Friday, 16 June 2017

By on June 16th, 2017 in Lisa, personal, prepping

09:55 – It was 64.3F (18C) when I took Colin out around 0640 this morning, mostly cloudy and with a light misty drizzle. Barbara is gone all day today doing various things, and then gone most of the day tomorrow.

More email from Lisa overnight. She made a run yesterday and picked up 100 rounds of #00 buckshot for their 12-gauge shotgun and five bricks of .22LR ammo, which is all the place had in stock. As it turns out, they won’t need to join a gun club or shooting range. One of their neighbors has a 100-yard range set up on his property and had already offered them the use of it any time they liked. Her sons already did the basic gun safety course, and the four adults were already all competent on gun safety. She downloaded some standard targets from a web site and printed out a bunch of them. They plan to have their first practice shoot this weekend.

She bought the ammo at the same place they’d bought the .22 rifles for her sons. When she told the owner that she wanted six bricks of .22LR ammo, he commented that she must be planning to do a lot of shooting. She explained what she was doing, and he suggested she might want to buy some extra magazines for their rifles, which as it turns out are Ruger 10/22’s.

Lisa ended up buying three two-packs of Ruger BX-25 25-round magazines. Her thought was that if they were going to use those rifles for self-defense, it’d be a good idea to be able to reload them quickly. She hadn’t opened the packages yet, and asked if she’d made a mistake and should return them. She paid just over $100 total, which I told her was about as good a price as she could have gotten on-line.

I told her that, although a .22 wouldn’t be my first choice as a defensive rifle, it was certainly a reasonable choice in their circumstances. The .22 is anemic and certainly not known as a man-stopper, but on the other hand no one in his right mind wants to risk being shot with one.

With six of them, they now have three reasonably competent defensive weapons. Even if they decide later to add some AR-15’s or whatever, those 10/22’s will continue to be useful as defensive rifles for one of them who otherwise wouldn’t be armed.

And I suggested she continue to patronize that gun store. They’re treating her right.

53 Comments and discussion on "Friday, 16 June 2017"

  1. nick flandrey says:

    Already have a ‘feels like’ over 102F today. Actual temps are 90F with 71%RH. Great way to start the day. The plumbers who dug up my front yard took the time to set up an EZUp style canopy and a huge industrial sized shop fan to blow on them. Shade and a breeze. My front yard is pretty shady already too. People do ROOFING in this weather. That IS a job americans are unwilling to do. And I don’t blame them.

    Speaking of which, the ‘temp labor’ market at the local park was down to 3 guys yesterday afternoon. I count that as a good sign. On the other hand, it might also be an indicator of an economy in recession, with little need for illegal temp labor. TX is slowing down, that looks clear, but not nearly as slow as the rest of the country.

    n

  2. nick flandrey says:

    A bit of tab clearing.

    ISIS weaponized drones-

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/use-of-weaponized-drones-by-isis-spurs-terrorism-fears/2017/02/21/9d83d51e-f382-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html

    How do you defend against a drone with a half kilo of fentanyl in a drop bag flying over a crowd? What if they first 3 times it’s just coffee creamer?

    Slightly puff-y piece on drones, just in case the opposition isn’t creative enough on their own–

    http://www.ioti.com/iot-trends-and-analysis/8-drone-related-security-dangers

    HUGE crapton of stuff to read and watch on the state of preparedness for a bunch of topics–

    http://www.fireengineering.com/training/ffsupport.html

    In particular, the active shooter response video, about a proposed new model of EMS response, should be forwarded to local agencies by anyone who has kids in school. It’s a long video, but around 8 minutes, maybe a little earlier, you get this gem. [I’ve mentioned this before- current response models have EMS waiting for cops to ‘clear the scene’ before going in to provide treatment. This means kids who WOULD SURVIVE if treated promptly, will bleed out and DIE will grown men stand around waiting, despite the fact that in the overwhelming majority of previous attacks, the ‘active’ part is done in 5 minutes.]

    In the vid, the presenter casually notes that per a trauma hospital study, in cases of penetrating trauma (ie. gunshot), good outcomes fall off rapidly after 20 minutes, and EMS typically doesn’t even BEGIN treatment until 30 minutes or MORE in an active shooter response. This new model of response attempt to address that problem by going in and beginning treatment before the scene is ‘fully secure.’

    n

    added- active shooter response is also terror attack response, although with terror attack we are beginning to see a second layer of attack aimed at escaping victims and responders.

    ADDED- at 31minutes, he says EVERY law enforcement should be carrying tourniquets for response, buddy and self rescue. ZERO PERCENT amputation rate if applied correctly. BEST quick cheap lifesaving response for extremity bleeding.

    If you carry a gun, you need access to a TQ

  3. Chad says:

    The .22 is anemic and certainly not known as a man-stopper, but on the other hand no one in his right mind wants to risk being shot with one.

    Good point. I’ve heard many people over the years badmouthing .22, .32, and .380 as pathetic and useless. My response has always been something to the effect of, “You think so? Go stand over there and let me shoot a couple rounds at you.” That usually shuts them up. 🙂

  4. Greg Norton says:

    People do ROOFING in this weather. That IS a job americans are unwilling to do. And I don’t blame them.

    We had our house painted this week, and the paint contractor found a roof issue which needed to be addressed ASAP. The roof sub did a mediocre job which looks like cr*p, but I’m not sure if that is weather-related or due to the general third world standards which seem to dominate our part of Texas (Austin).

    On another topic, I’ve said for a long time that the only way for Amazon to grow to justify their stock price would involve getting Fresh plugged into the food stamp program. It looks like Bezos took a step in that direction this morning.

    Things that make me say “Hmmm” — Whole Foods growth chart mirrors the chart showing the growth in SNAP (food stamps) over the last decade. I don’t think it is a coincidence that their stock price has been trending down since the Republicans took back Congress.

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/16/amazon-buy-whole-foods-market-137-billion/102912266/

    I was dreading that Publix would be tempted to buy Whole Foods. Nice to know that the management there is still careful with their cash. The inevitable clash with Wegmans is coming.

  5. DadCooks says:

    WRT the .22:
    Competency and accuracy of the shooter can make the lowly .22 a force to be reckonded with, particularly with an expertly modified hollow-point bullet (dum dum anyone?). It may not exit, but it sure can do more than fair amount of internal damage.

    My Grandmothers’ liked the game I brought in. For hunting I use .22 for everything (yes even quail and pheasant, yes I have brought down a deer but when specifically hunting deer I do use a deer slug in s shotgun) so there were no pellets to spit out and more useable meat. My cousins were poor shots, even with shotguns. Their contributions often had more than 50% wasted meat. They could never make a head shot, in fact the head usually had no pellets in it at all.

    Practice, practice, practice. Never quit, never quit.

  6. Dave Hardy says:

    59 this morning, with strong winds and gusts to 40-50 MPH. Low 80s with sun over the weekend, the weather liars say…

    “People do ROOFING in this weather. That IS a job americans are unwilling to do.”

    Roger that. OFD recalls that gig during a hot and humid MA summer many years ago; five dollars an hour “under-the-table” in a small crew of four or five guys, with a couple of doobie breaks every day plus ice-cold Bud to wash down lunch. As the noob, carrying 80-pound bundles of shingles up shaky aluminum ladders for three-story garrison colonials, yeah, it sucked rocks. Hot as a mofo up there, too, probably well over 100 at midday. I would say that if I tried that now, I’d be dead in an hour or so, tops, but thinking about it just now; actually I could not physically do it, period.

    “If you carry a gun, you need access to a TQ.”

    Roger that. Been doing so for a long time, plus a packet of gauze bandages as part of EDC. IFAK on my belt at the range, plus another in the car with the somewhat larger first-aid go-bag.

    WRT .22s; yeah, they can do a lotta damage with the right ammo and someone competent doing the shooting. Kick it up a big notch with .22 WMR.

    WRT practice for defensive shooting; I’m going with 90% indoor dry-fire drills and 10% live at the range from now on.

  7. MrAtoz says:

    It’s averaging 105 in the afternoon in Lost Wages. At least it is pretty dry. A bug is running through the family. I got it two days ago. Headache, sore throat, then runny nose and congestion. Lasts about seven days. I don’t think it is a cold since there is a touch of diarrhea with it.

  8. Robert Bruce Thompson says:

    TMI

  9. H. Combs says:

    RE: The .22 is anemic and certainly not known as a man-stopper, but on the other hand no one in his right mind wants to risk being shot with one.

    My son was taught when in Police Academy, that more people die from .22 gunshots than any other caliber. Probably because of the high # of .22s used in confrontations. However while a perp may die from a .22 round he won’t do it quickly unless hit in a very vital location.
    My grandfather told me that during the depression he would poach deer with a .22 LR. You can do it but it requires good field-craft to get close enough to get a solid kill.
    So, .22 LR IS a lethal caliber BUT not reliably or quickly. However, simply shooting back at an assailant with ANYTHING will not only disrupt the assault but may make them abandon it entirely. Advantages of the little .22 is light weight, ease of control (low / no recoil), and the ability to carry lots of ammo.
    I have seen video of full auto .22 LR rounds chewing up a cinder block wall. Putting enough rounds on target will discourage an attack. That means practice practice practice …

    While I have AR-15s and Mini-14s, I bought half a dozen Ruger 10/22 and lots of 25 rnd magazines when they were on sale. I carry Henry AR-7 .22 survival rifle in my bug-out bag.

  10. lynn says:

    And I suggested she continue to patronize that gun store. They’re treating her right.

    Man, are they ever. I paid more for genuine Ruger BX-25 magazines at Cabelas:
    http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2223170&type=product&WT.ac=YMAL-2223170&WT.z_pg_ref=prd1229746

    If things go toes up (and it looks more and more that way), a .22 rifle will come in very handy hunting for squirrels, rats, etc. A second .22 rifle is just icing on the cake. And yes, I do NOT want to get shot with a .22 rifle. The only real problem with a .22 rifle for defensive purposes is that the light round ricochets very easily. Heck, my .223 has a real bad problem with ricochets.

  11. pcb_duffer says:

    [snip] The .22 is anemic and certainly not known as a man-stopper, but [snip]

    But it’s worlds better than harsh words. And, as mentioned, the firearms, parts, and ammunition are all relatively inexpensive.

  12. OFD says:

    I don’t think many squirrels will be left around, or deer, after a genuine SHTF nationwide. Rats, sure. Corvids. Coyotes and feral cats. Dogs won’t last long, either.

    And if swarms of people start coming up here and shooting cows, they’ll be shot to pieces themselves almost immediately. And I imagine a lotta small ponds and lakes will be fished out.

    Agreed on that gun store that Lisa went to; hell, hang out there and ask questions. Try out the stuff they have when you get to looking at defensive firearm purchases. Are there any NRA classes in your area? When you do get to that level, focus on dry-firing drills and safety/holster/retention issues plus getting in and out of chairs and vehicles in a hurry.

    I can also attest that dropping to kneeling and prone firing positions and getting back up again quickly at my age and advanced stage of senility and decrepitude is effing hard. I’d also venture that one could work out daily and run miles and do hundreds of calisthenics and stretching exercises and yoga and t’ai chi, and still, your old crumbling physique will betray you and just not cooperate anymore.

  13. Robert Bruce Thompson says:

    ISTR that the average squirrel population outside suburban areas is anything from 1 to 2.5 squirrels per acre. In suburban areas, it can be ten times that because food is so readily available.

    IMHO, anyone who’s planning to head for the woods and live off the land is a blithering idiot. I remember the first time I hunted deer up in Pennsylvania. Opening day is pretty much a state holiday. Schools didn’t even bother to take attendance. PA was home to about a trillion deer. The day before Opening Day, my buddy and I drove out to the gamelands and saw deer all over the place. There were groups of teenage deer standing around mocking us. But all the deer apparently read the newspapers. On OD morning, there wasn’t a deer to be seen in the entire state. I think they all took the last train for the coast.

  14. Bill F. says:

    Re .22 LR – they can be lethal out to ~1.5 miles. Keep your backstop in mind always.

  15. Greg Norton says:

    On OD morning, there wasn’t a deer to be seen in the entire state. I think they all took the last train for the coast.

    Squatches ate ’em all.

    I watch too much “Finding Bigfoot”.

  16. lynn says:

    Re .22 LR – they can be lethal out to ~1.5 miles. Keep your backstop in mind always.

    I am betting that the horizontal drop on standard .22 LR round can be 30 or 40 ft at a mile.

  17. Robert Bruce Thompson says:

    Yeah, the maximum range of a .22 LR is somewhere around 1.25 to 1.5 miles, but that’s assuming you fire it at the optimum angle for maximum range. Call it 45 degrees or thereabouts. Not many people are moronic enough to do that.

  18. lynn says:

    Call it 45 degrees or thereabouts. Not many people are moronic enough to do that.

    Guilty ! When I took handgun training at Frontsight, I managed to put two rounds over the berm in 600 rounds fired over four days. They teach the slow release method on the trigger to where the action clicks and I kept on forgetting to pull my finger off the trigger for a misfire (I continually limp wrist my XDM .40 which is a sin for that beautiful gun).
    https://www.frontsight.com/

  19. Robert Bruce Thompson says:

    Heh. The first time I took one of my friends out to shoot my G3 on rock-and-roll, he held down the trigger and sent 4 or 5 rounds of .308 over the berm.

  20. CowboySlim says:

    Now that you mention Frontsight, the nearby Stagestop is my favorite cowboy honkytonk: http://nevada.casinocity.com/pahrump/stagestop-restaurant-lounge-and-casino/
    Let me know when going and I’ll meet you there!

  21. lynn says:

    On another topic, I’ve said for a long time that the only way for Amazon to grow to justify their stock price would involve getting Fresh plugged into the food stamp program. It looks like Bezos took a step in that direction this morning.

    Things that make me say “Hmmm” — Whole Foods growth chart mirrors the chart showing the growth in SNAP (food stamps) over the last decade. I don’t think it is a coincidence that their stock price has been trending down since the Republicans took back Congress.

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/16/amazon-buy-whole-foods-market-137-billion/102912266/

    I wonder if the SEC will allow this merger ? Seems a little anti-trusty to me.

    EDIT: We have a Whole Foods here in Sugar Land. My conclusion is that is the first place where I could pay 75 cents for a SINGLE banana. Or, I could go to my HEB and pay 75 cents for a banana six pack.

  22. CowboySlim says:

    “Call it 45 degrees or thereabouts. Not many people are moronic enough to do that.”

    Confucious say: “What go up….must come down.” That was all the incentive that Newton needed.

  23. lynn says:

    “Paul Thurrott’s Short Takes: June 16”
    https://www.petri.com/paul-thurrotts-short-takes-june-16

    ““Amazon to buy upmarket grocer Whole Foods for $13.7 billion”

    Mark my words. Whole Foods will be Amazon’s Nokia.”

    Kinda my thoughts also.

  24. nick flandrey says:

    Every book is pretty much the same as the others, so you don’t need to pick a specific one. The other stuff they sell, like clothing, each set of items are alike, but you still need to check fit- so the seller needs an extremely liberal return policy (which eats profit) or buyers won’t take the chance.

    Food is different. Package food might sell well, and they certainly have individual sellers taking advantage of regional differences to sell favorite foods at huge markups, but FRESH food is completely different. Most people DO want to look at every piece before putting it in the cart. No one is gonna be convinced the stores won’t have their pickers choosing the stuff they want to move, rather than the nicest looking stuff.

    It might be ‘good enough’ but there are other locals in the game already with store loyalty on their side.

    I guess we’ll see.

    n

  25. Greg Norton says:

    “Mark my words. Whole Foods will be Amazon’s Nokia.”

    Kinda my thoughts also.

    Publix, Florida’s HEB, was rumored to have been interested in Whole Foods but wanted it for less than $10 billion.

    Unlike Bezos, Publix does everything with cash. Amazon will have to borrow money.

  26. paul says:

    I’m pretty sure that with WinXP I could right click on a saved to desktop URL and copy the URL. Not so with Win7. Anyway…

    http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2017/06/aliens-cause-global-warming-by-michael.html

    Pretty good reading.

  27. lynn says:

    I miss Michael Crichton. His science articles were good stuff ™ but his made up stuff was awesome ! Who would have ever thought that a time machine could have off by one errors ?

  28. Greg Norton says:

    I miss Michael Crichton

    Neal Stephenson has a couple of good Crichton-type books with “Cryptonomicon” and “Reamde”. “Seveneves” looks Crichton-ish, but it ends as SJW propaganda, complete with the requisite “Wise Latina”.

  29. lynn says:

    Neal Stephenson has a couple of good Crichton-type books with “Cryptonomicon” and “Reamde”. “Seveneves” looks Crichton-ish, but it ends as SJW propaganda, complete with the requisite “Wise Latina”.

    I have both “Cryptonomicon” and “Reamde” in my SBR. SBR = strategic book reserve. I have around 500 books in my SBR bookshelf in the master bedroom. I have a verbal warning from the wife that the additions need to stop now so the overflow can start to attrition. I am not listening to her very well as usual.

  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    Cryptonomicon is one of my all time favorites. I love the asides and digressions.his later books have a lot less of that.

    N

  31. Greg Norton says:

    Cryptonomicon is one of my all time favorites. I love the asides and digressions.his later books have a lot less of that.

    IIRC Stephenson switched to a word processor starting with “Reamde”.

    I almost forgot — “Westworld” is doing excellent speculative science fiction, carrying on with Crichton’s legacy. The DVD set will be worth picking up.

    Sadly, “Westworld” won’t return with new episodes until 2018.

  32. Nick Flandrey says:

    Considered that I own everything NS ever wrote, including his techno thrillers in collaboration with his uncle, I guess you could call me a fan.

    The opening 44 pages of The Deliverator are awesome. Contact patches like a fat lady’s thighs, indeed.

  33. lynn says:

    The opening 44 pages of The Deliverator are awesome.

    What book is this ?

  34. medium wave says:

    The opening 44 pages of The Deliverator are awesome.

    http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1371

  35. SteveF says:

    What book is this ?

    If you have to ask that, you are living in a state of sin.

  36. Mark says:

    For Ruger 10/22 owners that don’t have a local gun shop as well priced as Lisa’s, let me suggest CDNN https://www.cdnnsports.com/magazines.html#manufacturer=RUGER%C2%AE

    Their everyday prices on BX-1 10/22 magazines are usually noticeably better than Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Wal-Mart, Amazon or the local gun store. If you’re patient and sign up for their sales fliers, they put them on sale regularly. Shipping is $10 for a flat rate postal box. They’ve had the standard 10-round magazines on sale for $9.99 ea., limit 5. With shipping, that’s $12 each. They come new in Ruger packaging. If you’re the impatient type, everyday pricing is $12.99 ea.

    I haven’t followed the pricing on the BX-25, but I know they’ve been on sale also. As with everything, you need to know your market. CDNN prices on S&W M&P magazines strike me as just OK, for example. But if you have a Ruger that you’re buying for, consider adding them to your list of vendors.

  37. lynn says:

    If you have to ask that, you are living in a state of sin.

    Constantly.

    I do see that the book is “Snow Crash” which I have never read (I think).
    https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Crash-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0553380958/

    I am reading books 3 and 4 of the Tinker Bell series at the moment.

  38. Ray Thompson says:

    Back in the USofA. Good to be able to see what you are breathing again.

    Flight from Glasgow to Orlando was late by an hour as they did not have paper in a printer they needed. Thus a close call to get our flight to Atlanta. Had help to get us through immigration quickly, customs where there was no line, and some back area in the terminal where there was no security line. Interesting. Barely made the flight.

    Luggage did not make the flight. But with the tracking of luggage was able to determine that luggage was on the next flight about 45 minutes later. Nothing was stolen this time so that was good.

    Overall a good trip. Spent a lot of money as nothing is cheap in Europe. Tired, spending the night in Atlanta with friends until the four drive home tomorrow.

  39. OFD says:

    Crappy day here so fah and counting…

    Prepper fail #1: Assembling the tumbler compost bin was WAY more of a hassle than it should have been; 60 tiny nuts and bolts all over the panels and the stand for it finally defeated me. Lousy instruction sheet and about two hours of painfully fiddling with it while sitting cross-legged on the back porch floor. It’s still not right and I’m gonna have to take the stand back off it and try again.

    Prepper fail #2: Chest freezer in the cellar not freezing stuff, and right after I dumped the contents of the upstairs fridge’s freezer in it a week ago. Pile of stuff now has to be thrown out while I also try to find out WTF went wrong with it. A mess to clean up, too.

    Meanwhile wife was cleaning up the kitchen but got interrupted by multiple phone calls from GG, et. al. concerning ongoing medical situation down there in Shelburne, so that caused some hassle and stress here. And the kitchen now looks like a bomb hit it, so we’ll try to finish it tomorrow before we have to haul ass down to check on GG and then to the airport. That, and a little spat over household finances here.

    I’ve had better Fridays.

    Fuck it for today and tomorrow’s a new day.

    P.S. Welcome home, Mr. Ray! I dunno if you do like I do when I come back across the line from O Kanaduh; I get out of the car and kiss the asphalt, glad to be back, no matter how fucked up the country is right now.

  40. SteveF says:

    I do see that the book is “Snow Crash” which I have never read (I think).

    Correct. You should read it. The plot is mostly stupid and a lot of the concepts are anywhere from unworkable to ridiculous. That doesn’t matter. Not in this case. The writing is wonderful, in both senses of the word. Snow Crash is one of my favorite novels.

  41. ech says:

    Amazon is strongly moving into the quick delivery business (1-2 hours) in urban areas. Buying Whole Foods gives them:
    – a well respected name in premium groceries
    – direct access to local, organic produce and the like
    – a bunch of wine and beer licenses that could allow fast delivery of booze.

  42. lynn says:

    The writing is wonderful, in both senses of the word. Snow Crash is one of my favorite novels.

    I just read the first two chapters on Amazon. Not my piece of cake. I’m all about the story, the writing could be mediocre if the story is awesome. After, my favorite author is David Weber who sells his books by the pound. Plus, I read all of these apocalyptic books where the writing is, let’s say less than awesome. I am currently enjoying the Tinker Bell books where someone invents a Stargate and accidentally moves Pittsburgh, PA to another planet.
    https://www.amazon.com/Tinker-Elfhome-Book-Wen-Spencer/dp/0743498712/

  43. nick flandrey says:

    Snow Crash is the awesome. Hero Protagonist, last of the freelance hackers, expert pizza delivery driver, and swordsman extraordinaire; YT, fifteen year old hottie, skateboard riding delivery girl and confidant of mobsters, girlfriend of a sovereign nation; Uncle Enzo, mobster, pizza king, sovereign.

    So many ideas, the Loglo, piss yellow and everywhere, the scene where YT’s mom reads the directive on shared toilet paper resources…..living in a UStorIt.

    The Metaverse…

    Sure there are some wacky things, and the mind altering drug with the religious stuff wanders, but SO many good things….

    n

    NB: pretty sure google earth is a direct result of that novel.

  44. nick flandrey says:

    @lynn, keep reading, the style changes dramatically after the Deliverator.

    Elfhome ROCKS, despite her somewhat squishy politics. New one out soon. Re-read them all this year.

    Also, Black Wolves of Boston was a promising start of a new series.

    Brother’s Price was an interesting stand alone.

  45. lynn says:

    Amazon is strongly moving into the quick delivery business (1-2 hours) in urban areas. Buying Whole Foods gives them:
    – a well respected name in premium groceries
    – direct access to local, organic produce and the like
    – a bunch of wine and beer licenses that could allow fast delivery of booze.

    Yes, yes, and yes. But,
    4. does not allow them to compete with Walmart for the massive client base looking for a real good deal on various goods such as food

  46. lynn says:

    Elfhome ROCKS, despite her somewhat squishy politics. New one out soon. Re-read them all this year.

    I should have read books one and two before books three and four. I read “Tinker” over a decade ago and have forgotten a lot, especially since “Wood Sprites” refers back to it. And most SF/F authors have squishy politics. Pournelle and Ringo are refreshing exceptions from that go by.

    I liked her Ukiah Oregon books also. And “A Brother’s Price” was … strange.

  47. nick flandrey says:

    Very strange, but very well done.

    Liked the wood sprites, esp during the play when the teacher has to point out that it IS a school for very intelligent students. The stuff with the eggs got weird and tedious.

    Love the Backyard and Garden show stuff.

    n

  48. OFD says:

    I’m an elitist dickwad, so I find plenty of bizarro and wacky chit in the Old Testament, the Odyssey, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Also in the English “metaphysical” poets of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Guys writing sf and fantasy stuff now don’t float my boat at all.

    I looked at William Gibson’s stuff, Stephenson’s, and several others; of them all I liked Philip K. Dick and the late Thomas M. Disch.

  49. lynn says:

    Well, I just found a copy of “Snow Crash” in my SBR. Way too many books in there. Somebody asked the question in rec.arts.sf.written “when did the golden age of SF end ?”. I replied never, we are living it now.

  50. SteveF says:

    “when did the golden age of SF end ?”. I replied never, we are living it now.

    Truth.

    (With a bit of a bobble between the SJWs grabbing near-total control of the publishing business and the flourishing of self-pub and small-press. Those were some lean years, where you were much better off reading something published before 1980 than after 2000.)

  51. Ray Thompson says:

    This time zone change stuff is getting rough. Crashed at 11:00PM last night hoping to adjust quickly. Not going to happen. Wide awake at 2:00AM and could not go back to sleep. In my younger years such a procedure usually worked. Dealing with a 5 hour shift in time is a pain.

    Virgin Atlantic (mis-named by the look of a couple of attendants) is actually a fairly good airline. Original booking and seat selection was for two seats on the side in a 2-4-2 configuration. The aircraft was changed to a 747 with a 3-5-3 configuration. The plane was only 70% full because of the change. Thus there was some room to stretch out.

    Each seat had a pillow and a blanket, a pouch with a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye shades and socks. Also surprising they served wine in your own individual bottle with the lunch meal. The entertainment system was good with several current movies that have been released on DVD, some games, music and flight information.

    Except for the one hour delay because a manifest printer ran out of paper thus requiring a call to maintenance to get the paper replaced. I am guessing their are unions involved and woe be to the person that would change paper outside their job duties.

    The differences between airlines are minor and most basically make traveling suck. The USA does not make it any better when returning to your country. There must have been 500 people waiting in passport control. Watching the agents there were several times they would leave their station to chat with another agent. One time they had a meeting of three agents that took their sweet time. Moving people through rapidly was not on their agenda. They are our masters and we must not forget.

    Going through customs the agent got pissed because I put in the “wrong” flight. It was a Delta flight in my opinion as I purchased the tickets through Delta, the boarding pass had DL in front of the flight number, so that is what I put on the customs declaration. But no, he told me in no uncertain terms I had it wrong and should have put Virgin Airlines. At one point from his glare I sensed he wanted to get even and start rummaging through my luggage to see if the $30 T-Shirt I had purchased was all I should be declaring. But that look faded when he realized he might have to actually do some work. They are our masters and we will obey or suffer.

  52. MrAtoz says:

    I’m an elitist dickwad fukstik,…

    FIFY

  53. OFD says:

    Okey-dokey, only a fukstick and not a dickwad. I’m coming up in the world!

    Mr. Ray is correct; the low-level dickwads and fucksticks who control us at the airline terminals, in the state and Fed bureaucracies, and at banks, school board meetings, etc., are allegedly our lords and masters. It’s like medieval times, though; they only speak and operate for our real lords and masters. So they feel they have the juice to knock us around. Which they do, for now.

    How’s that local accountability thing working out for you!

    Names, addresses, car tags, emails, phone numbers, family members, relatives on the same payrolls, social media presence, etc., etc. I’m making a list and checking it twice; gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.

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