Now that’s *stylish*

 art, history, projects, science, spacecraft  No Responses »
Aug 082021
 

A 1963 USAF report describes work on an emergency “space suit.” It’s meant to be something that can be worn as a normal outfit and then zipped up at a moments notice in the event of a pressure drop. This includes a flexible helmet with a flexible “faceplate.” the end result looks like something out of a bad 1970’s pre-Star Wars disco-era sci-fi flick. Note, though that the actual test item is substantially less Giant Polyester Leisure Suit Lapels and more Cheap Plastic Poncho.

Report Number: AMRL TDR 63-82
Author: Seeler, Henry W.
Corporate Author: Aerospace Medical Research Labs Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio
Laboratory: Biomedical Laboratory
Date of Publication: 1963-09
Pages: 13
 Posted by at 12:35 pm

This looks like a blast

 art, awesomeness, Hmm..., weapons, youtube  No Responses »
Aug 072021
 

And on the other end of boomsticks is the recently released Rock Island Armory VRF14. This is a box-fed semi-auto 12 gauge with a 14 inch barrel… not a “shotgun” but a “firearm” per the ATF. It looks like more fun than a barrel of monkeys as well as being a handy home defense item. To be compared with the virtually impossible to obtain Remington TAC 13.

A lot of Rock island Armory’s shotguns are made in Turkey, and while Turkey has cranked out a lot of interesting guns, they’ve also cranked out a lot of unreliable crap. The following video from RIA says it’s made in America, but that could always mean that it was actually manufactured in Turkey, shipped to the US in a few pieces, then assembled in the USA. I dunno. Anybody have more details, I’d be interested. Interesting that the official video from RIA doesn’t actually show them firing the thing.

 Posted by at 7:28 pm

Kind of spendy

 Hmm..., news, science, science fiction, weapons  No Responses »
Aug 072021
 

… for only 200 feet per second. Still, it’s progress I suppose.

GR-1 “Anvil”

$3,375.00

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER w/10% DISCOUNT
75 ft-lb semi-automatic Gauss Rifle
The world’s first handheld Gauss Rifle – (alpha) batch 1

 

Hmmm.

The Arcflash Labs GR-1 “Anvil” is an 8-stage semi-automatic high voltage Gauss Rifle. It is the most powerful coilgun ever sold to the public, and also (very likely) the most powerful handheld coilgun ever built.

The GR-1 is capable of accelerating any ferromagnetic projectile (under 1/2″ in diameter) to 200+ fps, and can deliver up to 75 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.

The GR-1 uses the world’s most advanced capacitor charging system, a dual Clamped Quasi-Resonant Inverter, which allows the GR-1 to fire up to 20 rounds per minute (at full power) or up to 100 rounds per minute at 50% power.

The GR-1 is capable of accepting 3 different standard projectile lengths (32 mm, 42 mm, and 52 mm) with a unique variable magazine system.

75 foot-pounds is not so much in terms of bullets. 9mm Parabellum is about 342; .22 Long Rifle is about 137 and .22 Short is about 87. .25 ACP is about 73. .45 Win Mag, a Man’s Round, is a healthy 1406. I wouldn’t want to take a slug of steel moseying along at 200 feet per second, to be sure, but i’d rather have a .380 automatic than this thing. Give it a few decades, though, and *maybe* it’ll be there.

 

 Posted by at 7:15 pm

Well, that’s a mess

 AARRRGH, Crazy, Gah., history, Hmm..., news, youtube, ಠ_ಠ  No Responses »
Aug 072021
 

When I lived in Utah, maybe a quarter of the time when I drove back from visiting friends and family in the midwest I’d go through Denver and continue on I-70 through Colorado, passing through Glenwood Canyon. It’s a beautiful drive, highly recommended… except… maybe hold off for a bit. Had a bit of a mudslide a week or so back; I-70 looks like it might be out of action for a month or more. This drone footage  shows the extend of the mudslide, and how far back and *up* it started. noted the rather startling number of dead trees, which might have contributed. Fire? Drought? Plague? Pestilent bug invasion?

Argh.

A documentary on the canyon and the highway through it, dating from 2015. Note that it looked a *lot* greener just a few years ago:

 Posted by at 1:21 pm

I don’t drink wine…

 art, Hmm..., politics, youtube  No Responses »
Aug 062021
 

… but I gotta admit, these people know how to advertise:

Granted, it’s entirely possible that the people behind this are no more patriotic than I am a hamster. After the head honcho of Black Rifle Coffee came out and turned on the people who thought he was on their side, it’s clear that a lot of companies that *seem* to be patriotic and/or antiwoke are just doing it for clicks and dollars.

Still, it’s a good ad.

 Posted by at 8:46 pm

At last!

 awesomeness, Crazy, dumbassery, Forward!, humor, news, politics, youtube  No Responses »
Aug 062021
 

Someone finally stands up.

“You don’t get to ask that!” Ha.

 

This old feller is a national treasure.

“But here’s the thing, I don’t give a ᛋᚻᛁᛏ about feelings anymore. … Do you think I care about some ᚪᛋᛋholes feelings? Absolutely not.”

What’s especially brave/troubling is that the store in question is a Star Wars store. If he has *any* “official” or licensed standing he can expect to lose it, as Disney doubtless will go after him for daring to have an unapproved opinion. Sadly he doesn’t seem to be set up for online sales. If he was, I’m sure business would suddenly get rather brisk:

https://sucherandsonsstarwarsshop.com/

Apparently the It’s Ma’am in question will hold some sort of protest outside his store Saturday, August 7. I hope the stores insurance is paid up.

 Posted by at 1:52 pm
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