Museum Guns

I went out to the NRA Museum this afternoon and spent nearly three hours ogling some really cool stuff! Please pardon the poor photography:

First up is this very rare Savage Model 1907 in .45. This was one of the guns submitted to the U.S. Army for testing, but the Colt Model 1911 got the contract.

Next is a Webley-Fosbury in .455. This is a "semi-automatic revolver" that played an important part in Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon".

This is a Gebruder Mauser 1878 "Zig-Zag" (or "Zick-Zack" as the Germans would say) 6mm revolver. It is one of the few revolvers to have a safety, located on the frame forward of the cylinder. It is shown in the "fire" position.

This is a homemade revolver from WWII in the Philippines. It was made with a 12" roughcut file and a hand drill. It was fired hundreds of times and killed six enemy soldiers - notice the notches in the grip! In .38 S&W.

This is a Mexican Obregon .45. The safety and the slide latch are combined into one unit.

This is a Parker "Invincible" shotgun in 16 gauge, one of three made. Yum!

This is a "Chameleon" epoxy revolver. It has never been fired.

The legendary Bren Ten, in 10mm.

Lots of beautiful derringers in presentation cases. I have a weakness for these things, even though I don't own any. Remember the old 1950's TV series "Yancy Derringer"?

Here is a derringer in a wrist holster.

Clint Eastwood's Model 29 in .44 Magnum from the "Dirty Harry" series.

A couple of Colts: on the top is a 1911A1 in .38-Super, and below it is a 1905 in .45.

A Colt Model 1902 Army revolver in .45 Colt, made for cold weather duty - notice the large trigger guard, to accommodate a glove.

And a LeMat revolver: eight-shot .44 percussion revolver with a 20-gauge shotgun barrel below the main barrel.

This is a Belgian LeMat. It is smaller and uses pinfire ignition.

A Winchester 70 rifle with an AM radio built into the stock.

The service revolver of an officer of the NYPD, found in the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

No Comment

Click to enable imbigitude.

This is a screengrab from Roberta X's blog about TSA "package inspections".

Social Collapse Best Practices

Via Roberta X and Joe Huffman I came upon this 90-minute lecture by Dmitry Orlov. It's from last February. The video can be found here. He is a wonderful speaker with a wry sense of humor. He is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious. Examples:

...the government’s actions continue to disappoint. Instead of trying to solve problems, they would rather continue to create boondoggles. The latest one is the idea of subsidizing the sales of new cars. The idea of making cars more efficient by making more efficient cars is sheer folly. I can take any pick-up truck and increase its fuel efficiency one or two thousand percent just by breaking a few laws. First, you pack about a dozen people into the bed, standing shoulder to shoulder like sardines. Second, you drive about 25 mph, down the highway, because going any faster would waste fuel and wouldn’t be safe with so many people in the back. And there you are, per passenger fuel efficiency increased by a factor of 20 or so. I believe the Mexicans have done extensive research in this area, with excellent results.

One final transportation idea: start breeding donkeys. Horses are finicky and expensive, but donkeys can be very cost-effective and make good pack animals. My grandfather had a donkey while he was living in Tashkent in Central Asia during World War II. There was nothing much for the donkey to eat, but, as a member of the Communist Party, my grandfather had a subscription to Pravda, the Communist Party newspaper, and so that’s what the donkey ate. Apparently, donkeys can digest any kind of cellulose, even when it’s loaded with communist propaganda. If I had a donkey, I would feed it the Wall Street Journal.

Right now the Washington economic stimulus team is putting on their Scuba gear and diving down to the engine room to try to invent a way to get a diesel engine to run on seawater. They spoke of change, but in reality they are terrified of change and want to cling with all their might to the status quo. But this game will soon be over, and they don’t have any idea what to do next.

Black humor has always been one of Russia’s main psychological coping mechanisms. A man walks into a food store, goes to the meat counter, and he sees that it is completely empty. So he asks the butcher: “Don’t you have any fish?” And the butcher answers: “No, here is where we don’t have any meat. Fish is what they don’t have over at the seafood counter.”

For communications after the collapse, he recommends Fido-Net, an email system using ham radios and relatively rudimentary computers.

Orlov also has a blog.

CCW Holders To Get "Express Lanes"

In Virginia, the General Assembly is in session. Firearms are allowed in the state capitol (everywhere except the executive mansion) and the Virginia Citizens' Defense League is ramping up for "Lobby Day", when VCDL members by the hundreds take the day off and travel to Richmond to tell their representatives their views on the issues. This year, according to the email I just received from VCDL President Philip Van Cleave, everybody but CCW holders will have to pass through metal detectors:

I talked to the Capitol Police today and they confirmed that concealed handgun permit holders who do not have large items that need to be scanned will have an express entrance to the General Assembly!

Those who qualify for the express entrance will use the entrance on the west side of the building (facing 9th street). Have your permit and photo ID ready when you enter by that door. If you have items that need to be scanned, they request you use the normal south side entrance.

This is the way the world should work!

Catching Up

I spent a delightful week in Indianapolis. Flew in and rented a car - the flight was smooth, the TSA was not unpleasant, and even the weather cooperated. It was very cold - down to 6 degrees F one night! - but only a few snow flurries.

Brigid put me up in the spare bunk at Home On The Range. Much appreciated!

Did a little shopping at The Mall Thursday afternoon - eight stores in three hours - and bumped into Shermlock Shomes and the delightful Mrs. Shomes. An unexpected pleasure!

Thursday night it was my distinct privilege to escort the charming Roberta X to dinner at Morton's, where we enjoyed champagne cocktails, seafood, steak, and hot chocolate cake with hot fudge filling topped with ice cream and raspberries! Doesn't she look great in a tiara? To the manner borne!

Sunday was range and blogmeet day. We carpooled with Tam and Shootin' Buddy to Popguns, then on to Brugge for the blogmeet. Roberta tried to get a wi-fi signal on her netbook but it couldn't be done. And friends, if a woman with an Extra Class amateur radio license tells you there's no signal.... then there's NO SIGNAL!

Your humble servant was momentarily transfixed by the beauty of the wall sconces at Brugge:

And upon returning home, I had a new CW key to try out! It's a gem! A miniature straight key, with tiny ball bearings, even! Note the number two pencil for scale. But the 40-meter band was a mess and there was nobody responding to my puny little 100-watt signal. I think I need a new antenna....We also saw Avatar and The Road and bought some new books at the used book store. Bobbi even found a 1966 paperback copy of Colossus! You sci-fi fans may remember the movie version: Colossus - The Forbin Project, about the autonomous missile defense computer that becomes sentient and takes over the world.

Now reading The Last Centurion by John Ringo.

Firearm Tracing

Interesting article from lawofficer.com on firearm tracing:

Relatively recently, the ATF established a rule that no manufacturer may reapply an s/n on any other firearm made by that firm. Previously, manufacturers could apply an s/n to a model and repeat them with other model lines. It’s important therefore to collect the model information for a firearm: A Mossberg Model 144 s/n 12345XXX isn’t the same firearm as a Mossberg Model 352 s/n 12345XXX.

h/t Maddened Fowl.

BlogMeet Video

Let's see: in order of appearance, we have Roberta X, Joanna, Tam, Shootin' Buddy, Nathan, Shermlock Jr., Mrs. Shomes and Shermlock Shomes himself. Not shown are Brigid, Old Grouch, Rob D. and Wayne.

Is That Exhibit 'A' In Your Pocket?

Or are you just glad to see me?



from Second City Cop.

Ten Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The Decade

Techland's Ten Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The Decade

1. A.I.
2. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
3. Solaris
4. The Fountain
5. Primer
6. Children Of Men
7. WALL-E
8. Star Trek
9. Minority Report
10. 28 Days Later

I've only seen #6, #8 and #9, but Children Of Men is one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. Here's what Techland's reviewer said:

When Alfonso Cuarón says apocalyptic thriller, I bet he puts the emphasis on apocalyptic.

I can't conceive of a more hopeless future than what we see in Children of Men: Infertility has ravaged humanity, bringing out the worst in us all. The youngest of society are treated as royalty, while poverty and lawlessness run rampant among the rest of society. Clamping down on the unrest, the government has allowed fear to mature into xenophobia, establishing an elite ruling class and rounding up all others through martial law. This has led to all-out war between immigrants and government forces, a battle that ensnares Theo (Clive Owen) who is protecting a pregnant woman - the first in decades - so she can reach a safe zone and preserve the human race.

All these subplots are captivating, but it's the way Cuarón structures his story that is perhaps most memorable. Using long, unbroken takes that are immersive and hypnotic, Cuarón leaves the exposition to the background details, lining scenes with context clues as to how this world is falling apart and why. As this sci-fi fantasy plays out in hyperrealistic fashion – the shootout in the refugee camp has to be one of the most visceral gunfights ever filmed – Cuarón creates a rolling hellscape that seems to have no end.

Coming Soon: G-Strings Stuffed with Quarters and Dimes?

Strip clubs, hurting for business, waive cover charges and discount drinks to appeal to a downscale clientele. At the same time, club owners say that because of widespread layoffs in nearly every other industry, it's never been easier to find beautiful women eager to work as exotic dancers.
Quote from somebody affected: "It's not quite the elite crowd that used to come in."

These and other tales of "recession porn" from Time Magazine.

The Big Snow Storm

I trudged from home to work Saturday morning as the flakes swirled. At 7:00 AM there was 6-8" on the ground. The Metro was still running.

Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon.

Knowing that we would not be able to drive to work Sunday morning, the company put us up in a hotel two blocks away, so we could walk to work.


Nice place, full of leggy supermodels and Eurotrash.

And so, at 3:15 the next morning, we walked to work. It was still snowing.

Wind-blown show had formed drifts.

No bike tours today!

Check out the headline:


A little bigger:


But I did find this interesting plaque near 7th and F Streets:


Meanwhile, up on U Street, I was missing all the fun:

h/t Roberta X.

UPDATE on the snowball fight: WaPo covers it.

During Washington's record-breaking snowstorm on Saturday, a massive snowball fight was taking place at the corner of 14th and U streets that had grown men and women laughing and hurling fresh-fallen snow at one another in the middle of the street. Good-natured, wintertime fun, according to participants.

Then a D.C. police officer happened by, and the event -- filmed by amateurs and a local television station -- suddenly became more serious.

Videos and photos show a D.C. police detective unholstering his gun (and admitting to it) during a confrontation with a group of snowball fighters. The video is making the rounds on the Internet and national TV stations. The detective, who authorities have not identified, on one such video says: "Yes I did," apparently referring to the fact that he drew his gun, "because I got hit with snowballs."

When In Mumbai...

"Mumbai Gunman Recants Confession, Alleges Torture"

Once, just once, I'd like to see a prosecutor step in front of the press and say:

"Yeah, we tortured the little f***er. And we'll torture him him again if he doesn't shut the f*** up!"

Pity We Can't Burn Them At The Stake...

...'cause that would just produce more greenhouse gas.

Robb Allen found a link suggesting that overweight people aren't "green."

How much carbon are you carrying around?

Connections

OK, this is weird and a little strained, but bear with me.

The diarist and author Anaïs Nin was married to a French banker, Hugh Guiler. She also had several lovers, including (but not limited to - not by any means!) Henry Miller, Edmund Wilson, James Agee, Gore Vidal and Antonin Artaud. Who he? The name was vaguely familiar. Artaud was an avant-garde French actor who played the treacherous priest in The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, one of my favorite flicks, that I blogged about here.

Antonin Artaud and Maria Falconetti in The Passion Of Joan Of Arc.

Looks a bit like Ah-nold, Der Governator.

Anaïs Nin was also a bigamist, having married her second husband without divorcing her first. Her second hubby, Rupert Pole by name, was a California forest ranger (!) and sometime actor. She commuted between husband No. 1, who lived in New York City, and husband No. 2 in California. She told Guiler that she needed to take a "rest cure", and she would head west for six months and live with Pole; then she told him that she had a writing assignment in New York and would spend six months there with Guiler. Neither man seems to have been aware of the other until after Nin's death in 1977.

Rupert Pole died in 2006. His main claim to fame is that he arranged to have Nin's unexpurgated diaries published. Pole's obituary in the New York Times contains this howler:

... Mr. Pole is survived by his companion, Kazuko Sugisaki, a translator of many of Nin’s works into Japanese. His fellow husband, Mr. Guiler, with whom Mr. Pole became cordial after Nin’s death, died in 1985.

"Fellow husband?!" I like that! I bet the obituary writer had to consult the society columnist about how to refer to the decedent's bigamous wife's other husband. Simple! "Fellow husband!" (I would have chosen "co-polyandrist", meself.) Although I think it is interesting that the men "became cordial" after her death. Love is strange, isn't it? Strangest of all is that Nin had an intense sexual relationship with her father when she was 30 and he was 54.

The movie Henry And June covers this time period in Paris. Anaïs Nin was played by the actress Maria de Madeiros.

Anaïs Nin

Maria de Madeiros in Henry & June.

Nice bit of casting. Maria de Madeiros also played Fabienne in Pulp Fiction.

Bruce Willis and Maria de Madeiros in Pulp Fiction.

Well, Maybe That Explains It ...

From the biography of Anaïs Nin:

Juana, Anaïs Nin's godmother, never married; she was "engaged to a gymnast who died in midair and supposedly, she never recovered."

Mikhail Levin

The "Russian Heavy Bomber" that I blogged about yesterday is from the imagination of Russian artist Mikhail Levin. I guess the Nazi flying saucer kinda gives it away, huh?

Leaving their secret base hidden deep in the Norwegian fjords.

Here is more of his work. Hi-rez versions are available on his website.

How about a nice Steampunk lighter-than-air ship?

I know there are some airship privateers out there who will enjoy this.


This must be the first class cabin:


I like the ship's anchor; nice touch!

The man has a deft touch with a Wacom tablet.

Charts And Graphs

Over at The Volokh Conspiracy, Jim Lindgren has a post about ClimateGate.

Jim links to a blogger who wonders exactly what kind of adjustments were made to the raw data in order to "homogenize" it. So he made a nice series of graphs showing the raw data and the adjusted data and calculated the adjustment factor from the former to the latter.

The results are disquieting. The raw data shows a slight cooling trend of 0.7 degrees Celsius per century. The adjusted data shows a warming trend of 1.2 degrees Celsius per century. The difference is entirely due to the "homogenizing" adjustments.

The graph of the adjustments shows some unusual changes in 1920, 1930, and especially 1940. The average "slope" of the adjustments from 1940 to about 1995 is actually greater than the slope of the warming trend, almost as if the scientists added a larger and larger adjustment to each year's data - preferring consistency over accuracy.

I'm an agnostic about global warming. But one thing I learned in college was the difference between temperature and heat. Trying to measure warming of an entire planet is a huge challenge. Close to Chaos Theory.

"Dr. Evil, I Presume?"

Top Ten Evil Doctors.

Steampunk Hearing Aid

Actually, they claim that this is a Steampunk headset. Part of the 12 Coolest Steampunk Gadgets.

Historic Russian Bomber

Rare photograph of a 1938 Russian K-7 Heavy Bomber.

Aviation enthusiasts in Russia have spent the last ten years reconstructing a working prototype of the 1930's vintage K-7 Heavy Bomber. The K-7 was powered by twenty Ilyushin-B 16-litre quad-turbo V-20 engines, each rated at 2,100 bhp. Rocket boosters were required for take-off with a full load of fuel and weapons. Or, stripped of armament, the K-7's fuel capacity allowed it to say aloft for three days, giving it a round-trip range of 9,000 nautical miles in a reconaissance role.

Shown here fully armed with a dozen 12" guns and eight 5" guns, the K-7 would have been a formidable weapon in an infantry-support role against armored targets.

Or, as shown here, in an air superiority mode, shooting down Nazi flying saucers.

Yeah, it's just a Photoshop fantasy, but what a nice one!

Aught-ism

Or, how to refer to the decade about to close.

We've already had the Swinging Sixties, The Me Decade (1970's), The Big Eighties, and so forth. But what do we call the current decade? The Zeros? The Nulls? The Big Nothing? The Big Gooseggs? Double-Zed?

Front-runner seems to be "The Big Aughties". Yuk. I had elderly elementary school teachers who used the term "aught" for zeros. Now I might end up the same way. Pain.

Protest Signs

Fifty best protest signs of 2009. My favorite:

h/t Say Uncle.

That's What It's All About

Composer of "The Hokey Pokey" dies at age 104.

NYT.