May 102013
 

Today was another exciting day of being uncomfortably sick. But it ended on a note of holocaust, so that was a mood-brightener.

About ten miles south of here, sometime prior to sunset some fire department or other decided to set fire to the swamp. This sort of thing is reasonably common out here, in a way… farmers generally burn off their fields. But this fire was *vast* in comparison. The photos below do a remarkably poor job of getting across the scale of the event, since there were few things to give a sense of scale to the flames.

Dsc_6325 From my back yard it looked impressive enough, but even though ill, I decided to hop in the car, get a better look and have a fabulous evenings apocalypse.

Dsc_6716 Dsc_6704 Dsc_6700 Dsc_6668 Dsc_6604 Dsc_6567 Dsc_6528 Dsc_6538

Like an idjit, I forgot to take the tripod. So as the evening wore on and the sky darkened, the photos got progressively shakier.

Dsc_6852 Dsc_6861 Dsc_6846 Dsc_6813

 Posted by at 9:48 pm
May 092013
 

First thing I noticed when I collected the cats from their stay at the vet was that Marvin has nearly attained a spherical geometry. I had hoped that her time of enforced close socializing with the other cats would open her up a bit, but since returning home she has spent every possible moment hiding out under the bed… shrug.

Img_6504 Img_6503 Img_6506 Img_6513 Img_6514 Img_6519 Img_6522

 Posted by at 10:12 pm
May 092013
 

Well, the US FedGuv has finally waded into the debate on 3D printed guns. Wielding the sort of bludgeon that authoritarians like Bloomberg and Schumer can only dream of, the US Department of Defense Trade Controls has shut down Defense Distributed via the dubious power of ITAR. ITAR – International Traffic in Arms Regulations – is supposed to prevent US citizens and corporations from sending overseas technologies and designs for advanced weapons and the like that might aid enemies of the US. But as it’s being used here, it is being used to prevent the likes of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Whatever from being able to build unreliable, expensive zip guns.

Much as it pains me to link to Infowars, they seem to have the details.

BREAKING: 3D printable gun ordered to shut down by government

GUNSGUNSGUNS

Here’s one of many things to consider: if the exact same files had been created by, say, a Canadian, and were hosted on a Canadian website, the US FedGuv would have neither the power nor the interest to shut them down. Why would they? Printed guns are, and will be for some time, substantially crappy devices compared to properly manufactured firearms. However, as printing technology evolves, and as design capabilities and experience progress, printed guns will become substantially better, potentially eventually becoming competitive or even superior in some ways. So what the government is doing, in effect, is turning over the future of not only weapons development but advanced manufacturing systems and basic entrepreneurship itself to foreign powers.

 Posted by at 3:12 pm
May 082013
 

Last month someone made public an email from a sorority president. The email berates the sorority sisters for inappropriate behavior, using spectacularly NSFW language. It’s entertaining reading for a few seconds… but of not greater import than that. Unless… it’s read out loud by actors (or quality impersonators). Then it becomes several minutes of awesomeness. Gentlemen… behold:

[youtube PpHPs3TfylE]

[youtube NQB812PtvgE]

[youtube kcx28HsNJho]

And then…

[youtube 5_1N3kL0wQM]

So, if you work in a cube farm and don’t want to anymore, crank these up. That’ll do it.

 Posted by at 8:19 pm
May 082013
 

Up and running again. Can’t tell how much has been chopped out… I suppose if you do a search on “results of first experimental flight of FTL propulsion system” by Lockheed circa 1972 and you don’t find anything, you’ll know they’ve been busy redacting…

 Posted by at 7:05 pm
May 082013
 

As the more astute long-term blog readers might have noticed, things have been off around here for a little while. I’ve been traveling, and now I’m back… entertainingly ill. Yay. Things will pick up when they pick up; but for the moment I’m well behind on a number of projects, most notably several model projects.

There will be a new 12X18 cyanotype set available shortly, along with selling off some of the vellum cyanotype prototypes. Boarding the cats was not cheap.

And speaking of which: the time seemed to do Marvin some good. I was afraid the stress would kill her; instead, she has not only fluffed out, she has also attained a nearly spherical geometry.

More soonish.

 

More

 Posted by at 3:07 pm
May 072013
 

An interview with Charles Ramsey, the man responsible for the rescue of three women held for a decade by an evil pervert:

[youtube axCn04iXkBg]

Someone get that man a lifetime supply of McDonalds and ribs STAT.

And the most entertaining 911 call you’ll hear today (jam-packed with NSFW language goodness):

http://media.cleveland.com/pdextra/audio/amanda-berry-911-call-2.mp3

 

———–
And here’s an example of why “psychics” need to be assumed to be felonious charlatans at all times:

Amanda Berry is dead, psychic [Sylvia Browne] tells her mother on Montel Williams’ show (republished)

 Posted by at 2:09 am
May 062013
 

Government Lab Reveals It Has Operated Quantum Internet for Over Two Years

In short, Los Alamos has been operating a communications system that is entirely secure, so long as you’ve got a good grip on the central router.

It requires a physical connection between the computers, in the form of a fiber optic cable. The real goal would be quantum communications between devices without a physical connection, a “quantum radio.” That would, if the data rate was high enough, permit unhackable drones and other remotely-controlled vehicles.

 Posted by at 8:38 pm