Blog Archives
Best Fight Scenes
Want to see some of Asian cinema’s best fight scenes?
Some awesome stuff. Anything with Jackie Chan is always awesome because not just his performance, but he always stages some awesome elements into the scenes to make them more than just punching and kicking.
I’ll also say that #15, the knife fight from “The Man From Nowhere” (2010) is brutal. I mean, not for the weak stomached. But it does make you realize that if you have to fight, you must be swift and brutal and do whatever it takes to win (or at least, not die).
Clearing the backlog
I’ve had a bunch of links backing up in my queue, things I wanted to post about. Just going to clear them all in one fell swoop. It’s a smorgasbord.
“What’s Behind The Shocking Collapse in Violent Crime” (h/t LowTechCombat)
A look at the most recent FBI crime statistics, and how violent crime is actually dropping in the US — despite what the media portrays. One possible reason they overlook is the growth of firearm ownership and concealed carry by law-abiding citizens.
TxDPS – Winter Storm Preparedness (h/t TxDPS)
A few simple checklists of things to help you prepare for winter storms. Be it supplies worth having in your car, to dealing with the aftermath of a storm, to helping the elderly.
“13 things a man should keep in his car” (h/t ArtOfManliness)
Going with the above winter storm lists, here’s 13 more things that are just good to have in your car all year round. I’ll take odds with #3 – MagLite was a great old standby but flashlight technology has evolved. Look at SureFire or Streamlight (or even Fenix); for a car flashlight I would want it to run on CR123A’s, because those batteries can sit around for years and still maintain power. I’d also look for a model that can either be somehow attached to say a hat brim so you can work hands free (need both hands to change a tire) and/or that can be rested on the ground and used like a lantern/candle to again shine light hands-free.
Read the comments for more suggestions. Certainly a lot of what you keep in your car will depends upon your needs, your particular car, where you are in the world, and how and where you’ll be traveling.
“Top 10 Secret Features in Mac OS X Lion” (h/t maczter)
I still haven’t upgraded all my machines to Lion, at this point mostly from inertia. But I have upgraded one primary dev machine and am growing to like it. Still, it has some quirks and issues, and this is a nice list of things to help make it a bit more manageable.
“Laws over BB gun use could affect your child’s Christmas“ (h/t NRANews)
While BB guns technically aren’t guns, they certainly can do some damage. You should still treat them like firearms, using them responsibly, adhering to all proper gun safety rules, and using them as a great way to introduce kids to firearms in a safe and responsible manner. The respect and responsibility starts here.
Lack of civility
“People were getting pushed, and they had to keep stopping on air telling people to stop pushing, and then there was fighting, and then we had to end it early,” said WJLB intern Chevelle Potts.
There were hundreds of people inside the mall to see several singers like Diggy Simmons and Bow Wow who were set to perform for the fundraiser, but the fighting broke out before they even took the stage. “It was a lack of security, and we had to bring in the Southfield police,” said Potts.
I think Fark.com commenter “feckingmorons” said it best:
It wasn’t a lack of security, it was a lack of civility. Civil people don’t fight over free coats.
It speaks of the mindset. Individuals were not held responsible for their behavior. No, it was someone else’s fault: it was the mall’s fault or the radio station’s fault or the promoter’s fault for not providing enough security.
*headdesk*
Question from Daughter
“Dad, why do dogs and cats get black eye boogers and we get tan ones?”
This is what Daughter asked me this morning as I wiped the black eye boogers out of the eyes of one of the cats.
So of course, I Googled it. Apparently dog and cat tears contain a pigment called porphyrin, which makes them dark.
$afety, of cour$e
Lo$ Angele$ City Controller relea$e$ an audit $aying red light camera$ don’t improve $afety.
You don’t $ay?
$o why do they have the$e camera$ in the fir$t place?
Muscovy Duck Ban
Frequent readers know how muscovy ducks frequent our house. They are not our ducks, but they are a regular part of the neighborhood and we do care for them. Wife and I have discussed when moving out to the country to obtain some muscovy’s and raise them. They’re pretty neat animals, and supposedly their eggs and meat are very tasty. No no… I can’t try any right now. City limits (ordinances) has issues with that, but also well…. the kids have named them and we just can’t butcher a named duck. 
But I now read about a Fish & Wildlife regulation, CFR 21.54. Here’s the official FWS document. This effectively puts a kibosh on our desire to raise and farm muscovy ducks.
The interesting thing? While it was put out for public comment, no one knew about it because there was no central group of “muscovy advocacy” for FWS to contact to get the word out. So the regulation is now in effect, but because of the recent outcry they have temporarily suspended enforcement and are taking further comment.
It seems the intent of the rule is to manage feral populations. I have no problem with feral population control — I have no problem with population control in general because you have to keep things in check. However, the wording of the rule basically kills any ability to have muscovy’s as pets, to put them in poultry shows (bye bye 4-H), to privately raise them (e.g. you’re not a commercial farmer, you just want them on your own property for meat and eggs), and so on. This doesn’t help manage feral populations, but does restrict the freedoms of the citizenry.
I know you may not care about muscovy ducks as much as I do, but if you have a few moments give this page a read. It briefly explains the problem and provides people to contact to explain the problem in hopes of getting the rule properly revised to meet the goals of all involved parties.
Thanx.
Updated 9/20/2010: This morning I received a reply email from George T. Allen (that was prompt!):
John:
Thank you for your email. The proposed regulations changes have already been approved, and I expect that they’ll publish before too long. You’re welcome to comment on the proposed rule. I will try to inform you and others who have contacted me about muscovy ducks when the proposed rule is open for comment.
Regards,
George
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
George T. Allen, Ph.D., C.W.B.
Chief, Branch of Permits and Regulations
Division of Migratory Bird Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop 4107
Arlington, Virginia 22203-1610
703-358-1825 fax 703-358-2272
George_T_Allen@fws.gov
Looking forward to it!
