Quote of The Day 02/28/2011

"You’re not intelligent people." -Uncle

Consideration: Have Some

I have a platform scale on the floor where I work. It is 3" off the deck, very handy for weighing large items. Not so handy for protecting my back muscles putting things on and off the scale. Sometimes I work on machines made to tape big boxes shut, so I have a test box. It is 18" x 16" and about waist-high. This box is stood on end on top of the floor scale, and it makes a handy platform to weigh small items. To increase the utility of the scale, I put a 1" grid on top and marked the inches around the edges, so I can get item dimensions and weigh the item all in one step. It's a brilliant solution to a simple problem and it comes in very handy.

The handyman came around to fix a lighting fixture in my area. It is directly over the platform scale. I told him he could move the box and put his ladder on the platform, which he proceeded to do. Light fixed, he put the box back on the platform and disappeared into a cloud of handy-smelling vapor.

The box is marked along all four edges on top, with numbers all pointing the same direction. If you look at it from my work area, you can read the numbers. Makes sense, right? So explain to me then, how Handyman put the box back on the platform rotated 90º. This is what happens when you slap-dash things together: a minor irritation that makes people steam about it for the two seconds it takes to fix your mistake. It's on the same order as leaving a trim screw loose or leaving a used paper towel on the floor. Take the ten seconds it takes to scan your area and fix it up real quick-like. It will make your customers happier than if they have to clean up after you, and then they promote you later . . . .

. . . like these guys: Dayton left my crawl space cleaner than when they got there when they installed my air conditioner. They would have to TRY to get me to stop recommending them to people wanting A/C and heater work in Central Texas.

Bedtime Was Late Tonight

Meet #3. He likes to color. With black crayon. On his sister's dresser.



and television



and table, and dolly crib, and desk.

It could have been worse: it could have been magic marker. Like the last time.

In related news, #1 got a lecture about responsibility going all the way up the chain of command, as I scrubbed black crayon with her, while #3 was playing, pretending to scrub black crayon, exclaiming "DiskUStig! GROSS! DisgUSting!"

My Darling Wife, not having put out her own elbow grease, was greatly amused.

Because You Missed It

Next up on the list of things the nightly news refuses to cover because it shows the Democrats for what they really are (power-mad):

A third court has ruled Obamacare constitutional. This time, the grounds for the ruling boiled down to: you can't think for yourself. Literally.

As previous Commerce Clause cases have all involved physical activity, as opposed to mental activity, i.e. decision-making, there is little judicial guidance on whether the latter falls within Congress’s power.

Really? To paraphrase: the case-law precedent condoning the Congress regulating your private, internal, personal THOUGHT is basically non-existant . . . so I'm going to go ahead and rule that they can.

This makes a 3-2 split and the case HAS to eventually get to the supreme Court. God help us, we really could use an expedited hearing. We'll see.

Hat tip: reason.com

Tylenol Does NOT Work For Teething Pain!

For a toothache, skip the acetaminophen. It won't do anything for you or your infant. Motrin (ibuprofen) will work. Use the specified dosing level every specified interval. Skip it, and the pain will return full-force right about the time the next dose should have been kicking in.

I don't know why, but between my bad teeth and my teething babies, I've found out the hard way: Tylenol does NOTHING for toothache.

Six Million Dollar Man Resumes Drinking Habit

It is a little-known fact* that the Six Million Dollar Man used to drink more than Ed McMahon** before he had his little "accident***" and became the $6M Man. Well, now he can take it up again and not worry about smashing his liver into little cirrhotic bits. The Russians have the technology; they can rebuild him.

If this is true, it is a game changer for a bunch of reasons. An artificial liver that not only filters the blood, but can convince a failing liver to give it the ol' college try? Spiffy.

********
*I may have made up this fact
**McMahon was sober, but he let Johnny poke fun at him for drinking. What? It was a comedy show!
***May have been caused by the CIA and/or the Japanese mafia. Maybe.

Now It's High Fives At Boeing . . . For Now.

This story may have reached an end-point. Billions of dollars are going to be spent, and they by-god better be spent in about a dozen congressional districts if your Elected Heroes have any say about it. So, Boeing gets the contract to replace the KC-130 series of airplanes. This should surprise no-one, really, after the fuss some of us kicked up when it looked like some durn'd foreigners might get it.

The military-industrial complex: keeping America's people and their elected officials' jobs safe since 1776!

Regarding The Pending Federal Government Shutdown

The press will take pleasure in describing the closure of non-essential federal offices as all sorts of horrible for the nation. Take note, when you hear it, that your life continues exactly as it did the week and month before the federal government supposedly "shut down." The welfare checks will still go out, the war will still be fought, and the BATFE will continue to intentionally not prosecute crimes perpetrated by itself. A few parks will close and some bean counters will be temporarily sent home (and paid for their time off, later, as if they had been there the whole time). The Democrats really made hay after the government ran out of budgeted money in 1994, but they need not be allowed to get away with it this time, because the ignoble New Media will be here reminding you that, even with Jellystone Park closed for a week, the tap in your kitchen will still provide you with water.

We will also be here to remind you (with our favorite talking heads on the radio) that 6 of President Reagan's 8 years in office were marked by similar government shutdowns, and EVERY year of the Carter administration was as well. These typically lasted a couple of days while the Republicrats and the Demicans hashed out their differences after realizing that one of the two sides was more serious about the budget.

IF the republicans were smart, they would get a good Message Man out there to remind everyone the government will run out of money because the DEMOCRATS first couldn't pass a budget bill to save their lives, and THEN the DEMOCRATS refused to play ball on getting the budget somewhat less-deep into the red ink. As I said, I am not optimistic the Republicans will be able to do this.

The government does basically nothing you see in your daily life. If the non-essential parts of it have to shut for a few days . . .

. . . meh.

The American Government is Breaking Down.

There is the prospect of losing a vote on a law which is more favorable to the people and less extremely-generous to the unions in Wisconsin, so the minority Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate have fled the State.

The chief law enforcement officer of the nation and the head of the department in charge of prosecuting and defending cases based on duly passed laws, after 15 years and many court challenges saying it is constitutional, have decided not to defend against challenges to a law because it is unconstitutional.

Arizona is being SUED by that same Attorney General because they are making noises about enforcing the national border, because the feds refuse to enforce the border.

White house officials are having meetings with lobbyists across the street in a coffee shop, to prevent having the lobbyists' names recorded on White House visitor logs

A guy who didn't live in a city the last two years has just been elected mayor, because he's in tight with the local establishment. Residency in most places is established by actually being there, for 30, 60, 90 days, sometimes a year. He's been entirely out of the State for two YEARS.

This is how nations end, people. What are you going to do about it?

Gun Porn: Serrifile Inc. Terrier One .32 Smith & Wesson Revolver

Alternate title: Everyone Should Have a Drop Gun!
Click on any image to see it full-sized.



If I could get my hands on it without having a paper trail, the lack of a third digit to the left of the decimal point on this piece makes it a VERY appealing candidate for a drop gun, or a gun to give to someone who thinks they should have one but can't afford and is unlikely to need it. Putting my life on the line with a $30 gun made of cast (!) pot-metal is better than having (say) a sharp stick, but I'm not sure by how much.



I had never heard of either Serrifile Inc., or the Terrier One revolver series. It looks like a starter pistol, which makes sense because they also made starter pistols just like this. This one is chambered for the (underwhelmingly) powerful .32S&W round. Looks like a gun to me.



This one is actually a pretty nice example of the breed, on the outside, anyway. The lockup is rock-solid except on one cylinder, which has about 1mm of rotary play because there is a chewed-up tooth on the back of the cylinder. Still, aside from a little fouling, it looks like it would work okay.



The bore is bright with strong rifling, but there again is the fouling.



I'd rather not be shot by it, but I'll take a plug from a dirt-cheap .32 over a .45 any day.