Anniversary of an amazingly enduring design

On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:53:45 -0500, the infamous "Pete C." scrawled the following:

I thought the UN disapproved of anything which wasn't entirely touchy-feely/warm-fuzzies/Kumbaya.

-- Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for. -- Earl Warren

Every bit of code I wrote left production in 2001 on the administrative end. Some of that Clipper code was over 10 years old but was doing the job. It took a bankrupcy to kill that.

Now the Karel stuff (GMF robotics) lasted a bit longer but is surely dead by now. The robot cells were sold to other vendors and continued to run product for GM for a few years until model changeovers make them obsolete.

I suspect some St Lawrence 500 ton and 600 ton forming presses are still running my Allen Bradley SLC500 ladder code. Maybe the new owners wrote their own. I'm sure they didn't put the 26+ control relays and 6 or so cycleflex counter times back in to replace my upgrade. I *hated* changing how a relay logic forming press operated. That was never fun at all.

Seldom something that is working gets ripped out and replaced. Even wart covered crap. ( I didn't write any of that stuff but those that know, know what I mean.)

Wes

My mental programming is to go center of mass and work up. Back when I shot IDPA I remember the game plan was com com, head head. for two assailants.

For single assailants, 2 com one in head, repeat if needed.

The gent that was running our program at the club was a training officer for the local city police.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

Nope. One side it towards the earth, the other side is "the far side of the moon." Rotational lock on the earth. Take about 29 earth days for it to make that rotation.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Let the Record show that snipped-for-privacy@citlink.net on or about Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:49:29 -0700 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

So, how's that covered wagon working out for you?

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

No, they resort to violence to try to impose that T-F/W-F/K nonsense on others from time to time.

I don't think I've actually seen a ACE .22 system. Are they the ones with the floating chamber to provide the force to cycle the slide?

John B. Slocomb (johnbslocombatgmaildotcom)

Yeah, something like that. I used to know exactly how it works but now I just shoot it.

It is really good for practice. It's accurate, it's cheap to shoot, and the recoil is greater than for a normal .22, so it gives a good feel for .45 practice, within its limits. That's why it's designed the way it is -- however that is.

It's on my .45 now, because I've been cheap lately.

Curious aside: In Tom Clancy's novel _Without Remorse_, he makes a suppressor for an ACE-equipped 1911. Knowing Clancy's penchant for accurate detail with weapons, I thought about this and realized it probably is real, because the ACE has two advantages for suppressor use. First, it has a slightly delayed blowback, so it probably doesn't extract the shell case until the blast is out of the gun. Second, the barrel itself doesn't drop down, or move at all, because it's a blowback action. The weight of a suppressor won't interfere with the action.

Correction. Of course, I meant .177 cal.

(snip)

Yes; and the ideal training setup for new shooters. Unlike many .22s, there is significant felt recoil, but "It's only a .22". Makes an easy transition to a .45!

Bob

Good point. Most of the men and women I shoot with shoot more often (and more skillfully) than most cops. Laura shoots a .40 compact every bit as well as she does a 9mmp. I do a little better with both

9mmp and .45ACP than with .40S&W.

That's absurd. He needs to be within arm's length to hit me with a rock or cut me with a blade. I don't need sights to hit a face-sized target at 5 feet, and even a .380 has considerably more energy than a rock swung or thrown by hand. His problem is that I'll shoot his face off before he can crush my skull with a rock.

Deal. And I'll stipulate that if I went some of the places you go, I'd probably want my Colt Officer's .45 with me.

Let the Record show that cavelamb on or about Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:31:50 -0500 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Low Earth Orbit is half way to the universe.

For two weeks out of the month - and the next two weeks?

All you need to do is bring your food. Your air. Your water. Your space suit. But it is doable. Just realize that solar energy is only available 14 days a month. The rest of the time you're going to be on batteries, or imported nuclear power plants. (And good luck getting those, the green weenies will pitch hissy fits at the very idea of polluting the pristine Lunar Surface with nuclear pollution and waste.)

According tot he book, it was doable in 1990. Or doable starting in 1990, within ten years. With existing technology.

But you have to pilot a space craft all the way to touch down. There is no "free" negative acceleration on the moon. Now, one of the nifty things about the moon is that because there is no atmosphere, there is nothing to prevent you from orbiting a meter from the surface. But you can orbit there forever, because there is nothing to slow you down for a reentry/landing.

The saying it of old, earth orbit is half way to the universe. And the difference in Delta V between going to and landing on the moon (remember, you can't trade speed for heat on the moon, as you can with a reentry to planet with an atmosphere), and going to Mars is "minor" (on the order of a couple meters/sec if I recall correctly).

The guys argument is basically, if you want a project which would have cost 450 billion dollars in 1990, take 20 years, and requires development of many new technologies, then the "BattleStar Galactica" approach to a mission to mars (LEO station, a moon base, and then the construction in pace of a ship to transport an away team to Mars for a thirty day ground mission.) - then go for it. You just have to make sure that you can convince Congress to keep up such a program, though several election cycles. But with what we had, on the shelf so to speak, and 20 billion dollars to start, starting in 1990 we would have several years of data and the potential for a self supporting base/colony on mars. One that does not have to import food, oxygen, fuel, or raw materials. When I get the book back, I'll dig up the numbers. While any planetary exploration/base project is not necessary a bad one, IMHO, the Mars Direct is the better goal. One of the things he mentions as a reason for this is the whole need for a "Frontier" - particularly as Americans. There is a need for someplace to go, where the emphasis is on getting things done, not filling out the forms and holding meetings in order to get approval to approach the next circle of hoops to jump through. Much of the technological innovation which drove the American expansion was driven by the relative lack of labor and the need to "get 'er done!" Mars would provide just such an environment, far more than the moon would.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:46:03 -0700, the infamous Gunner Asch scrawled the following:

Tillie is going to have a real fun time in prison after that, isn't he?

Oops, you got this one bass ackwards, G. The perp had a 9mm and the cop a .45. The PERP was hit 6 times and lived.

Most of the others don't discuss caliber and one was a .32. "The googlefu in this one is weak."

How about stories of .45 shooting survival? Nothing is certain.

(Wow, lots of .45 shooting stories from the Phillipines! It's more dangerous over there since they kicked us out. Too bad for them.)

Cop shoots 4x with .357 Silvertips but is killed by a single .22 shot.

More .22 kills:

So, there you have it. Bullets are capable of killing people, no matter what caliber or power.

I own a 9mm and don't see any overwhelming reason to replace it. Sure, I'd happily take a .45 to keep in the house or truck. During a home invasion, I'd still hope I could get to my rifle first, though. ;)

Oh, I hadn't known that the perp was such a wonderful fellow, but I liked the article in Snopes better than the email which went around. It was almost as good as what Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did with his tent jail with pink convict uniforms. Perps won't want to do anything to get sent back THERE. That's fer sher!

-- May those who love us, love us; And may those that don't love us, May God turn their hearts; And if he doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, So we'll know them by their limping. --old Gaelic blessing

Let the Record show that Gunner Asch on or about Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:48:41 -0700 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Properly places, a .22 shortly will kill someone. But you can't always get that kind of cooperation from people who deserve being shot. And never plan on your enemy doing everything you need him to do, in order for you to be victorious. That's not a plan, nor even taking a risk, that's a gamble from the git go.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Let the Record show that Gunner Asch on or about Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:40:54 -0700 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

I did hear of a guy who flinched when trying to shoot himself in the forehead with a 32. Tore open his scalp, left him with a headache, but he answered the door when the paramedics arrived. Scalp wounds bleed a lot. B)

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

I think the pressure the sun exerts on your craft will cause it to deorbit eventually.

Wes

That is a distinct possibility. But probably not for quite some time, and ordinary mortals count time. Still, it is much more possible to have something orbit the moon at a minimum pero-luna of 1 meter, than to have something with a perogee of 1 meter.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

The "1 meter orbit" is impractical: there are too many mountain ranges that would get in the way and, if you're willing to stipulate "1 meter above the mountain peaks" then you're talking about a 2-mile high orbit.

Let the Record show that "RAM³" on or about Fri, 2 Apr 2010 10:26:12 -0500 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

I think it might be possible to set up an orbit which avoids the Luna mountain ranges for the most part., skimming over the mares on the earthside, and then farther out on the Farside.

But still, even it is all no more than 1 meter over the highest mountain on the moon, can you set up an orbit around the earth which at it's closest is at 29,003.3 feet above mean sea level? (One meter over Mt Everest?)

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!