Catnip: Egress to Oblivion is a 1960’s or 1970’s-style PSA about the dangers of catnip.
[youtube 3scQ0wq5zLE]
Jan 212013
Jan 212013
Found and photographed at the NASA-HQ historical archive was this painting depicting work being done upon an orbiting S-IVb stage. What’s happening is that small secondary payloads were to be installed in the Instrument Unit which ringed the top of the S-IVb stage below the conical main payload shroud, and they could be accessed by astronauts for use or retrieval. This is described in the Saturn V Payload Planner’s Guide (available HERE).
Jan 212013
The LockMart F-35 Lightning II stealthy jet fighter seems to have a flaw: if it gets struck by lightning, its fuel tank could explode. This is a bad thing.
So the UK is grounding theirs. They are not allowed to fly if there is a thunderstorm anywhere nearby. However, I’m uncertain just how many the Raf has; it’s not due to enter service in Britain until 2018 or so, and they’ve only signed up to buy 48 of the now hideously expensive aircraft.
Jan 202013
While New York and Massachusetts are racing to the bottom in their drive to strip their citizens of even so much as an old-fashioned six-shooter (proposed ban on magazines that hold more than five rounds), Utah produces this:
UTAH SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION STAND ON 2ND AMENDMENT AND PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS
We respect the Office of the President of the United States of America. But, make no mistake, as the duly-elected sheriffs of our respective counties, we will enforce the rights guaranteed to our citizens by the Constitution. No federal official will be permitted to descend upon our constituents and take from them what the Bill of Rights-in particular Amendment II-has given them. We, like you, swore a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and we are prepared to trade our lives for the preservation of its traditional interpretation.
Now imagine the heads of the BATF and the FBI taking as principled a stand to defend the rights of the people.
From THIS news report, the sheriffs of 28 of 29 Utah counties have signed this, with only the Salt Lake County sheriff not (unsurprising, in the Red State of Utah, Salt Lake City keeps electing Democrats to Mayor and the state legislature and whatnot).
And HERE is a list of sheriffs from across the country who have done similar.
Jan 202013
Took me a few days to get a spot ready that would actually *fit* the Saturn V prints for photographic purposes, but here they are:
1/72 Saturn V (two of them):
Closeup of the 1/72 Saturn V’s:
1/72 Saturn Ib and Saturn Ib w/SRBs:
Closeup of the 1/72 Saturn Ib:
Closeup of the 1/72 Saturn Ib w/SRBs:
LM Equipment diagram:
Skylab cutaway:
And here are two versions of the A-4 (V-2) cutaway diagram. These were test prints to see how they’d look; except for being much to garishly colorful, they were ok. But I’ll need to tone them down a bit before making them available.
I’m working on the ordering webpage. Once it’s up and running I’ll email those who have expressed interest in buying prints. I expect I’ll make the prints publicly orderable within a week or so.
Jan 202013
It’s never wrong to make fun of “Ancient Aliens” or the morally dubious people it features.
[youtube 3kWaCB_T4-0]
Jan 202013
Last winter was warm and dry. This winter is dry… but not so much on the warm. This morning about 6AM, it was cold enough, and the air full of just the right type of ice particles, that light created some rather spectacular light pillars. it looked like a static, ground-level auroral display. If I’d driven around I probably could have found some better vantage points… but it was far too cold to think straight about anything other than Not Dying. I think my ‘stache got frostbite.
Jan 202013
Massachusetts State Representative David Linsky has proffered a bill that would, and I quote:
Section 3
Removes Assault Weapon Ban loophole by banning private transfer of pre-1994 assault weapon; requires them to be stored at gun clubs or shooting ranges, or transferred to law enforcement.
There is of course much more. But I found this bit to be especially historic.
Jan 202013
The Windber Medical Center in Windber, Pennsylvania, used to deliver about 200 babies per yer. No longer… they’re getting out of the birthin’ business. Guess why.
Southwestern Pa. hospital to stop baby deliveries
I’m shocked, SHOCKED to find that bureaucratic bloat and governmental overreach have unintended consequences that result in the polar opposite of what was claimed!
Jan 192013
Turns out Arsenal Firearms is actually going ahead with production and sales of their AF2011-a1 double-barreled .45 semi-auto pistol. I mentioned it here most of a year ago; you can now preorder. For the low, low price of four-and-a-half grand.
I remain at a bit of a loss as to how this is legal in the US. It would seem a single trigger pull would result in two rounds going of, which would put this thing in the same Class III category with machine guns.
On the other hand… I wonder how hard it could really be for a good gunsmith to create a single-barreled pistol that had two magazines as this one does. The two mags would either cycle alternately, or they’d cycle sequentially. Either way, two slim 10-round magazines side-by-side in the grip would seem to nicely get around the current fad of “high capacity magazine” bans.