherever she was in the house to curl up next to my head.<br /><br />
When Huck gets anxious for attention, he'll rare up on his hind legs and knock stuff off of desks with a swipe of his paw. Holden will get upset that I'm paying attention to the strange flat glowing panel in front of me, rather than the cat, and mill around in the footwell of my desk while mewing plaintively until I finally pick him up and balance him in my lap for a bit (which is awkward because Holden is way too large to fit in a lap and it takes both hands to keep him balanced there.)
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwL6YFEWfYFF24fNb0aGWNFO2T8PFYRBa3o104zGDo2AWXtvtvpNvBSnHJNd8RGn60Gsa-VROP8K0LMCeNIGFsGb2gdthSbBheAy24J4LZq7Yi2tsvUuYzl1x6XegXjaBljnb5ilEuM3vdJBkjrP2rrWePnwj74vakWqu8Pq2iiW_u-voBIIkQw/s3024/7D441926-C345-433C-8642-E25024D628F4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwL6YFEWfYFF24fNb0aGWNFO2T8PFYRBa3o104zGDo2AWXtvtvpNvBSnHJNd8RGn60Gsa-VROP8K0LMCeNIGFsGb2gdthSbBheAy24J4LZq7Yi2tsvUuYzl1x6XegXjaBljnb5ilEuM3vdJBkjrP2rrWePnwj74vakWqu8Pq2iiW_u-voBIIkQw/w400-h400/7D441926-C345-433C-8642-E25024D628F4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-81194836309838690312024-03-15T08:23:00.001-04:002024-03-15T08:23:04.481-04:00Meme Dump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2VGyCqZEgFRpN8SZ84we5JP0m0Nw-8xna0mtCawOEU4GtMR87eOnhr_OzT7PAGUBSIckYEoly3NcJDVFRoeqnOM0fYb42JvBDjvIJbr-ATt1Kcuy5wJemk0jIZY7P79KAsI88BHPVBrxgQN3kSl7N_t73Yw5TPdp8KtCjIh6CKK2eOOdG14ejw/s1124/1FCB5FBD-8620-4488-A39B-6E8EF0EE127D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2VGyCqZEgFRpN8SZ84we5JP0m0Nw-8xna0mtCawOEU4GtMR87eOnhr_OzT7PAGUBSIckYEoly3NcJDVFRoeqnOM0fYb42JvBDjvIJbr-ATt1Kcuy5wJemk0jIZY7P79KAsI88BHPVBrxgQN3kSl7N_t73Yw5TPdp8KtCjIh6CKK2eOOdG14ejw/w300-h400/1FCB5FBD-8620-4488-A39B-6E8EF0EE127D.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolMvo_OnsGKPPpHNY4qFEvzyOdKe23M6i-YRe5O7mbhWA9CoG-A3I-s6-M0jmma85Ke-HsAEO4BPt8Y1zXNeBqXWOXH7hDMuGq1YLGx-fjXLapPESGqOw4ChAS8rWooFKmrtOU6H6waDConPrvexpQTpKHjaFsouQ4Y3_EBBXGdvH0tVafOHMNw/s2000/AB11AAC9-78D8-4F56-B0C1-E01E5FE62CAC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolMvo_OnsGKPPpHNY4qFEvzyOdKe23M6i-YRe5O7mbhWA9CoG-A3I-s6-M0jmma85Ke-HsAEO4BPt8Y1zXNeBqXWOXH7hDMuGq1YLGx-fjXLapPESGqOw4ChAS8rWooFKmrtOU6H6waDConPrvexpQTpKHjaFsouQ4Y3_EBBXGdvH0tVafOHMNw/w400-h400/AB11AAC9-78D8-4F56-B0C1-E01E5FE62CAC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWwhTw1MvCKHMejRh5CGyKNDsrGSJ8mjtZYNGsearvi-mFnhKJKxeg3O805YhWgHn6s7JdwlqtMiiWHcrYvqHSsCgFvpUBTVpvH85N15QUgvDmrt9ejGAAcrlFzzustboPQEyBm-G3VCBrE1jPfoxCMrrS5ZeYoyOVe72vpyF3EIbChHWMavzgQ/s640/13938429_10154000972384825_3924836138652000114_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="640" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWwhTw1MvCKHMejRh5CGyKNDsrGSJ8mjtZYNGsearvi-mFnhKJKxeg3O805YhWgHn6s7JdwlqtMiiWHcrYvqHSsCgFvpUBTVpvH85N15QUgvDmrt9ejGAAcrlFzzustboPQEyBm-G3VCBrE1jPfoxCMrrS5ZeYoyOVe72vpyF3EIbChHWMavzgQ/w400-h297/13938429_10154000972384825_3924836138652000114_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsLAVgoCqW-IKGfr_hY-95ldWmXZtCRzAjxVhbOyR8dzafH_o_lz-ccF0-puNhTZN572mRAxBP6-2hWCcpv1MJSVKuizE5d14BNQ0ln7js0BzcgyD7oeKFHKDQ7uzFTRVetqoVoeCAICn5JsvxzzSzQRaJE4yYpO9ZRbM0Nk_fd1uNuFPM-yRrQ/s2000/bafkreicnzwcapu77q2g2343admwvi6tfrag4b4c34zjnwjjwucfy36dap4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsLAVgoCqW-IKGfr_hY-95ldWmXZtCRzAjxVhbOyR8dzafH_o_lz-ccF0-puNhTZN572mRAxBP6-2hWCcpv1MJSVKuizE5d14BNQ0ln7js0BzcgyD7oeKFHKDQ7uzFTRVetqoVoeCAICn5JsvxzzSzQRaJE4yYpO9ZRbM0Nk_fd1uNuFPM-yRrQ/w369-h400/bafkreicnzwcapu77q2g2343admwvi6tfrag4b4c34zjnwjjwucfy36dap4.jpg" width="369" /></a></div><br />Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-7155458323861299432024-03-15T07:43:00.004-04:002024-03-15T07:43:42.502-04:00Still HereRoseholme Cottage didn't blow away last night. All we got was a pretty spectacular light show, lots of thunder, and a few spurts of rain. Not even any hail.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Fi7-mfh01Ob7eSzmQOGDDDKkPEn99QoRTkpBrcby6TVqw7dPQTC0B1sSogZdbsLxyacwvz0bXAb8xJxoTOQOzi6Rd4434OWUS0UMdSnzITs5Z6c1QTRbd7oRu9COJiHceILrWrEM5X5O9hoZO4K-ixCKeQiPbWU5Ma_gJ7F2pEwnqsAKBw8e7Q/s3024/F1FF6329-CFE7-42AF-AC48-AA394CD19229_1_201_a.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Fi7-mfh01Ob7eSzmQOGDDDKkPEn99QoRTkpBrcby6TVqw7dPQTC0B1sSogZdbsLxyacwvz0bXAb8xJxoTOQOzi6Rd4434OWUS0UMdSnzITs5Z6c1QTRbd7oRu9COJiHceILrWrEM5X5O9hoZO4K-ixCKeQiPbWU5Ma_gJ7F2pEwnqsAKBw8e7Q/s320/F1FF6329-CFE7-42AF-AC48-AA394CD19229_1_201_a.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Quite a few places across a swath of Indiana just north of us <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/severe-weather/severe-weather-updates-indiana-thunderstorm-tornado-watch-warnings/531-9be0ecaf-26cc-4ff9-adab-7af8d111c5ab">weren't so lucky</a>, however.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-83517772750883346782024-03-14T07:02:00.003-04:002024-03-14T07:02:30.598-04:00Automotif CDLXXV...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2_VLY0NJDePv-Ob5hfBfd1EpvS8MxW3-uA0dHaw3aAwjem1GmAIQ1au1iFZYoOCjEd__SzPhw33MYSC5Tvrpk1jy4abtFtBiwNwDzxQ_zzTVsAEXBMbJSHtQub8L-jB8DjNaq6KumSJgx8cFEY1NZTddyaOeNVAZ1R10zae15ppFaUBCNHadUg/s3663/_DSC4683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2524" data-original-width="3663" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2_VLY0NJDePv-Ob5hfBfd1EpvS8MxW3-uA0dHaw3aAwjem1GmAIQ1au1iFZYoOCjEd__SzPhw33MYSC5Tvrpk1jy4abtFtBiwNwDzxQ_zzTVsAEXBMbJSHtQub8L-jB8DjNaq6KumSJgx8cFEY1NZTddyaOeNVAZ1R10zae15ppFaUBCNHadUg/w400-h275/_DSC4683.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Spotted on Wednesday afternoon rolling northbound on College Avenue was this Monza Red Corvette Stingray coupe.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had the Nikon D700 with the compact 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G travel zoom. Plenty of focal length to grab details!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd9Af_hpSvVd0uYOOT97ATx4ONwvh6rCruwqr78nhzHqP__bdVsadOYfmAsILH-a85ALSQFjE7bAFDfYe5EZ27sTplLBLR1LNBDTNiknd71BebjfxspBIKekHe-JOzTmBC4s5dJ5p75asp6suyXcTx_ceVDgKIGxrO9KDyp1RkIs5k8dGxqRqAg/s3662/_DSC4685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3662" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd9Af_hpSvVd0uYOOT97ATx4ONwvh6rCruwqr78nhzHqP__bdVsadOYfmAsILH-a85ALSQFjE7bAFDfYe5EZ27sTplLBLR1LNBDTNiknd71BebjfxspBIKekHe-JOzTmBC4s5dJ5p75asp6suyXcTx_ceVDgKIGxrO9KDyp1RkIs5k8dGxqRqAg/w400-h258/_DSC4685.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I love that style of wheels on muscle cars and pony cars of the era, but I'm not sure how I feel about them on a sports car like the 'Vette. They look pretty good on this one, though.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmFsVBgyAyFW7EIaxHJ3DfaOL7Oel58uZJO-AddjzRHLWuSmOLpo8vpiYCkrrBB_mYcoBKyQkfktShNgabXqC9vOrthPJlJ8fcbTe9TmlRJjOpVNKk8dEcLY6qDDz-cXinimUcPPWU3A7rB6MtIplj_4w4GoZshkVVVpmOGAPL-MYyXvv6ToXjw/s3859/_DSC4687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="3859" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmFsVBgyAyFW7EIaxHJ3DfaOL7Oel58uZJO-AddjzRHLWuSmOLpo8vpiYCkrrBB_mYcoBKyQkfktShNgabXqC9vOrthPJlJ8fcbTe9TmlRJjOpVNKk8dEcLY6qDDz-cXinimUcPPWU3A7rB6MtIplj_4w4GoZshkVVVpmOGAPL-MYyXvv6ToXjw/w400-h246/_DSC4687.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Telling a 1970 and a '71 apart from a distance like this is well-nigh impossible as best I can discern. If it has amber front turn signal lenses (which this one does not) it's a later '71 model, but earlier '71s seem to have had clear lenses just like the '70s.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-77686010233605304882024-03-13T10:08:00.003-04:002024-03-13T10:08:25.051-04:00What's Old is New, and Then is NowHave you ever had to check to see if a muzzle loading firearm was loaded? If you haven't, it's not that hard.<div><br /></div><div>First you make sure that it's not primed or cocked, and then you drop a long dowel down the muzzle, and mark it at the crown. Then pull it out and hold it alongside the barrel with the mark even with the muzzle end. If the other end of the rod doesn't come even with the breech end, there's a powder charge and a projectile in there.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's obviously easier with revolvers, whether cartridge or cap 'n' ball, since you can observe the contents of the chambers directly.</div><div><br /></div><div>When self-loading pistols were first introduced, a lot of thought went into various ways to ascertain the chamber's status without having to cycle the action. Many early autos, like the Luger, had extractors that doubled as visual/tactile loaded chamber indicators.</div><div><br /></div><div>Savage's Model 1907 pocket auto originally had a clip that encircled the breech, shaped kind of like a pocket clip on some pens, with a tab that extended rearward and would be forced outward by the rim of a chambered round.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_NpMmW5da54-Lj2XJl15ahMa35JR78yNVtHnfoMGYoBLImNU7D_b2mPPDnEb1xHCwIPGEhTfyoaz5VJfswyvTB2ztFmOIvl7B-Whj9LlNZtn3XtTcw_IXv7I4hyW414-a_zWNFQmtrxFBBRG8bRoI5ZxzJKHcDyo4gkBDHADRujpTCOCruwZ9w/s5616/_MG_4512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3744" data-original-width="5616" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_NpMmW5da54-Lj2XJl15ahMa35JR78yNVtHnfoMGYoBLImNU7D_b2mPPDnEb1xHCwIPGEhTfyoaz5VJfswyvTB2ztFmOIvl7B-Whj9LlNZtn3XtTcw_IXv7I4hyW414-a_zWNFQmtrxFBBRG8bRoI5ZxzJKHcDyo4gkBDHADRujpTCOCruwZ9w/w400-h266/_MG_4512.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Later models dispensed with it, as it required separate machining steps to both the barrel and slide, added an extra part, and could tie up the slide if the finger-like indicator tab were to break off.</div><div><br /></div><div>Besides, loaded chamber indicators are very much a "trust but verify" sort of thing, as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather check the chamber manually regardless.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-40012965058122390792024-03-13T08:43:00.001-04:002024-03-13T08:43:05.274-04:00I LOL'ed.<i>The Atlantic</i> titled a story about the social media theories swirling around Kate Middleton as "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/kate-middleton-conspiracies-privacy/677729/?gift=SgfsxQgLC3j_YjKirH3-Af7tHhLBlqLxmybbKbkvtVs&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share">QAnon for Wine Moms</a>" and I just want to recognize greatness in title-writing when I see it.<div><br /></div><div>Well played.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-69574651404417309982024-03-13T07:42:00.002-04:002024-03-13T07:45:26.465-04:00Automotif CDLXXIV...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF7WsSIDKFu06KIt5PSCkJ-kfq2Avt-7_4rFTZ_c1QbUZrTedHjw62yJynX0gkUdM2zlYM24gCPlYiqKqB4sW8rnfP91WnDoVbivEsDeq4M0hvmHuBxMXqdsM64ypDI_twAzuf4rg_h19DGP2hyXrmaDyBOClr-23bn8csESMKRSwsNS3X757Hw/s3338/_TRK0931.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2115" data-original-width="3338" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF7WsSIDKFu06KIt5PSCkJ-kfq2Avt-7_4rFTZ_c1QbUZrTedHjw62yJynX0gkUdM2zlYM24gCPlYiqKqB4sW8rnfP91WnDoVbivEsDeq4M0hvmHuBxMXqdsM64ypDI_twAzuf4rg_h19DGP2hyXrmaDyBOClr-23bn8csESMKRSwsNS3X757Hw/w400-h254/_TRK0931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>There is literally a zero percent chance that this Porsche 356 Speedster is not a kit car, but really, who cares? You can get kit cars that will handily outperform the original, plus a real Speedster is a seventy year old car that is worth the best part of half a million bucks these days, and who's gonna flog an investment like that out in traffic where any yo-yo in a Kia could bunt you into penury by running a red light?</div><div><br /></div><div>Plus with a real 356 at this point, sheer economics mean you need to keep it as close to stock as possible, while you could set a kit car up for maximum hoonage.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-80454638957765965912024-03-12T07:36:00.002-04:002024-03-12T07:36:24.104-04:00A Jog Around the Blogs...<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <a href="https://www.mightykarlsons.com/2024/03/three-good-things-for-thursday-march-7th.html">best Monster Truck Rally story</a> I've read.</li><br /><li>I had completely forgotten about <a href="https://jpcavanaugh.com/2024/03/01/screaming-yellow-zonkers-you-kind-of-had-to-be-there/">Screaming Yellow Zonkers</a>.</li><br /><li>How much do <a href="https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/skill-degradation-over-time">shooting skills degrade over time</a> if you don't practice?</li></ul><br /><br /><span style="color: white;">.</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-41451510364019128712024-03-12T07:05:00.002-04:002024-03-12T07:05:17.464-04:00Garbage In, Garbage OutAs more and more AI-generated product finds its way onto the 'net, Large Language Models are going to increasingly find themselves trained on the output of other LLMs...
<blockquote>"<a href="https://www.wheresyoured.at/are-we-watching-the-internet-die/">After the world's governments began their above-ground nuclear weapons tests in the mid-1940s, radioactive particles made their way into the atmosphere, permanently tainting all modern steel production, making it challenging (or impossible) to build certain machines (such as those that measure radioactivity). As a result, we've a limited supply of something called "low-background steel," pre-war metal that oftentimes has to be harvested from ships sunk before the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, including those dating back to the Roman Empire.<br /><br />
Generative AI models are trained by using massive amounts of text scraped from the internet, meaning that the consumer adoption of generative AI has brought a degree of radioactivity to its own dataset. As more internet content is created, either partially or entirely through generative AI, the models themselves will find themselves increasingly inbred, training themselves on content written by their own models which are, on some level, permanently locked in 2023, before the advent of a tool that is specifically intended to replace content created by human beings.<br /><br />
This is a phenomenon that Jathan Sadowski calls "Habsburg AI," where "a system that is so heavily trained on the outputs of other generative AIs that it becomes an inbred mutant, likely with exaggerated, grotesque features." In reality, a Habsburg AI will be one that is increasingly more <i>generic</i> and <i>empty</i>, normalized into a slop of anodyne business-speak as its models are trained on increasingly-identical content.</a>"</blockquote>Go and RTWT.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-BXXUp4dUBYj5wrK4O1UXiLajeyoFSe6VSFlX6r_3ZEYIhazfY31j4A-EpkEHlihohdOf18G5UOj_YhZATe_t89ZqZ0m_dzwqQSxLdfcxgpcyQM6sw2TqGkUVMhhaS3QK0rzxeIlfq3Ux3uEQkD8fca-CusnAsdu-VjonU4FAAQlmRXKLwHelg/s604/five%20websites%20with%20screenshots.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="604" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-BXXUp4dUBYj5wrK4O1UXiLajeyoFSe6VSFlX6r_3ZEYIhazfY31j4A-EpkEHlihohdOf18G5UOj_YhZATe_t89ZqZ0m_dzwqQSxLdfcxgpcyQM6sw2TqGkUVMhhaS3QK0rzxeIlfq3Ux3uEQkD8fca-CusnAsdu-VjonU4FAAQlmRXKLwHelg/w400-h188/five%20websites%20with%20screenshots.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-52647525112174616222024-03-11T09:16:00.004-04:002024-03-11T09:16:18.951-04:00Open wide!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXegu1J6EWLil_SGtgqCRRyA6DPRPKETZPX7u98WFPJod457WH6B7PMvlltOwcrMXnL6ESkRP_Z7WuVkL_1i-ADhSnXF06eZHtJXpm9he_2stroQP1tkBCFUD2SpnNkVBgWdtk3cnvrSpuGVYaGR0MrfIc1JzU3SCHby0-OekEx16edZ2g_tY9qeWaJhM/s5232/_DSF2758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5232" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXegu1J6EWLil_SGtgqCRRyA6DPRPKETZPX7u98WFPJod457WH6B7PMvlltOwcrMXnL6ESkRP_Z7WuVkL_1i-ADhSnXF06eZHtJXpm9he_2stroQP1tkBCFUD2SpnNkVBgWdtk3cnvrSpuGVYaGR0MrfIc1JzU3SCHby0-OekEx16edZ2g_tY9qeWaJhM/w306-h400/_DSF2758.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Fujifilm X-T2 is the least fossil-y camera I have. Despite being three generations old (Fuji's up to the <a href="https://amzn.to/3VcYnlP">X-T5</a> now) its release date in 2016 makes it the newest interchangeable lens camera I own.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a result, the low-light performance is mind-boggling to me. If I'm shooting indoor candids by available light, I'll open the lens aperture wide and let the camera pick the ISO and shutter speed.</div><div><br /></div><div>These photos were both shot with the <a href="https://amzn.to/3PiS78u">Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR</a> lens cranked all the way open. The camera selected ISO 2000 for the upper pic and a whopping ISO 12500 for the lower.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sharpness achieved at a five-digit ISO seems amazing, considering that a decade earlier anything over ISO 400 was an unusably noisy mess.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2cYEOsuBt1o2Iryn4N-3dptQFcrMQvmZluLB1USj3wGDnA28XFROdl2rHz8wk_YuCMVMH31Gow7LAMtrQoqKo0WGHZfoH5Iq2SSBA97F0sTJ1UsmU0a1LQyfsSYq-zaFYLWXflZzNV1K-4M2UzO8_1L2X2QC0LrNccTY5EeqQ1V9Ds5JGNvQLaVfLoi4/s5232/_DSF2764.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3971" data-original-width="5232" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2cYEOsuBt1o2Iryn4N-3dptQFcrMQvmZluLB1USj3wGDnA28XFROdl2rHz8wk_YuCMVMH31Gow7LAMtrQoqKo0WGHZfoH5Iq2SSBA97F0sTJ1UsmU0a1LQyfsSYq-zaFYLWXflZzNV1K-4M2UzO8_1L2X2QC0LrNccTY5EeqQ1V9Ds5JGNvQLaVfLoi4/w400-h304/_DSF2764.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I really like the 50mm "Fujicron". It's so compact but offers a good focal length and fast aperture for indoor candids.<div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-5355553018961810322024-03-11T08:58:00.003-04:002024-03-11T08:58:18.866-04:00A bustle in your hedgerowThere's a house in the neighborhood that has its sidewalk flanked by a couple tall stands of some sort of ornamental tallgrass.<div><br /></div><div>As I strolled past yesterday on the way to lunch, there was an explosive rustling noise and I turned to my right to catch sight of an Eastern cottontail doe. She froze in the yard and I looked away and got the camera up in front of my face before turning back toward her.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4JUxPj4lxsUAZbc7eE7HUgjhoAEJGpUKQ601B5g4-MfNeoooqmldlXMzGdwpCMjBI_kTziFeowf99gKzBRDB9sBbRk3rDZrnerDHmcacFTHd8Bn2IdRMiwTOJCr-SKESUsqbUrTpOPgLFYxHytcpNmetxJqcHEQ2MuJcT8DG4HricjXrPbAnAw/s4497/_RK_4298_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2982" data-original-width="4497" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4JUxPj4lxsUAZbc7eE7HUgjhoAEJGpUKQ601B5g4-MfNeoooqmldlXMzGdwpCMjBI_kTziFeowf99gKzBRDB9sBbRk3rDZrnerDHmcacFTHd8Bn2IdRMiwTOJCr-SKESUsqbUrTpOPgLFYxHytcpNmetxJqcHEQ2MuJcT8DG4HricjXrPbAnAw/w400-h265/_RK_4298_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Exploiting the old trick that little animals get panicked by two forward-facing predator eyes pointing at them but are a whole lot less sure what to make of a camera, I was able to take three slow, sidling steps in her direction while snapping away before she lost her composure and bolted away.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU-bxbFq7Jo-358tqVrgDt2_DM5gOC5ahD3cOjYE3wOWKaOzyEyHmH3F_0sIn75QPUeaFK5XR7U0EWyUPSqdT6bK9_vlh_UNKsbITUc4J-tRAgEjXhcgN1yCRq5Es5LskSnimHwvzuWfufkriZMEBZVOPGOOHuV0ckTpbzmmQTun0btxEiKiAMA/s4614/_RK_4302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4614" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU-bxbFq7Jo-358tqVrgDt2_DM5gOC5ahD3cOjYE3wOWKaOzyEyHmH3F_0sIn75QPUeaFK5XR7U0EWyUPSqdT6bK9_vlh_UNKsbITUc4J-tRAgEjXhcgN1yCRq5Es5LskSnimHwvzuWfufkriZMEBZVOPGOOHuV0ckTpbzmmQTun0btxEiKiAMA/w400-h263/_RK_4302.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Snapped with the <a href="https://amzn.to/4c7hB2n">Canon EOS-1D Mark IV</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/4c9yjOq">EF 70-200mm f/4L IS</a> combo, which is a fave setup of mine for critter pics.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-61242157377821856032024-03-10T09:32:00.003-04:002024-03-10T09:32:44.244-04:00Incremental Improvements<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8y_UL9WHszN3gvelqvokzIfPDlSWTcw_JAWak7dhd5Gz-cGVJGAitnVT7BGjvMrW5Sy-E4-sWteKSRHDxxdIszsmxKuKG6v0PACVjHCKmARs_rA1GI5kP1fRtW3ZkqPtnAr1OcakFEMEKAzn1iG45ud7BuIozvNbztNOKn1lR6QDLdlb9B2b_Xg/s5133/_DSF2772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3411" data-original-width="5133" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8y_UL9WHszN3gvelqvokzIfPDlSWTcw_JAWak7dhd5Gz-cGVJGAitnVT7BGjvMrW5Sy-E4-sWteKSRHDxxdIszsmxKuKG6v0PACVjHCKmARs_rA1GI5kP1fRtW3ZkqPtnAr1OcakFEMEKAzn1iG45ud7BuIozvNbztNOKn1lR6QDLdlb9B2b_Xg/w400-h266/_DSF2772.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently working with a Rost Martin RM1C for an upcoming review in <i><a href="https://www.shootingillustrated.com">Shooting Illustrated</a></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>It arrived with an RMR-compatible optics plate, and the <a href="https://amzn.to/3TtszYv">Swampfox Justice</a> I had on hand bolted right up.</div><div><br /></div><div>I like the fact that all RM1C's are optics-ready, rather than the annoying tendency, all too common among manufacturers, of releasing a non-optics model first and then...one or two SHOT Shows later...releasing an optics cut model like it's some big event.</div><div><br /></div><div>Normally, here in 2024 I'd gripe about the fact that the optics cut wasn't deep enough to allow the normal height irons to co-witness, and the fact that the slide required adaptor plates rather than being cut to allow direct mounting using the RMSC or 507k footprint. Rost Martin gets a bye from me on this one, however, because it's not an entirely new design, but rather an Americanized version of the AREX Delta Gen.2 from Slovenia.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-66566022451534237712024-03-10T09:10:00.003-04:002024-03-10T09:10:47.256-04:00Stop It!People need to stop <a href="https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2024/03/09/keep-your-hand-away-from-the-muzzle/">pointing guns at themselves</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Especially in retail & gunsmithing spaces, I see a lot of <a href="https://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2016/06/safety-is-for-always.html">bad gun-handling habits</a> get reinforced because "they're unloaded".</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-13440990352840849802024-03-08T14:14:00.007-05:002024-03-08T14:14:58.172-05:00Git Gud Scrub<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc9MPPykMrlgq-gFUjboAoMSbrQs373KyV6vv_JMZtReo2hroe51b9jw3hbZ2YnSl0XzmRZ-5E0ftidcPKU9_9mrWiHSIhJPior4ics6HHG7AmMLB6qQoVe0lXJSPDuf5rKJ5rxddHimS2F9Nm2-HvJMDdTWMKRVsq7OaeG4JCB8myxe3kHLHlw/s538/IMG_2577.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="538" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc9MPPykMrlgq-gFUjboAoMSbrQs373KyV6vv_JMZtReo2hroe51b9jw3hbZ2YnSl0XzmRZ-5E0ftidcPKU9_9mrWiHSIhJPior4ics6HHG7AmMLB6qQoVe0lXJSPDuf5rKJ5rxddHimS2F9Nm2-HvJMDdTWMKRVsq7OaeG4JCB8myxe3kHLHlw/w400-h345/IMG_2577.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-61260915417272681492024-03-08T08:53:00.002-05:002024-03-08T08:53:30.829-05:00Say "Moose and Squirrel"Did you see the one about the retired light colonel who got catfished into giving away secrets on a dating site? Check this stuff out:<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUA6yLiO-JiCnz8g-ae8AXqzV8QE1va6HK-vVNvR6H7LIVZmXT12slE9WmmvNZOFPvVSXP0AFtHzAY60qAFFBAoZdj_oD-f7scZ2mdQiAv6utTM4OysGByVi0jph9qJjjmWzRk8IPZJftzojQq8wlOFVRTEJoVsvt-jDlbXuEzAppV1Isj4z9Zw/s2000/bafkreiamgwntjtkxymsjbsxvyrtsopie5ms6n3va24xagug7vlqynd47r4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUA6yLiO-JiCnz8g-ae8AXqzV8QE1va6HK-vVNvR6H7LIVZmXT12slE9WmmvNZOFPvVSXP0AFtHzAY60qAFFBAoZdj_oD-f7scZ2mdQiAv6utTM4OysGByVi0jph9qJjjmWzRk8IPZJftzojQq8wlOFVRTEJoVsvt-jDlbXuEzAppV1Isj4z9Zw/w343-h400/bafkreiamgwntjtkxymsjbsxvyrtsopie5ms6n3va24xagug7vlqynd47r4.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><br /><div>"Please my handsome beloved, give launch codes."</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus, this clown makes <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68473868">A1C Teixeira</a> look like Kim muhfuggin' Philby.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote>"<a href="https://alexzfinley.substack.com/p/sweet-dave-svetlanas-just-not-that">She is communicating with you through her soul and her deep, penetrating eyes you have conjured up in your imagination based on a few almost naked pictures she has likely posted. She thinks you're great and hot and successful and masculine. She loves you! The way no other woman has before. Oh, Svetlana, I love you, too! You’re super hot, but I also love you for your <i>brains</i>. We share an interest in US national defense issues! You’re a rare gem who gets off on talk about military targets. Yeah, baby. Let me tell you about my missile!<br /><br />
But actually, this is Svetlana: An overweight Russian named Boris who is slugging vodka and belching up borscht while typing with potato fingers.</a>"</blockquote><br /><br />.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-34763472710287278562024-03-08T06:57:00.004-05:002024-03-08T06:57:49.980-05:00ClownshoesIn today's episode of "Real life or <i>The Onion</i>?"...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWzKnkuvS8K9t538_JWnJ8dmiEYP7dSTnZUUD6-5apkalANC7a5CGRbzoofT6E5crX8qPe1BfBfcm0G6qGt8A8ynRPUsA7c9M82tmdC8vNeuURRo1UMsrzVKoOcPrxZA8xD4DjQvnXGKqv8WMA9zathD26SucC6ik9IAKoxDndZmhBxWqcStD1A/s601/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%206.14.41%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="601" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWzKnkuvS8K9t538_JWnJ8dmiEYP7dSTnZUUD6-5apkalANC7a5CGRbzoofT6E5crX8qPe1BfBfcm0G6qGt8A8ynRPUsA7c9M82tmdC8vNeuURRo1UMsrzVKoOcPrxZA8xD4DjQvnXGKqv8WMA9zathD26SucC6ik9IAKoxDndZmhBxWqcStD1A/w400-h344/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%206.14.41%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>This is some fundamentally unserious nonsense.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">.</span></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-86618239154793776522024-03-07T08:37:00.007-05:002024-03-07T08:37:47.304-05:00A Jog Around the Blogs...<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Like Vegas, Orlando is a series of ever-finer sieves designed to <a href="https://blog.jimgrey.net/2024/03/07/a-visit-to-walt-disney-world/">filter the money from a vacationer's wallet</a>.</li><br /><li>A <a href="https://www.markokloos.com/?p=3427">nice fountain pen</a> is a good thing to have.</li><br /><li>An <a href="https://casualphotophile.com/2024/03/01/the-new-film-camera-from-pentax-is-a-half-frame-compact-details/">all-new film camera</a> from Pentax!</li></ul><br /><br /><span style="color: white;">.</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-82896198321586143572024-03-07T07:58:00.003-05:002024-03-07T08:03:19.565-05:00Don't Just Do Something, Stand ThereContrary to popular belief, NYC is not a particularly high-crime city. It's certainly no Memphis or St. Louis, and the borough of Manhattan in particular is actually unusually <i>low</i>-crime for its size. The majority of the crime that happens between the Hudson and East rivers is likely of the white collar variety; it's too expensive for normie criminals. The era of "<a href="https://nypost.com/2010/05/16/why-the-bronx-burned/">The Bronx is burning</a>" and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4c8hCTx">Escape From New York</a></i> is decades in the rearview mirror.<div><br /></div><div>But low crime is not no crime, and a couple high profile incidents in the subways have caused the powers that be in New York to decide that Something Must Be Done... and that "something" is a doozy, let me tell you.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqHud_7BLBSvAulzau7KicxUrK97uynt6aV1Z_ggrhh_MTKzDFJpT_fqU6DqF1oOzYQ6G6HiVyXdGmx9-SEJVG24AvMUf7mnEG36RYJEJiDPSEnhFJ63wnEu8pNrjJpxYGR_QrAYGQ7TQoiYfTtcjfBYqSNsa2f2v9ahI6H-Nl3k3ET5y0gMY3A/s2000/bafkreiaitc7f2u6sgeoypvfgcjgwo2zlkjz4nnfdqzv5etduv3tm3niaue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="2000" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqHud_7BLBSvAulzau7KicxUrK97uynt6aV1Z_ggrhh_MTKzDFJpT_fqU6DqF1oOzYQ6G6HiVyXdGmx9-SEJVG24AvMUf7mnEG36RYJEJiDPSEnhFJ63wnEu8pNrjJpxYGR_QrAYGQ7TQoiYfTtcjfBYqSNsa2f2v9ahI6H-Nl3k3ET5y0gMY3A/w400-h206/bafkreiaitc7f2u6sgeoypvfgcjgwo2zlkjz4nnfdqzv5etduv3tm3niaue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>You can tell from the way the dude in the center is wearing his Safariland dropleg rig that we're not exactly dealing with operators here. I suppose it's too much to expect for them to at least be deploying MPs? There's a whole frickin' battalion of them based right there in the city, after all. Hopefully they're using those local dudes. I'd hate to picture SPC Jablonski, a 91B from Binghamton, getting excited and cutting loose with an M4 amongst the theater rush.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj3sGZ5rhODnGYQ5_4K19SLiruj4jcThMcekcB1kpKzBjxWhC766Tp17I4JGybwKtmOOp80z2kP7i7Wpiqwp99w2hyphenhyphenuXff-VVtzKATNy2Qg3ato0AfXGS7tNyS_JpBVR3NzM24xR74j4Z6j_Wi48kV_98IbXw_BmhB81DNGWkvYWEqiEiqDL9Qw/s600/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%207.06.58%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="600" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj3sGZ5rhODnGYQ5_4K19SLiruj4jcThMcekcB1kpKzBjxWhC766Tp17I4JGybwKtmOOp80z2kP7i7Wpiqwp99w2hyphenhyphenuXff-VVtzKATNy2Qg3ato0AfXGS7tNyS_JpBVR3NzM24xR74j4Z6j_Wi48kV_98IbXw_BmhB81DNGWkvYWEqiEiqDL9Qw/w400-h91/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%207.06.58%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-40458909106848671212024-03-07T06:44:00.001-05:002024-03-07T06:44:10.807-05:00City Zoo, Internet JungleIf you, like me, are a fan of the Indianapolis Zoo, you might want to be aware of a social media scam that's circulating.
<blockquote><a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indianapolis-zoo-posts-warning-about-scam-facebook-giveaway-tickets/531-14822c85-0778-49cf-a7e0-744c300e76db">The Indianapolis Zoo is warning guests of a scam that is making the rounds on social media offering a ticket giveaway.<br /><br />
The zoo posted the alert Monday evening showing a Facebook post that claims to be offering 200 people a chance to buy four tickets to the zoo for $6.95. The post includes a photo that features the Indianapolis Zoo's Facebook profile photo and the claim that the zoo is turning 80 years old.</a></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="color: white;">
.</span>Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.com