Interesting analysis, and the first time I've seen any discussion of the motivations of the EU countries.Is Macron's Threat Believable?
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Why is Britain headed for a hard BREXIT?
We can't tell for sure, of course - as Yogi Berra said prediction is hard, especially about the future. But it looks like it will be hard BREXIT, and possibly because that's what the French want:
Monday, April 1, 2019
Now this is quality April Fool's Day satire
Every Single Bumpstock in Nation Lost In Boating Accidents:
U.S.—In a rash of tragedies all across the United States, every single bump stock in the nation was tragically lost in various boating accidents earlier this week.
Coincidentally, the bump stocks have just been banned by the Trump administration. Since all the bump stocks have been destroyed, it's now impossible for the ATF to confiscate them or fine people who did not destroy them.
"Well, I guess our job is done," an ATF representative said. "We were gonna have to make sure people complied with this unilateral executive order, but now I guess we can just harrass gun owners for other stuff. Worked out pretty nicely for all of us, I think."It's the Babylon Bee, so you know it's funny.
Internet April Fool's used to be funnier
This year's April Fools looks pretty lame (warning: autoplay alert, which makes it even lamer).
I remember the IP over Avian Carriers RFC, which was pretty funny back in 1990 or so.
I remember the IP over Avian Carriers RFC, which was pretty funny back in 1990 or so.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Ride as if everyone on the road is trying to kill you
The Queen Of The World and I rode the bike up to Gettysburg yesterday with some friends. The weather was perfect - sunny and 74° and we were all itching for a ride. On the way back we were reminded that life is sometimes defined by moments and inches.
A truck pulling a flatbed trailer was stopped on the side of the road. The trailer's ramp was down, and a couple of older guys had just unloaded some sort of farm equipment. I was fairly far back from a line of cars, because I like to ride *very* defensively. The pickup truck at the back of the line drifted to the right, its passenger side wheel went up the ramp, and it was launched across the road. It almost - almost - flipped, but ran on the two driver's side wheels until it pitched into a ditch. A fair amount of debris scattered across the road.
Being pretty far back I was pretty easily able to avoid the wreck and the debris. We pulled over and parked, as did everyone going in both directions. One of the guys who had unloaded the gear off the trailer and I ran over to the truck. A young guy who seemed pretty dazed got out. We told him to kill the engine since there was some smoke coming from under the hood, although it might have been steam from the cooling system.
The older guy was calmer than I would have been in his place. If the truck had been a foot or two more to the right it would have killed him and his friend. It didn't seem like anyone was hurt which seems a bit of a minor miracle - the truck was completely smashed up. I'd never seen a wheel twisted 90° but the axel was snapped off.
We think that the kid was looking at his phone (maybe texting) because there was no last minute jerk to the left or sudden brake lights to avoid the trailer. He just ran on autopilot into what was almost his last moment on this good earth.
Moments and inches.
Which is exactly why I ride so cautiously. Giving room between me and whoever is in front of me gives me more inches and moments. Fortunately most people are not as moronic as yesterday's kid, but you can't tell when you run across them.
And I should have taken a picture. The wreck was pretty spectacular.
A truck pulling a flatbed trailer was stopped on the side of the road. The trailer's ramp was down, and a couple of older guys had just unloaded some sort of farm equipment. I was fairly far back from a line of cars, because I like to ride *very* defensively. The pickup truck at the back of the line drifted to the right, its passenger side wheel went up the ramp, and it was launched across the road. It almost - almost - flipped, but ran on the two driver's side wheels until it pitched into a ditch. A fair amount of debris scattered across the road.
Being pretty far back I was pretty easily able to avoid the wreck and the debris. We pulled over and parked, as did everyone going in both directions. One of the guys who had unloaded the gear off the trailer and I ran over to the truck. A young guy who seemed pretty dazed got out. We told him to kill the engine since there was some smoke coming from under the hood, although it might have been steam from the cooling system.
The older guy was calmer than I would have been in his place. If the truck had been a foot or two more to the right it would have killed him and his friend. It didn't seem like anyone was hurt which seems a bit of a minor miracle - the truck was completely smashed up. I'd never seen a wheel twisted 90° but the axel was snapped off.
We think that the kid was looking at his phone (maybe texting) because there was no last minute jerk to the left or sudden brake lights to avoid the trailer. He just ran on autopilot into what was almost his last moment on this good earth.
Moments and inches.
Which is exactly why I ride so cautiously. Giving room between me and whoever is in front of me gives me more inches and moments. Fortunately most people are not as moronic as yesterday's kid, but you can't tell when you run across them.
And I should have taken a picture. The wreck was pretty spectacular.
Johann Abraham Peter Schulz - Piano Sonatina in G major
Sometimes the difference of a day makes a difference. I find a lot of composers to post about because they're listed in Wikipedia's birthday section. Johann Abraham Peter Schulz had the misfortune of sharing a birthday with no less than J. S. Bach and Josef Haydn. I've posted multiple times about each and so poor Schulz never got much attention.
But he's interesting. He composed traditionally classical pieces in a variety of formats: operas, church music, lieder, and (today's selection) piano sonatas. But he remains obscure, his traditionally classical talents overshadowed by Bach and Haydn. But happy birthday Herr Schulz.
But he's interesting. He composed traditionally classical pieces in a variety of formats: operas, church music, lieder, and (today's selection) piano sonatas. But he remains obscure, his traditionally classical talents overshadowed by Bach and Haydn. But happy birthday Herr Schulz.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Not a recommended approach for carrying on your motorcycle
Woah.
That does look like my Road Glide (well, it looks like a Road Glide from a similar year as mine), but I wouldn't recommend the leather tank cover holsters. You'd have to move the guns to your actual holsters if you parked and had to go to the Little Harley Room, if you know what I mean. That'd be violating Tam's "Stop Touching Them" rule.
And you'd definitely have to be in an Open Carry State, and one where the PoPo takes Open Carry laws seriously.
That does look like my Road Glide (well, it looks like a Road Glide from a similar year as mine), but I wouldn't recommend the leather tank cover holsters. You'd have to move the guns to your actual holsters if you parked and had to go to the Little Harley Room, if you know what I mean. That'd be violating Tam's "Stop Touching Them" rule.
And you'd definitely have to be in an Open Carry State, and one where the PoPo takes Open Carry laws seriously.
Go Sox!
People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.- Rogers Hornsby
Today is Opening Day. There's no a better sign of the end of the long, cold winter. I do believe that snow can be melted by shouting Play Ball! at it.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Marketing doesn't change the Truth
It just makes it "better":
Kind of like Tesla's "autopilot". Maybe a bit more important, there. After all, crappy "5G" won't kill you.
The advertising industry's self-regulatory division has urged Verizon to stop claiming that it has America's first 5G network, but Verizon claims that its "first to 5G" commercials are not misleading and is appealing the decision.
The National Advertising Division (NAD), an investigative unit managed by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, announced its recommendation to Verizon last week. The NAD investigated after a challenge lodged by AT&T, which has been misleading customers itself by renaming large portions of its 4G network to "5G E." But AT&T's challenge of Verizon's 5G ads was "the first case involving advertising for 5G" to come before the self-regulatory body, the NAD said.You're going to see a boatload of these adverts over the next couple of years. Take them with a big grain of salt.
Kind of like Tesla's "autopilot". Maybe a bit more important, there. After all, crappy "5G" won't kill you.
That was fun
As you'd expect, a meeting with readers of this blog led to a discussion of things techie: security and fault analysis, self-driving car failure modes, microbiology and genetics, software and coding, and, well, a lively discussion of cabbages and kings. It was a blast.
I'd feel bad about all the geekery except that long time readers know what to expect. If you're new here then that's one thing, but if you've been reading for years than that's on you. ;-)
I'd feel bad about all the geekery except that long time readers know what to expect. If you're new here then that's one thing, but if you've been reading for years than that's on you. ;-)
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Hitler hears about the Mueller Report
HAHAHAHAHA!
It's all there - donations to Hillary, CNN and Chuck Schumer saying for two years that Trump was toast, James Comey and the FBI musketeers, Joe Biden as the Last Great Hope of the Democrats. A lot of these parody videos have been funny, but this one is right up near the top.
Bravo.
It's all there - donations to Hillary, CNN and Chuck Schumer saying for two years that Trump was toast, James Comey and the FBI musketeers, Joe Biden as the Last Great Hope of the Democrats. A lot of these parody videos have been funny, but this one is right up near the top.
Bravo.
Reminder: Dallas area meet up tonight
Any readers in Dallas are invited to a meet-up on Tuesday evening at the Addison Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 14999 Montfort Drive. I'll get there around 7:30 and get a table for the "Borepatch party".
Why the Media will not reform itself
Co-blogger ASM826 is right: the Media won't ever apologize for the last two years of politically motivated disinformation and propaganda. They don't want to; they see themselves as warriors for the Left, and have been for decades. I ran across this sort of by accident, but it is from all the way back in 1999 - Charlie Rose interviewing Christopher Hitchens about Bill Clinton. Hitchens goes on a eloquent length about just how nasty a piece of work Clinton is, and Rose spends most of an hour not exactly defending Clinton but trying everything he could think of to paint Clinton as a politician like any other. Excuses are made, then more excuses, then more.
There's no "gotcha" moment, just a long exchange of what can only be described as intellectual trench warfare on Rose's part. Even twenty years ago he would go to the mat defending the indefensible. Clinton may have been an SOB, but he was Rose's SOB.
Hitchens even points out the difference between how the Press treated Clinton vs. how they treated Reagan or Bush the elder. This interview is from decades ago, and the arguments are as fresh as today. The Media is happy doing what it does, which is shilling for Democrats and smearing Republicans.
And remember, Hitchens was very much a man of the Left in 1999. He wrote a regular column for the far left The Nation. It's probably why Rose was so respectful to him - courtesy extended to a fellow leftie.
And so to the Media's declining power. As they have become increasingly and more visibly partisan over the decades they have shed viewers and readers. First the conservatives, then the moderates, and now liberals. It's clear that the Media's "product" is an increasingly obvious drivel, and so the question is how many people they will be able to keep on the Progressive Reservation. It will be some - those who want to stay. Call it 20% of the population, that's their market.
It's enough to keep them in business, as long as leftist billionaires keep a few Media outlets afloat. Between these sugar daddies and the 20% core market for propaganda that's a stable enough financial foundation for the machine to keep running. The only danger for them - and we will have to see how this plays out - is if the concept of "Fake News" becomes so embedded throughout the voting public that the billionaires decide that it's a waste of money (i.e. the investment doesn't produce results at the polls). Next year's election may prove instructive, or may not.
But I don't see any change coming. The Media doesn't want to change. They're happy doing what they do, even when caught out in as transparent a scam as this Russia Collusion mess. Their financial patrons are likely disappointed in the outcome but it's hard to see the money drying up. The remaining hard core 20% of Media's market wants drool-worthy propaganda.
For now, the situation looks stable. Why would we expect any change?
There's no "gotcha" moment, just a long exchange of what can only be described as intellectual trench warfare on Rose's part. Even twenty years ago he would go to the mat defending the indefensible. Clinton may have been an SOB, but he was Rose's SOB.
Hitchens even points out the difference between how the Press treated Clinton vs. how they treated Reagan or Bush the elder. This interview is from decades ago, and the arguments are as fresh as today. The Media is happy doing what it does, which is shilling for Democrats and smearing Republicans.
And remember, Hitchens was very much a man of the Left in 1999. He wrote a regular column for the far left The Nation. It's probably why Rose was so respectful to him - courtesy extended to a fellow leftie.
And so to the Media's declining power. As they have become increasingly and more visibly partisan over the decades they have shed viewers and readers. First the conservatives, then the moderates, and now liberals. It's clear that the Media's "product" is an increasingly obvious drivel, and so the question is how many people they will be able to keep on the Progressive Reservation. It will be some - those who want to stay. Call it 20% of the population, that's their market.
It's enough to keep them in business, as long as leftist billionaires keep a few Media outlets afloat. Between these sugar daddies and the 20% core market for propaganda that's a stable enough financial foundation for the machine to keep running. The only danger for them - and we will have to see how this plays out - is if the concept of "Fake News" becomes so embedded throughout the voting public that the billionaires decide that it's a waste of money (i.e. the investment doesn't produce results at the polls). Next year's election may prove instructive, or may not.
But I don't see any change coming. The Media doesn't want to change. They're happy doing what they do, even when caught out in as transparent a scam as this Russia Collusion mess. Their financial patrons are likely disappointed in the outcome but it's hard to see the money drying up. The remaining hard core 20% of Media's market wants drool-worthy propaganda.
For now, the situation looks stable. Why would we expect any change?
Monday, March 25, 2019
Greg Benford on Robert Heinlein
Aaron emails to point out a very interesting interview at Wired. It seems that Greg Benford knew everyone.
It seems that Heinlein was a good shot.
It seems that Heinlein was a good shot.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Tuesday evening Dallas meet-up
I fly out today for Dallas for a week. Any readers in Dallas are invited to a meet-up on Tuesday evening at the Addison Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 14999 Montfort Drive. I'll get there around 7:30 and get a table for the "Borepatch party".
Reader William says they have more beers than you can shake a stick at, which sounds fun.
Reader William says they have more beers than you can shake a stick at, which sounds fun.
Johann Sebastian Bach - the Brandenburg concerti
The Margrave was a Prince of the house of Hohenzollern, half-brother of King Frederick of Prussia. But Margrave was a title that came with no land, and so in 1721 Christian Ludwig was basically a hanger-onat the court of his nephew King Frederick William I. The new King was a military martinet, creating the army that Frederick der Große would use to fight off most of Europe, and had fired all the court musicians to fund the army. Bach was looking for a patron.
But the search was futile, at least with the Margrave. There weren't enough musicians in Berlin to perform the new works, and so the scores were filed away in the Margrave's desk. There they stayed - unperformed - until his death more than a decade later. His heirs sold the score (containing Bach's handwritten dedication) for 25 silver Groschen (groats: about $22 in today's money). Then they descended into historical shadow - we simply don't know where they were for the next century or more, only being discovered in the Brandenburg archives in 1849.
This is astonishing because these concerti are quite simply the apex of baroque music. Other compositions may approach them, but none surpass them. And they were unperformed for the first 129 years after they were written.
But unperformed no more. Here's 90 minutes of the greatest of the baroque, thanks to Youtube, Bach, and a simply amazing sequence of lucky breaks that kept these from being lost forever.
Concerto No. 1 BWV 1046 In F Major0:00:00 1-01 (No Tempo Indication)0:04:04 1-02 Adagio0:07:48 1-03 Allegro0:12:01 1-04 Menuetto - Trio 1 - Polacca - Trio 2 Concerto No. 2 BWV 1047 In F Major0:19:35 1-05 (No Tempo Indication)0:24:40 1-06 Andante0:28:23 1-07 Allegro Assai Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048 In G Major0:31:04 1-08 (No Tempo Indication)0:36:40 1-09 Adagio - Allegro Concerto No. 4 BWV 1049 In G Major0:41:33 2-01 Allegro0:48:52 2-02 Andante0:52:34 2-03 Presto Concerto No. 5 BWV 1050 In D Major0:57:02 2-04 Allegro1:06:21 2-05 Affettuoso1:12:30 2-06 Allegro Concerto No. 6 BWV 1051 In B Flat Major1:17:33 2-07 (No Tempo Indication)1:22:55 2-08 Adagio Ma Non Tanto1:27:28 2-09 AllegroBootnote: Bach is often described as "mathematical" in his composition style, and the workings of the music have since his day been compared to clockwork. Today turns out to also be the birthday of John Harrison, the discoverer of the Longitude and the most important clockmaker who ever lived - born this day in 1693. In a stroke of coincidence no less astonishing than the circuitous route that Bach's concerti took on their way to the concert hall, and perhaps appropriate for a man who ordered and measured time as none before, Harrison also died on this day in 1776.
(Originally posted March 24, 2013)
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans - Hurtin' Albertan
Al_in_Ottawa emails to point out this gem from the north, which he said probably hasn't aired south of the border. Corb Lund is a Canadian country singer/songwriter, one who is a breath of fresh air in today's desert of over-produced Country Pop. They have a bunch of albums, several of which have gone gold - a testament to its appeal given they seem mostly to sell in the Canadian market.
This song is a throwback to a simpler time in country music, but with a dash of rockabilly. I like it a lot. Thanks to Al for cluing me in.
Hurtin' Albertan (Songwriters: Corb Lund, Tim Hus)
This song is a throwback to a simpler time in country music, but with a dash of rockabilly. I like it a lot. Thanks to Al for cluing me in.
Hurtin' Albertan (Songwriters: Corb Lund, Tim Hus)
A dually diesel pullin' hard with a horse trailer in tow
Montana side of sweet grass and I'm headed home
Trophy buckles and whiskey bottles and a worn out saddle horn
Bareback riders and team ropers, huskin' Taber corn
The roads get better every time I cross north of forty nine
Well I tip my hat and it's good to be back across the medicine line
Hurtin' albertan with nothing more to lose
Too much oil money, not enough booze
East of the rockies and west of the rest
Do my best to do my damnedest and that's just about all I guess
Them windy BC mountain passes finally flatten out
Hairpin turns and pst got my heart up in my throat
It's hairy haulin' horses up across the great divide
And them wild Chilcotin buckaroos, they sure know how to ride
The roads get better every time I cross that british columbia line
I tip my hat and it's good to back across the kickin horse line
Well Saskabush is pretty, yup she's pretty flat
And lord knows I'm a prairie boy so I'm pretty used to that
But farmers facin off with gophers, man it ain't the same
As bein' home at the saddledome for the oilers at the flames
The roads get better every time I cross that saskatchewan line
I tip my hat and it's good to be back on mountain standard time
Friday, March 22, 2019
Lissa is back blogging
Long time readers here will remember a number of links to Lissa, a fellow member of the Northeast Gunbloggers. She posted a lot about how she came to be a shooter. She's back blogging now after a hiatus. You might want to go check her place out.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Anyone want to meet up next week in Dallas?
I'll be in Dallas/Richardson next Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday (including evenings). Anyone want to meet up for beer and conversation? Ping me by email (borepatch at gmail) or leave a comment.
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