There are a lot of twos in this title. As fall is right around the corner it hit me that we are trending toward the year wrapping up. It is nearly over 2/3 over. With summer ending and fall in sight, I felt like I needed to take stock of where I am at with things.
End Your Programming Routine: Goalsetting is integral to getting stuff done. I don’t get too down not meeting my own expectations as this is a busy family season in life. I don’t want to totally dwell on the downside because I got stuff done too. I think the key is to improving is to do a more frequent goal assessment and do things in the right order. I am looking to get better at that.
This was a long chapter, over 50 pages. It was really a tale of two sides. The first being the State Science Institute denounces Reardon Metal, contractors/suppliers quit, unions refuse to work with it. The other was Dabny creates the John Galt Inc as own contracting company. Orders are exploding for Reardon metal because other suppliers have failed. So, in other words we have the state and media saying one thing and people doing the other… sound familiar?
Once again we hear another John Galt back story. This time he found the fountain of youth. It seems that John Galt is a mysterious character that no one really knows anything about. I know for a fact that we are going to continue to learn more about him but we will just have to wait for that to be revealed.
Also, another significant event happens, the Equalization of Opportunity bill passes. If you remember from last week, this is the statute that only allows a person to own one business. In theory, this is going to prevent industry vertical integration. With all of the supply chain issues, I am sure that this is going to have a negative effect on Reardon Metal.
The rest of this post I am going to focus on the smear campaign against Reardon Metal. There were lots of interesting quotes in the interaction between Dr. Robert Stadler of the State Science Institute and Dabny however, I chose these two. “Set science free of the rule of the dollar.” “And when we deal with people, considerations other than the truth enter the question.”
Now, taking it one at a time. Once again, there is this higher level thought that science should be free from the influence of money. As an educated scientist, I can say that attitude is really still pervasive within the educational doctrine. It is not so much the case on the front of research. You see, it take money to perform ‘research’ and institutional budgets are not adequate. This means that industry is funding academic studies. At that point, the outcome is likely tainted because it is not an impartial hypothesis.
Stadler proclaims that the sole purpose of the Institute is to create cutting edge materials research i.e. invent new products. Since this is a publicly funded venture, he is concerned that his entity will be judged for little to no output. And to make matters worse, Reardon Metal is the technological biggest breakout in the current era. Therefore, slander on the metal is an attempt to save his own reputation. Aligned with him are all of the lazy industrialist that have a comfort in not having competition.
Like the Betamax/VHS debate of the mid-1980s, the best product (or truth) isn’t always important. Sometimes when something dominates the market, then it doesn’t matter if it is the best. This is not what Stadler was inferring with his statement. He was actually saying the opposite. It is OK to lie to the public when it is in their best interest.
I like to call that the ‘better-than-you liberal’. There is something about the arrogance of people that have this prevailing opinion that the ends justify the means. Whether it is a mask or vaccine judgement or you don’t announce your pronouns or you don’t have a Ukraine flag icon on your social media it has the feel of judgement to me. Remember, even if masks don’t decrease the risk of transmission, it can’t hurt to require people to wear them.
End Your Programming Routine: I am open to being wrong, but this is the behavior I have observed from the left side of the political spectrum. The difference with the right side is they are always saying “what you should do is…” or “they ought to…”. If you recall, I choose neither. I am perfectly OK that you think that you were born a cat or the earth is flat; I am not going to respect that but that is your right. Once again, examine the motivations of the source of data or opinions to get the appropriate understanding for yourself.
We finally get to the whole reason for doing weeks of testing today. My initial question was what difference does the pellet weight make in energy. Or said differently, what pellet would be best to eliminated pests. Is a heavier or lighter pellet better? My opinion is that the highest energy pellet is the best. To calculate that, I need to know the velocity of the different weight pellets.
On the left is the Crossman Powershot 5.4 grain and on the right is the Gamo Rocket 9.6 grain. You might recall to date, all testing has been done with various models of the Gamo 7.54 grain pellet. An interesting anecdote about the Powershot is that I was reading reviews about it and apparently can penetrate 16 gauge steel in the right circumstances. I bought it because it was light, for comparison purposes.
5.4gr Muzzle
5.4gr 30′
7.54gr Muzzle
7.54gr 30′
9.6gr Muzzle
9.6gr 30′
1006
879
942
849
864
797
1028
884
946
853
855
777
1028
901
966
866
855
785
1005
904
959
859
857
798
1040
875
953
855
847
795
1007
880
952
870
848
784
1049
913
973
852
840
793
1039
885
947
853
852
787
1027
895
951
868
840
786
1036
903
966
858
844
791
1026.5 +/-46.9
891.9 +/- 38.9
964.6 +/- 19.5
857.3 +/- 22.2
850 +/- 23.4
789.3 +/- 20
All values in fps
Why do I keep measuring velocities at two different distances? I am hoping to get enough data that I can calculate (or guess) velocity at distance and have an educated guess at performance with one measurement. Using formulas I have discussed in the past, here are the results in energy at target distance.
5.4gr 30′
7.54gr 30′
9.6gr 30′
9.5
12.3
13.2
All values in ft*lbs
From the data, it would appear that my hypothesis is correct for my assumption. The 9.6 grain pellet has the most energy at target range. Therefore, this would be the most effective pellet for pest control.
I want to point out that energy should not be the sole determining factor in selection of ammunition. Barrel rate of twist can only stabilize projections within a certain weight range. That really translates to accuracy and consistency. There are additional considerations for wind drift as well. The lighter the pellet, the more likely wind is going to effect point of impact as well. That variable is more difficult to test, but it is a known fact. Finally, depending on the distance of the target and the overall velocity, pellets drop based on the rate of gravity, so the slower the pellet the more drop at distance making aiming (and accuracy) more difficult.
End Your Programming Routine: I hope that you have enjoyed my mini-series on pellet ballistics. I have learned a lot as well as re-awakening some long dormant brain cells on math. I will be back from time to time with this line of writing because I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and I have the tools to do it now. I have one more test in this line to complete but it is going to take a bit of effort to finish. For now, I am coming back with something different next week.
Just because I haven’t posted about my project in the last two weeks, doesn’t mean I am not working on it. The siding is done, I am working on the rake board and that is about done so this is finally wrapped up. Check out YouTube for more on that.
My niece was having some issues with her car. She asked me to take a look at things. One was an obnoxious clicking noise (even when the car was off) and the other was a headlight that wasn’t working. She bought the actuator after watching some YouTube videos. I took a look at the headlight.
It turns out that there are two actuators in the glove box area. after swapping the closest one, it was still making the clicking noise. Fortunately, the second one was the exact same part, so I took the old one from the front and put it in the back. Problem solved. You can see from the picture that the culprit is broken teeth on the plastic gear inside the housing.
Supposedly, my nephew changed the headlight bulb a couple months ago. I suspected that the problem was bigger than the bulb. Well, it didn’t take long to identify the problem. One wire was broken and the connector was burned (and the bulb was ruined). The wiring harness was snaked through the headlight assembly. I was hoping that I could just purchase the piece that I needed without replacing the entire assembly.
After a trip to the parts store, they gave me the idea of simply splicing a new connector onto the existing wiring. The only problem was that the new connector was much bulkier than the original so I ended up cutting the plastic structure so I could fit the bulb and connector in the space properly.
The whole thing took about three hours. The first was messing with the actuators trying to determine the problem and how to get to it. Then it was two hours to get the things put back together and get replacement parts. Considering the scope of what needed to get done, I think the time was pretty reasonable and they are now fixed.
End Your Programming Routine: Admittedly, if I was a mechanic, I probably wouldn’t have approached the project in the same way. However, I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done to my own car. Despite the fact that I had to do some modifications to make it work, I still believe that the work was quality and this should be a permanent fix.
Among the podcasts I listen to, Backwoods Home Magazine (BHM) is an advertiser or vice versa. I have never really paid much attention to it. In fact, two or three years ago, the publisher actually retired and the magazine ceased to exist. One of the children started a sister publication called Self-Reliance magazine with the idea that some of the more ‘controversial’ content removed. That is any content on politics and firearms.
Then, another child of the publisher re-started Backwoods Home Magazine. As I understand, the magazine went from bi-monthly to quarterly. The only reason I paid any attention to it was that the magazine was based on the southern Oregon coast. Content comes from contributors across the country, but there is definitely some local effect to the entire magazine.
I started thinking to myself that I would be interested in checking it out so I picked up a copy. Tractor Supply carries a lot of different books and magazines in these types of topics. I had never even opened up a copy before and here is what I found.
At the risk of being boring, here is an abstract of the table of contents.
Realistic goals for a first-year homesteader
The return of victory gardens
Balancing homeshooling and homesteading
A method for washing hair off-grid
10 rabbit raising mistakes and how to avoid them
Bake your own dog treats
Grandma’s thrifty wartime recipes
Blackberry bonanza
Making and using an osier willow crayfish trap
Homemade insulation cutter
Crust crisis? (pies)
Depression era pies
The good, bad and the ugly of keeping a buck (goats)
Cross stitch your own Backwoods Home sampler
Homeschooling and the question of socialization
Build a clever under-the-bed storage drawer
Homesteading and the bird flue
Medical preparedness for nuclear war
What I started to realize is that this is the magazine version of AltF4.co. Sure, maybe the topic mix are not quite what I want to talk about. I actually read the articles on how to wash hair and cross-stitching with interest. I didn’t list the columns but they are along the lines of political editorials, firearms (from Massad Ayoob of all people) and Americana like poems, anecdotes, jokes and user submitted photos. Heck, maybe I should advertise or become a contributing author?
I also bought a copy of Self-Reliance magazine. That will be for another day. Like all periodicals, not everything was temporal or I see myself using the information. But, there was certainly enough variety and interest to make me want to see more. I suppose the focus on thrift, self reliance, tradition, cooking, using and preserving bounty, and variety is what appeals to me.
Before I purchased the magazines, I almost just subscribed. But then I thought maybe I only want one versus the other. How do I even know I want to when I have never even opened either? Reading the magazine, I learned that both publications moved from the coast to the town next door to the south. So, now they are less than twenty miles away.
End Your Programming Routine: In the last couple months, my wife and I have had serious conversations about moving, particularly more rurally. That is always where I wanted to be but the familial issues have been making us consider proximity to the situation as well. Our kids have three years max in the current school system so that is our stage gate from making a real move. We have a some friends that are leaving next spring for retirement and their property is in the school district. We took a detailed tour of the shop, garden and home, just saying. I am keeping a close eye on state politics. Even though I am Oregon born and bred, I don’t like the way things are going so commitment is still in doubt that I will want to stay. BHM is the type of stuff I want to be doing when the nest empties.
I don’t have much to add that I haven’t already said in the podcast. Shoot the Breeze with Paul Evans was a campaign fundraiser that I participated in a little over a week ago. I will let you draw your own conclusions from the podcast.
End Your Programming Routine: Just like Jack Spirko says, just because you don’t agree with the systems doesn’t mean you don’t try to use it to your own benefit. So, I definitely don’t support Oregon Democrats, but my neighbor that is also a member in my fraternal order and willing to help with causes that I am involved is probably worth keeping a relationship with.
There was a lot going on in this chapter. As little as there was in the last, there was ten times as much in this one. It helps with the setting as the Reardon’s hold a cocktail party for their wedding anniversary. This was the perfect canvas for having all kinds of characters that may never be seen again in the book have impactful lines or reveal true colors.
I’m not going to try to keep things in chronological order today. I am going to use the different conversations to support what I see as the primary theme today. Before I get totally into it, there was one other thing that came up and that was an origin story of John Galt. Supposedly, he found Atlantis by sailing and he or his crew was never seen again.
Probably the most seminal moment in the chapter is the conversation between Henry Reardon and Frank D’aconia. The characters Frank, Dabny and Henry seems to be becoming a disrupters but more so Frank. He is stirring up the thought provoking insights like when he asked Henry “Why are you willing to carry them”? This is in context to the idea that there are the doers in life and then there are the non-doers (better phrasing than parasite?).
Among the conversations happing at the party, the political idea came up of the Equalization of Opportunity Bill. This is the idea that a person can only own one business so as to not become to rich, powerful or influential. The idea that there is a fragile balance between still having some degree of autonomy or freedom and too much is supported by this quote as well. “Property rights are only superstition. One holds property only by the courtesy of those who do not seize it.”
It is not just the economy discussions that lean toward communism. “Culture should be taken out of the hands of the dollar chasers. We need a national subsidy for literature.” Has anyone ever heard this argument for NPR? I have. When I was younger and a much different world, I used to sympathize more in this direction. Now that I am more mature, I feel like if people don’t value something enough to support directly, then is it really valuable? There are new and different ways today such as crowd funding and I am much more willing to let survival of the fittest prevail.
Earlier, when I talked over the division of doer and non-doers, this chapter gets into it with the Frank/Hank conversation. Frank is pointing out that Hank is killing himself to make a go with Reardon Metal while everyone else is whining about people becoming too rich. And yet, they are doing little to improve their own situation other that supporting laws that limit other’s potential.
While this was written almost 70 years ago, I feel like I could hear these conversations today. My observation is that we are lucky that position hasn’t fully taken hold. However, I predict that it is a matter of time. As an example in my lifetime I will use health insurance.
When I was really young, no one had health insurance. My dad got it added as a benefit when I was about four. Growing up and getting my first job, health insurance was a competitive requirement to attract employees. Almost fifteen years ago, it became a punitive requirement, have it or be fined. Even unemployed people have insurance through socialized medical programs. When we lay it all out, what we have effectively added was an abstracted layer between the patient and doctor. I defy you to prove that this is more effective treatment, more efficient process or even a better quality of standard.
Have we really achieved the care that we want by adding ‘insurance’? I think not. This entire charade has inflated the cost of care such that paying out of pocket is nearly un-achievable for all but the simplest of procedures leaving the companies dictating the care by proxy of affordability. What happens when the doers stop supporting the non-doers? Well, the non-doers force them to support them anyway through laws like healthcare.
End Your Programming Routine: As I eluded last week, there are those that see what is happening and those that do not. It seems that Frank and Dabny do not yet, do you? I am constantly amazed by the number of schemes or smoke and mirrors. You cannot tell me that the economy is burning in the background that everything is fine. What is the first step in correcting a problem? Admitting you have one.
I promise that this topic line is not going to go on forever. Right now, I am am having too much fun and still have too many questions. This week, I am comparing results from Crossman Optimus and the Crossman 1000 using the 7.54grain Hunter pellet. To date, all of my work has been with the Optimus because it is just a better tool. The 10 pump BB/pellet rifle (1000) is a pain in the butt to shoot multiple times.
That being said, I am going to do a pump/velocity test in the future. I want to know if it is really worth pumping 10 times or not because it 5 pumps is almost the same, then I will be more willing to shoot it more consistently. I already know that the point of impact changes with less pumps. This implies a velocity change, but I want to know definitively.
For the record, the Optimus is on the left and the 1000 is on the right of this picture. I wanted to compare as closely as possible so I used the same pellet and the 1000 was pumped to the maximum 10 pumps. The data is below.
Muzzle – Optimus
30′ –Optimus
Muzzle – 1000
30′ – 1000
942
849
752
726
946
853
740
708
966
866
749
719
959
859
748
700
953
855
743
699
952
870
743
703
973
852
752
729
947
853
755
700
951
868
736
724
966
858
737
729
964.6 +/- 19.5
857.3 +/- 30
745.5 +/- 20
713.7 +/- 35.6
all values in FPS
The Optimus data is the same data from a couple weeks ago. The 1000 data is all new. I suppose the thing that struck me was that there was not much velocity change over 30 feet. So, I did some comparative analysis below. I think that it all makes sense from what I expected.
% Difference
Optimus muzzle vs 30′
10.8%
1000 muzzle vs 30′
4.4%
Optimus vs 1000 Muzzle
25.9%
Optimus vs 1000 30′
18.3%
For fun, I checked a couple other things. What happens if it is over pumped? With 12 pumps at 30′ I got 727, 651 and 771 fps. It looks like the data is all over the place and I didn’t do enough for proper statistical analysis. Maybe there is an overpressure valve? I don’t know and I am not really going to pursue more, I was curious what happened.
Finally, I changed pellets from the Hunter to the Magnum Energy @ 30′ 712, 711, 726 fps. I think those results were the same that I observed in the Optimus. So, that data seems to make sense.
End Your Programming Routine: The truth be told was that I purchased the Optimus because the 1000 was such a pain to shoot repeatedly. All that being said, the Hunter pellet out of the 1000 is potent enough to dispatch cat sized vermin at eight pumps in one shot. My biggest fear was needing a follow-up shot to finish the job and spending 30 seconds reloading. Let us see where the data leads.
How about some video from 2020? I filmed 90% of this video and I never finished it because I got busy and forgot when I was roofing. At the time, I thought it was worthless because I didn’t get everything I wanted and so the videos just sat. That being said, last week I was watching it to see if I could cut it into segments and I decided I just needed a little more that I could do after the fact. So I did.
Is it my best work? No, I could probably added five minutes more and made it more comprehensive. But, I don’t think it is that bad.
I spent a lot of time trying to edit this. Something seems to happen and I am not sure if it is the 10 minute mark or the 1GB size. I tried everything I could from saving in lower resolution to different programs. There are still some glitches in the video that I don’t see in the raw video. I suppose for what it is worth, I need to be mindful of keeping things shorter because this was too much work.
End Your Programming Routine: Filming something while you work is difficult (or at least takes some practice). I find that if I focus on my work, then I forget to film what I had intended. If I am focused on filming, I make mistakes with my work. Maybe this really requires an outline or script? I don’t know but I am sure practice helps too. That is what I am doing.
This is the August selection for the Left Coast Culinary Book Club. This book is a cookbook for Salads by Jess Damuck. Who is Jess Damuck? From what I read, she is a food stylist that primarily worked with Martha Stewart.
Once again, this book is divided by seasons. The one thing that I thought was really brilliant was that there is a master list of ingredients broken into categories. Then, each salad draws on the ingredients in the category. So recipes are organized by ingredients in the category, with the assumption that (1. you are into salads) you have options if you are working from a standard pantry.
Because Jess is a food stylist, all of the photos are vibrant and look great. One of her technique suggestions was to use similar items in different shapes. Think carrots and parsnips. Think rounds and julienne. In my opinion, this is more of a presentation tip than a taste improvement.
This is about where the compliments end from me. I wasn’t present when the voting happened and I probably wouldn’t have protested anyway but I find it hard to get jazzed about salads. Jess uses a lot of jargon, techniques or ingredients that I have never heard of. When I last went to the store, I checked on a few of these things and nope, not there. So, unless you are growing yourself, good luck with duplicating.
Maybe it is because I already know this but she frequently uses a lot of combinations of textures such as leaves, nuts, cheese, proteins, etc. It therefore feels like most of the salads are a random catchment of ingredients than deliberate combinations. In the foreword, Martha Stewart says that her marker of a good cookbook makes her hungry. So far, I haven’t marked a single recipe yet.
Given that I think making a cookbook about salad new and fresh is going to be difficult, I think probably 10% of the recipes are a stretch. Here are two examples gazpacho and esquites (Mexican corn) that I wouldn’t call a salad at all. There are other things that are called salad but I would call sandwich spreads or toppings like arugula pizza or egg salad.
To be fair, I haven’t made anything out of it yet. If you remember last month, I have tried a couple more and was very pleased with Corned Beef Dinner for instance. So, maybe I will soften up. The truth is, I don’t see myself really making much. But, all it takes is a handful to be worth it. So, I owe it to the book club to try a few things.
End Your Programming Routine: What can I say? I am not looking forward to the next one either. It is about gluten free cooking. I am not really big on gluten anyway but I feel like trying to substitute never works well. I have to give Jess credit that she did something different. Just because I am not into it, doesn’t mean that this isn’t for someone.
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