Author: hsoi

Music bleg

/ hsoi

Lynyrd Skynyrd have a new album (to be released Sep. 29, 2009), “God & Guns” coming out. Check out the video for the first single, “Still Unbroken”. Supposedly you can listen to all the tracks this week here at CMT’s The Leak, but as of this writing it’s not working. “Still Unbroken” sounds pretty cool tho.

KISS has a new album coming out called “Sonic Boom”, much to the surprise of everyone that thought they were actually going to retire some 13 odd years ago on that first (of many) farewell tours… but to the surprise of no one that knows Gene Simmons likes to make money. 🙂  All the tracks are available for streaming. It’s really not that bad. It feels like a return to their 70’s albums, but certainly with a hint of the 80’s in it too. Really, one of the better albums they’ve put out.

Megadeth also has a new album, “Endgame” and you can stream the whole album on their MySpace page. I haven’t paid much attention to Megadeth the past some years, but this album rocks. Mustaine’s guitar playing is awesome. There’s rumor going around that “the big 4 of thrash” (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer) might do a tour. You hear various things from various sources which makes it sound like yes it’s actually being talked about but no one wants to really say anything until all the details are worked out and the contracts are signed. It would be logistically interesting, and certainly an ego-filled endeavor. But hey, if Megadeth and Slayer can tour together these days, maybe it could work out. Anthrax would have to get their shit together, and hopefully Metallica wouldn’t feel a need to be the kings of the roost (they may be the most commercially successful, but like Slayer was ever commercial? And bands that have to go on either before or after Slayer always have a rough time). Still, if it was to happen, I’m sure lots of money could be made.

Ruger SR-22

/ hsoi / 8 Comments

Ruger just released their SR-22.

In short, a 10/22 with black plastic furniture.

I can’t blame them for doing this. To have an AR-styled rifle that shoots .22 LR is all the range these days. It’s not like it was hard to find 3rd party furniture to turn a 10/22 into an EBR in the first place, so Ruger is just capitalizing on things and getting a quick product on the market and money in their pockets.

Me, I wouldn’t buy it. If I wanted an AR-style .22, I’d want one as close to the actual manual at arms so that training muscle memory is in effect (e.g. operation of the safety). If I wanted a 10/22, I’d want it with different furniture and outfitting.

Nevertheless, there’s a market for this and I’m sure people will buy it. Good for Ruger.

Updated: Another good thing about this: it takes AR accessories, but it also takes 10/22 accessories. Arguably two of the largest aftermarkets out there.

Good to also see this iteration of the 10/22 includes recent improvements to the 10/22, like the magazine release and being able to drop the bolt with one hand.

Updated 2: Steve at TFB has more details.

Updated 3: Possible side-effect of the SR-22?

But what if you need more when installing?

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

As a developer of Mac OS X software, how to deliver that software is an issue of constant battle.

Long long ago, everything was shipped as either an installer or just in a StuffIt archive. Typically applications came in installers and the only thing in StuffIt archives would be non-applications (documents, pictures, other data).

Mac OS X tries to change this by simplifying things using drag-installs. It’s actually a very simple process of download, drag the application icon to the Applications folder, and off you go. But, even something as simple as that can prove too confusing for the lay person, or at least it allows for a host of problems. Installers still exist as well, and there are many other modes of delivery and installation out there.

Various bloggers have been discussing the issue. It starts with FireFox distribution issues, where they ultimately conclude that you should just ship an installer and piggy back off other mechanisms (e.g. automounting of .dmg’s). John Gruber counters that we should just use .zip files, and makes rather compelling arguments for that approach. Chris Clark also agrees with using zip archives. Andy Kim takes it a bit further and actually starts to touch on what I’m going to hit at.

All of these solutions are nice, but they all seem to target one thing:

Very simple applications.

If all your application is is itself, then I guess that’s fine. But what if your application has more than just the application itself? What if it needs to install drivers or other kernel extensions? What if it had launch agents or daemons? How about other plugins that need to be installed? Maybe something that requires a restart of the machine? What if you need to run scripts to deal with housekeeping (e.g. to help upgrading past users to the new version of the software)? All of these simplistic approaches just do not cut it.

Some would argue this should be a part of the application itself. That is, self-healing applications. I see merit in that approach and it could be a solution that solves this and the initial download-and-install problem. But it is not a panacea.

The ultimate problem is there is no one-size-fits-all solution, which seems to be what people are proposing… or at least, they’re not considering the wider scope that some developers may need in the install process. Apple seems to have the tools in place, but isn’t quite there. What ought to come would be:

  • A new installer format. It could be an archive holding all the parts to be deployed, but it should allow for logic to be applied during the install (e.g. use of shell scripts, etc.).
  • This format is understood by the OS, so when applications such as Safari download them, they can start the install process. Of course, we have to be mindful that some people could use this for nefarious purposes, so being fully automatic is not ideal… asking the user would be helpful. Using code signing and other forms of trusted computing may help here.
  • The notion of installing then isn’t just some file format, but is also considered an end-to-end process, from either downloading the software or inserting the removable media that has the software on it, to getting the software installed, configured, registered, and cleaned up after (optionally removing older versions of the software and its support files, removing any archives, trying to leave the machine in a cleaner state than before it started). Get the users going the whole way through. It should “just work”; Gruber’s mention of how the iPhone works is apt.
  • To publish a set of tools AND guidelines on installer creation. Apple goes through a lot of trouble to establish human interface guidelines on how applications should work. Apple can and should do the same with installers so that the experience of getting software to users can be as simple and pain free as possible, but also as consistent as possible.

The big problem we have today is too many approaches to installing software. Everyone has different needs and different thoughts on how best to approach it. I’ve had debates at my office about how we should deliver our software, and it’s difficult to achieve consensus because all approaches have strengths and weaknesses. This only serves to hurt the user because there isn’t one way that “just works” for them to get to know and be comfortable with. Every install process is different and unique, and for the non-geeky types, just frustrating and confusing.

I hate to say it but the movement to improve this will ultimately have to come from Apple. It’s their platform, it’s their user experience that they wish to control and dictate. Ultimately Apple must be the one to improve this.

Can we 3rd party developers do something about it? Sure. We could work to tackle the problem, publish our own guidelines, create tools to help out. But I’m not sure how far it would get. Efforts like Growl, Sparkle, solve some great problems and didn’t come from Apple and have gained a tremendous amount of traction in the developer world. Still, some venture to do it themselves. Code solutions are good, but guidelines are better so if you have to do it yourself, at least some guiding principles can be followed with the hope of still making things good for the user.

Where to start?

MUC applied

/ hsoi

One of the best parts of SouthNarc’s curricum is MUC: Managing Unknown Contacts. Effective MUC can stop a situation before it has a chance to get ugly.

John Farnam just posted a quip that provides a pretty good example of MUC. I don’t know if this student was formally schooled in MUC, but it appears at least something similar.

Some key points from the quip:

  • She was aware of her surroundings. Not just observing a strange man and his behavior, but also being aware of the time of day and her location.
  • She kept up a monologue, not a conversation.
  • Her voice and demeanor were emphatic.

ShivWorks’ Practical Unarmed Combat DVD gives a good introduction to SouthNarc’s MUC material. Better is getting some training direct from SouthNarc.

Gun in the car – bad idea

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Roberta X points out why keeping a gun in the car isn’t the hottest idea.

Stealing guns from cars is a big way that guns go from being “legal guns” to “illegal guns.”

Here in Texas, I know a lot of people keep a gun in their car. Honestly I don’t know what good it does them. The gun is rarely (never?) on their person, crimes in a car aren’t that frequent, and if one does happen most people who keep guns in their car keep them in some useless state (e.g. bagged up, boxed up, etc.). So basically it’s just a 4-wheeled storage crate, where you bring the gun to the thief.

The unfortunate thing is a lot of laws force law-abiding citizens to behave in this manner. You might have a concealed handgun license but now you need to go into a building where you cannot legally carry it, so you are now forced to leave it in your car. It’s just bad feeding worse.

My flashlight

/ hsoi / 21 Comments

I carry a flashlight with me wherever I go. Why? Because it’s useful.

I never carried a dedicated flashlight, even something like a cheap little keychain fob LED. A couple years ago I started to carry one, and now I can’t live without it. You just don’t realize the utility and cannot appreciate it until you have one on you. There are more than enough times you’ll find yourself out and about, in a low light situation, and you will find it useful to have a light. Our eyes tend to work better that way. 🙂

The flashlight I carry is a SureFire E2L Outdoorsman.

I know. It’s boring. It’s not some tacti-cool flashlight like their Z2 or G2Z or the E2D Defender or 6P Defender. That’s OK and how I wanted it. I didn’t want a flashlight that draws attention. I wanted a flashlight I could take onto an airplane and have no one think twice about. I wanted a flashlight that I could pull out at a Scout campout and no parent or BSA policy would freak out over. I wanted a flashlight I could use on a daily basis, but that I could also use in a self-defense situation if necessary. I think the E2L fits that bill.

Many of the “tactical” flashlights are designed around a very powerful beam of light. That’s great for blinding people, for flooding an area with light. But what if you’re working on something close up? What if you’re out camping, it’s nighttime, you need to read a map. Having 100+ lumens reflecting off the map back into your eyes is not enjoyable. The E2L has two settings: a low power with 3 lumens, and a high power with 60. The low power is actually still fairly bright: shine it in someone’s eyes and they will be blinded; I’ve had it reflect off some close-up materials and still mess up my vision. The high power may not be as bright as some other flashlights, but it’s still amazingly bright. I recall on one campout using my E2L as a floodlight, holding it at arms length above my head, to light the way for a bunch of Cub Scouts and it lit up the pathway some nearly 100′ out like daylight. Another parent was using one of their cheap-o $2 special flashlights and it didn’t illuminate much past the end of their feet. So the variable light output is a big part of why I like this flashlight, because it enables more practical daily use.

The clip on the flashlight is also helpful as a daily flashlight. Just attach it to something like a hat brim and you’ve got hands-free light.

To use the flashlight in a self-defense context, I’ve found the flashlight works fine. It provides ample light, even if all you get is the low beam. In fact, to quickly switch from low to high beam is a mini strobe effect which at least when I’ve surprised some friends doing a quick “from darkness, to low beam to high beam” flicker has proven to be a bit more disorienting than just flashing to a single beam. I have not struck anyone or anything with the flashlight, but I feel that it could work fine for such a thing. The bezel doesn’t have the extreme crenellation the “Defender” flashlights have nor the added strengths of say the Pyrex window, but there’s a mild crenellation and certainly if the flashlight doesn’t survive the encounter I’m not going to sweat it too much… I can always buy another one afterwards.

I’ve been quite happy with the flashlight. I’ve tried using a more dedicated “tactical light” as a carry flashlight, but how often do you need such a thing? If you’re a police officer, perhaps so. But for private citizen me, most of my portable light needs are just daily needs to help me see where I’m going or what lurks in some dark area. I feel the SureFire E2L Outdoorsman provides me with a flashlight that addresses daily needs quite well, and doesn’t leave me feeling at any sort of disadvantage in other possible use areas.

Note: I’m not affiliated with SureFire. No compensation or anything for this. This is just private me talking about the gear I use.

Magazine pouch pondering

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

The Desantis Mag Packer is a fine way to carry a reload, but it takes up a pocket. Plus pant pockets can vary: mouth too wide so the packer doesn’t get caught on the way out, mouth too narrow so it’s tough to get your hand in there quickly, pocket might not be deep enough or might be too deep. These sorts of variances don’t help in having a consistent draw behavior. If you’ve got a folder clipped to your pocket, now the two items are competing for space. It’s fairly comfortable tho, and concealment is pretty high.

An OWB single mag pouch is useful, but a bit harder to conceal (relative to the Mag Packer). Placement and withdrawal can be fairly consistent however, which helps with your reloads.

A double pouch is a bit better, in terms of how much you can carry. Now, I wouldn’t get one like this because it puts one magazine facing the wrong way (it should be positioned “bullets towards the bad guy”). Of course, with 2 pouches it’s harder to conceal, but it’s do-able. It’s also going to be a bit more uncomfortable. This sort of pouch is useful for training because now you can have at least 3 magazines rotating while you’re on the line. In most of the classes I take (Combined Skills was a perfect example), this is a minimum. It’s also nice to have the 3 magazines because it ensures you can always reholster with a full gun J(provided you didn’t burn through all the magazines, of course).

Then there’s something like this quad pouch. Not suitable for carry, but good for competition. Good for class? Depends upon the class. If it’s a class about competition, sure. If it’s a class about defensive handgun work for self-defense, I wouldn’t use it because it’s not your carry rig and you should take the class with your carry rig.

A magazine-flashlight combo pouch is also appealing because it allows you a spot on your Batman utility belt for both items. If you don’t normally carry a flashlight around with you (even a cheap little keychain fob LED) you may not appreciate how useful it is to have a flashlight always on your person; once you start to regularly carry one, you won’t want to be without one. Of course, this then has similar bulk as the double pouch, but only provides one magazine. But of course the tradeoff is a well-defined spot for your flashlight.

BTW, I refer to Comp-Tac because I’m a satisfied customer, and they provide a wide swath of options, including I think the only people that will make a flashlight holster for the flashlight I carry.

Anyway… just thinking out loud.

Sunday Metal – King Diamond

/ hsoi

Theatrics have always been a part of music, especially metal. Alice Cooper, KISS, GWAR, amongst others. Then there is King Diamond, known not just for putting on a show but also his frequent use of falsetto and penning concept albums sometimes having the story span multiple albums (e.g. “Them” and “Conspiracy”).

I’ve always wanted to see King Diamond live and almost had a chance to, but then King injured his back and has been on the shelf for a while. I hope he heals up and is able to be back on the road in full capacity soon.

How apropos

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

Linoge shares with us a couple passages from his current read.

“The woman with the earrings”. Indeed.

Oh, while at the bookstore last night, it was pretty cool to see a big display for Atlas Shrugged. A big “WHO IS JOHN GALT?” staring you down when you entered the store.

How disheartened should I be?

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

Last night, Wife had a workshop to attend so it was just me and the kiddos.

We had dinner at home, then opted to go out for ice cream. The particular shop we went to has a place outside where you can sit, kids can run and play, and you can just enjoy the evening. The weather was fantastic last night, so outside we went. Being a gorgeous Friday night, lots of other people were out and about, many kids running around, chasing each other, playing. A good night.

As soon as we found a spot, we sat and started to eat. Not a few seconds later did I look over and see a little girl maybe 8-10 years old lying in the grass on her back, crying pretty hard, holding her head. One of her friends was kneeling over her asking if she was OK. I could hear the crying girl affirming she was OK, so as I watched for a few seconds I was observing a few things: was she in fact OK? give it a few seconds to see if she shakes it off, gets up, and keeps on playing? Parents coming over to check on her? Well, I saw none of this. Little girl remained on the ground crying, no adults whatsoever coming around. In fact, there was a lady sitting on a rock between me and the little girl (i.e. right there not 10 feet from the girl, closer than I was) and the lady never made a move to check on the girl.

After a few seconds, I opted to go over and check on the girl. I asked her if she was OK, she continued to nod yes and got up off the ground, sill crying, but I could tell she was OK. She ran off to go find her parents. I watched the girl run off, over the hill, down to another restaurant then lost track of her. A minute or so later I noticed a couple of the other girls that were in the same pack were pushing each other with mean looks on their faces and one got knocked to the ground. I was “this close” to stepping in but as soon as the one girl hit the ground everything broke off on their own. As I saw these girls throughout the evening, they were all still playing with each other so who knows what the social dynamic was.

So what bugged me about this?

That no one cared.

The place was swarming with adults, but there’s a little girl… crying… lying on the ground in pain. And no one noticed. No one (but me) cared. If anyone did notice, they didn’t feel any motivation to check on her and help her. I’m not painting myself as a saint, but rather an observation of how oblivious people are.

As my own children played and ran around, I kept an eye on them but also watched all the other people. Task fixation was rampant. People minded their own children to some extent, but then there was little mind paid to what was going on around them. I was just a bit appalled. Why is this? What has come of our society?

Furthermore, I watched other children on the playground. I saw the general lack of manners, turn taking, consideration for others. Then I saw their parents, and the role model was evident. Not all were this way, but many were.

Then we walk through the parking lot and I see people just walking out in front of moving cars. I don’t care if you have a legal right of way, if the driver doesn’t see you, you will lose the battle with the ton of steel hurtling towards you. Why do people do this? Sense of entitlement? Ignorance? An “I’m right and fuck you!” attitude? I don’t get it.

Just how disheartened should I be in my fellow man?

I am no saint. I used the opportunities from last night to talk with my children to reinforce some valuable lessons (teachable moment). Yes sometimes you have to resist, but sometimes it is better to yield. Pay attention to the world around you. Be polite. Treat people as you want to be treated. Be the change you want to see in the world.