Mar 132012
 

Companies advertise on radio shows for one reason: because they want to reach the audience that the radio show reaches. So, while an advertiser might bail from a radio show because the show is getting some bad PR, it is straightforward math to determine if they really want to stay away. In the case of the recent flap over Rush Limbaugh calling a woman who wants other people to pay for her birth control products a “prostitute,” a number of his advertisers publicly abandoned him. Now that the artificial controversy is dying down, and companies are recognizing that Rush’s audience is *not* going away, some of the advertisers that left are crawling back.

But it seems they’re not all welcome.

Limbaugh Rejects Company That Suspended Ads From Show Over Fluke Remarks

“Thank you for your requests last week and this week to restart your voiced endorsement in local markets of The Rush Limbaugh Show,” the email begins. “Rush received your requests personally.”

“Unfortunately, your public comments were not well received by our audience, and did not accurately portray either Rush Limbaugh’s character or the intent of his remarks. Thus, we regret to inform you that Rush will be unable to endorse Sleep Train in the future.”

Heh.

Ha.

BWAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!

This is perhaps extending the metaphor a bit too far, but what this reminds me of is the Israel/Palestine situation. Specifically: when the Brits declared Israel a nation back in ’48, the surrounding Arab nations swore to wipe it out. Warnings were given to the Muslim population of the new nation of Israel to leave Israel, to clear the path for the genocidal invasion of the Arab armies. So, many “Palestinians” left Israel, expecting to be able to return to a Jew-free land. But the Israelis put up a bit more of a fight than the Arabs expected. And the Israelis didn’t let the Arabs who wanted them exterminated to come back.

So, when the troubles came, they abandoned the place they’d been for years in the hopes of riding out difficulties from a place of safety, with no responsibilities on their part. They expected that they’d be able to go back when the troubles were over. But… they found that their refusal to stand had consequences… they can’t go home again.

 Posted by at 10:52 am
Mar 122012
 

Found this on eBay:

ARTICLE 17KS – *MIR* SPACE STATION BASE MODULE TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ALBUM

It’s offered to your attention about A3 format album named “Article 17KS. Technical description. Part 2. General composition.”, with the technical data, schemes and drawings of the Soviet space station MIR, known as “article 17KS” – the special limited issue for its designers, manufacturers and cosmonauts. This particular album is taken from MIR army testers. It was stored in a “military unit” which number is striked out because of the top secrecy regime for all Soviet space industry, including proving grounds and launch pads.

And it’s cheap, too! (For certain definitions of  “cheap”)

 Posted by at 4:40 pm
Mar 122012
 

A double-barreled 1911. Sure, why not.

[youtube BM-DGaNmtA0]

I bet it has a little bit of a kick.  I wonder if you can get a concealed-carry inside-the-pants holster for it…

I also wonder about the legality of this. A single trigger pull would seem to fire off two cartridges, which I think would get this thing classified as a class 3 firearm. The Arsenal Firearms website might or might not answer this, but I’m currently having some difficulty navigating it.

Hmm. On looking at the video, it appears that the gun actually has two side-by-side triggers. But I doubt the gun would function properly with only one bullet going off at a time (it would seem to eject the unfired round), so maybe the dual-trigger design is just to make it ambidextrous.

 Posted by at 2:05 pm
Mar 122012
 

Now in 3D. Still pretty blocky and simplistic, but I think everything here is justifiable by the text. Critiques and suggestions welcomed.

UPDATE: it appears that my efforts here have been needless.

http://up-ship.com/blog/blog/?p=13764#comment-463214019

So, that’s that. In the words of the great Zaphod Beeblebrox: Great. I’m gonna go and find something else for my entire life to be about.

 Posted by at 1:59 am
Mar 112012
 

A number of years ago I bought a non-firing replica of the Civil war-era LeMat pistol (cap-and-ball with nine .41 caliber balls and a central shotgun barrel), with the half-baked notion that I’d convert it into a replica of the pistol that Jayne Cobb carried in the TV series “Firefly.” Never got around to that, sadly. So rather than have it just sitting around taking up space… who wants it? They are currently selling for about $100, but the first person to comment that they wants this one can have it for $65.

Now Spoken For.

It’s made out of zinc alloy, cannot be made firable, but does look reasonably good (I believe it was cast from an actual LeMat). The hammer cocks and the trigger operates it; cocking the hammer also causes the cylinder to rotate appropriately. The bullet-mashing-lever (whatever it’s called) also works. It’s intact and appropriately heavy… it’s a fairly sizable revolver.

 Posted by at 5:40 pm