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Jan 31st, Friday:
It's
surprising who reads MadOgre.com. I'm always amazed. Hits from
the US Treasury Department. Emails from around the world. And most
recently an email from some Joe at Dulles International Airport
Security. Cool. I think.
Public Service Announcement: DO NOT FEED THE LIONS. I wonder
what the hell this person was thinking... The Zoo puts up barriers
for a reason... they are not there to spoil your fun. You just
plain should not ever try to pet a lion. Ever. They
should have thrown the rest of her in too.
Playing MS
Combat Flight Simulator 3 online is pretty fun... Until you tangle
with some cheaters. A Spitfire doesn't do 800 mph, stop, and turn on a
dime while firing a constant stream of 30mm cannon shells. It's shiz
like that, that makes me hate internet gaming. I prefer LAN gaming
100%.
Looking at
Optics options for the Beretta Cx4. (I think you just call it the
C4, as in the explosives) I don't need anything long ranged, but a 3X
or 4X would be fine. Bright recticle. Wide field of view... Has to
be Trijicon. Those cats know more about fighting optics than anyone.
The only question is which item from the Trijicon catalog. Too many
choices. I had the chance to look over all the Trijicon products at
the WC 3Gun Championship... They have an optical gun-sight for every
situation. So really it's not a question which one you want, but what
your going to be doing with it and what you need. Once you make a
solid evaluation of that - the scope option for you becomes apparent.
Okay, such self evaluations are not that easy. Luckily Trijicon makes
some good "Jack of All trades" units that will do everything but pull
the trigger for you. For a pistol caliber carbine like the Cx4, your
not going to be needing anything long ranged... but you still want
accuracy. What you really want to maximize is speed. So a fast scope
with a wide field of view is ideal. The recticle is critical. You'll
want something illuminated so your eye picks it up as fast as possible,
even in low light. It needs to be a bit larger than normal too... so
you can index it to your target faster. The downside to bigger
recticles is a loss of precision due to the large recticle overlaying
and obscuring the target. Trijicon's solution is most simple... A
triangle. It works well. I think this type of setup would be ideal
for the Cx4.
We
all know... okay, many of us know what 802.11b is. Basically
it's one of the wireless protocols that allow network and internet
access. Now, coming down the pike is
802.16a.
This is pretty much the same thing, but in broadband. This has
just made 11b look like dial up. It's still embryonic, but the
project has been approved to move forward. That's pretty dang
cool. This is a pretty big step forward. Maybe as early as
next year I could stream multi-media to my iPaq, while browsing the
web.
Jan 30th, Thursday:
Yesterday Steve and I went down to Rangemasters to do some shooting.
I'm going to miss that place. Rangemasters is my favorite indoor
range in Utah. The only viable indoor range in Virginia is what
used to be called the D&P Shooting Range in Richmond. That place
the last time I saw it was a dank cave by comparison. I broke out
with my Beretta 92FS and while it is used and worn, it cycled
flawlessly with everything I fed it... including rounds through the big
20 round stick that was meant for use in the 93R full auto
machine-pistol. It has been some time since I did some shooting
and I think I need more practice. The last couple strings I fired
had some rounds impacting a good 3 inches below the point of aim.
I think this was either ammo related, or I was flinching. Don't
know... no big deal really, 90% of the shots were right where I wanted
them. I'll call that good enough for right now. Also, I
filled a 15 rounder full of FMJ, held the pistol out in front of me and
proceeded to empty the gun as fast as I could pull the trigger.
All shots hit inside the target - so that is again good enough for
right now. The 92FS ran flawlessly with it's sexy smooth action
and crisp trigger break. This has got to be the smoothest DA/SA
gun I have ever felt. Now, if it was like this, but in a hi-cap
.45 configuration, this would be the best handgun I have ever had...
period. This is making me want a .45 Cougar. But I am
not so sure anymore. I like the .45 caliber better than 9MM, but
being about to pump out 15+ shots rapidly and with excellent accuracy
and with perfect reliability... why change? Besides, with the new
Cx4 Carbine as a companion arm that uses the same ammo and mags... I
think I am married now.
You gotta love North
Korea's bitching about Bush's speech that said North Korea wasn't
the best of countries to be poor in. They called Bush
a shameless
charlatan. That's funny. I heard
Bush call North Korean leaders "A bunch of fucking lunatics that are
about to get their asses kicked."
Another Blackhawk
down. This is sad... Another US Army helicopter has crashed,
this time in Afghanistan. Happened during "Routine Training
Operations." That's a lark. As far as I know, we don't have
a lot of training camps over there in a freaking war zone. But so
be it. The US's RTO's account for more enemy casualties than any
other operation since Desert Storm.
Special thanks to
Andrew Wyatt for the shirts. Thanks man! He knows what
I am talking about.
PDA Sales in a slump. According to market-gurus, the
lowly PDA is in a sales slump. And they don't know why.
Well, I am of the belief that the PDA is the where the biggest
technology achievements are going to be in regards to computing.
With the proliferation of wireless networking, these handheld computers
are going to be more and more useful. Right now a Pocket PC
device such as my iPaq is a useful device - but most people just don't
know how to make them really useful. I think in just a few
years, the PPC device will replace most laptops in many business
settings. The reason being is that the PDA is becoming more and
more powerful... my iPaq replaced my laptop... and the Laptop is just
becoming more and more expensive and heavy with not many gains.
Computers are pretty much leveling out in terms of being interesting...
but handheld computers are just getting cooler all the time.
Jan 29th, Wednesday:
Migraine headache
today... Holy Cow!
I've not had one this bad in months! Seriously... This is something
that I got used to not having. I must have eaten something that
set it off... HEY! You know what? I did! I had a PBJ
and some milk for lunch yesterday. Peanut butter always give my
Wiffy a headache. Maybe that is what caused it? Hmmm...
It's possible but not likely.
You can now download from Opera.com it's latest version 7.0.
I pulled it down yesterday and have been using it since. In a
nutshell, it's good. In fact, I like it better than Mozilla
(not saying much) and better than IE. I think there is finally a
better browser. Don't take my word for it, try it out yourself.
I'm loving it.
Our family friend is heading out. His deployment is a 1 year
tour of duty. Deployments suck, and it's even worse for him
because he has a family full of kids. They just had a baby girl
too. His wife is my wife's best friend, so they are both having a
hard time. We shall pray for Brent and his family.
The President's
address clearly set the record straight on why we must kick Saddam's
ass.
There can be no doubt now. Those that disagree now are either shallow,
frickin idiots or have some agenda. Not surprisingly the Democrats
have an agenda. They want to give Saddam more time. Time for what?
To finish a weapon of mass destruction? To use a WOMD? Screw that -
He has had over 10 years. The Democrats are freaking morons when it
comes to global politics. It's time.
Looking at the
move to Virginia, I am fearful of a great many things.
Yet I am feeling great excitement over the possibilities. One thing
I'm nervous about is my Father... The man is getting crazy in his old
age. He wants me to shave my beard. Hmmm... Let me think about that
for a second. No. In fact, not only will I not shave my goatee (that
I've had for some 10 years now) but I challenge him to grow one!
He must grow one out and keep it for 1 month at least. If he does that
- then I wont put my earring back in! We can talk about tattoo
removal later.
Big Foot.
I've never seen a Big Foot. Nor do I want to. But I have heard some
strange shit at night out in the woods. Now, just because I don't know
what it was that was making those sounds doesn't mean it was a monster
or a Big Foot. Some Big Foot researchers claim several thousands live
in the northern Rockies and the pacific northwest area. That's a lot.
But all the "experts" say they are there and in numbers. I have a hard
time believing the Bigfoot thing. The only Bigfoot I've ever seen was
a blue Ford pickup with giant tires. If there are so many of these
creatures out there, why have we not seen them? I'm talking about on
the evening news reported with video. We should have found bones or
fossil records. American Indians would have had stories and legends of
it... The only "reports" of it are from the same people that see
UFO's. Now I myself have seen some weird flying things in the sky...
But I can trace them back to US Military experimental aircraft research
and not Martians. Those strange sounds I've heard in the woods...
Bear, Moose, Elk passing gas. Not sure... But I doubt it was some
Yetti. However if there are Big Foots out there they need to keep
their asses hidden... Because the IRS will want a lot of back taxes if
you know what I mean! Also, if these Big Foots can read and understand
English (of course they do - you just have to speak louder and slower
to them as if they were Spanish) I bet they would all agree that
Senator Robert Kennedy is a frickin idiot. One question I have... A
group of these creatures - Do you call them Big Foots or are they Big
Feet?
My
personal view is never the world's personal view. People
disagree with me all the time. For example:
Glug.com. Now Brian is one of
the smartest people around. Seriously. I had lunch with him
once and the fellow is brilliant. But he disagrees with the whole
Iraq issue.
Read his take
here.
Interesting point of view… Unfortunately he is most incorrect. Saddam
is a terrorist and has already used weapons of mass destruction on his
own people. This guy can not be trusted with such weapons. Because if
he has used them on his own people – what will keep him from using them
on anyone else he damn well wants? Nothing. He would. Brian is a
smart fellow. I am surprised he is so naïve on this subject. Let’s
put this on a personal perspective. Say he lives next door to some
hells angles who are raising a pack of pit bulls. Now they are in a
fence… a tall one and you can’t see in. But you can hear them and you
can smell them. Then one day the guy next door let’s the dogs loose on
the post man. Kills the post man. Not only does he let his dogs kill
the postman… but he also makes threats to let the dogs loose on your
kids. You call the police, but he has moved the dogs… they don’t see
dogs. They see the dogs have been there… but when asked “Oh, We got
rid of them.” Where did you get rid of them at? How did you get rid
of them? Oh, and look there – is that a puppy? “Yeah, but it’s just a
wee little puppy.” So the police leave. There are more threats and
at night you can hear all the dogs again. How would you feel living
next to that? This guy is going to unleash his dogs on you or someone
else. Now, just put this on a much bigger scale… global scale.
Because that is what this is about. This isn't about the other
guy having dogs... this is about security and protecting your own.
This is all about national defense. If you put it in a more
personal perspective - you can't help but to want to take this guy
down... because if he was your next door neighbor, you would call the
SWAT team on him in a heart beat. Just because this cat is living
8,000 miles away in a different country doesn't mean we are any safer.
Jan 28th, Tuesday:
The President Speaks Out Tonight.
It's again time for the State of the Union. It is said that the
President will talk about the looming war on Iraq and about his
economic plan. I'm interested in the economy issues... but what I
really want to hear is what we are going to with North Korea.
Thank heavens we have Janeane Garofalo to give us that guiding light we
need as a nation. Let's
see, we have a typical liberal celebrity that is against war... being
against the war on Iraq. Well, I am suprised! Really?
Janeane are you serious? Wow, never saw that one coming.
Let's take a look at the bigger picture Janeane... you are a stand up
comedian that has has a couple roles in the movies. This is
enough to make you a very minor celebrity. So OBVIOUSLY you are
much more qualified to lead the nation and decide what we should and
shouldn't do as a country, especially when it comes to Foreign
Affairs and the use of Military Force, than the FREAKING PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES! Hey Janeane... Shut up and make another
semi-witty feel good romance/comedy film with you smashing shit with a
bowling ball. Okay? That's all we want from you.
Beretta is breaking out a tactical carbine chambered for pistol
calibers.
Most likely 9mm and .40 caliber. It looks sexy as hell.
Very tactical, very black, and very well designed. So much so, I
am in awe.
Everything on it looks to
be very well thought out and placed. The ejection, mag release,
and safety are switchable from left to right if not ambi. It's
called the Cx4 Storm. My only question is this civilian legal,
and does it take standard 92 mags? Click the picture for more
details. Oh, and one more question... most importantly.. how much
is it? Yes, I want one. Perfect match for my pistol for
3-Gun competitions. - This just in... YES! It does
take 92 mags and it is retailing for only 600+ bucks. SWEEEEEET!!!!!!!
Jan 27th, Monday:
Email came in from Spectre...
he sent in an update, but I can't open it from some reason.
Hopefully he will resend it.
I have been asked when the GeForce FX card will be out.
Not sure when the public commercial release will be... but
here is some information about it. Now, the good news about
this isn't the card it's self, but the fact that the prices will be
dropping on those sweet Ti4600 cards. Most sources are showing
that these FX cards are heaters. They get so hot they require the
use of a PCI slot to keep them cool. I'm not so sure this
new card is worth it.
Slept in till 9AM this morning. Felt GREAT! I slept
GOOD last night. No tossing and turning... no worries about
CompUSA issues. Mmmm... I think I'll take a nap, play some video
games, eat some nachos, and then maybe just kick back and do nothing.
Okay, maybe not. I have a lot of stuff to take care of. I
have to deal with 2 Jeeps, update my resume, and start hunting.
Seems that the
Raiders Fans in Oakland are a little upset. I don't get
it... My team doesn't win, so I am going to go overturn some police
cars.
Jan 26th, Sunday:
Super Bowl.
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What a great game!
I know I was rooting for the Raiders... but man, this underdog comes
out on top story is just awesome. In the first quarter you could
see that the Bucs seemed to be kinda scared of the Raiders... after all, the
Raiders scored first. But that fear wore off quickly as the game
progressed. They realized their defense was strong. Then
they started to hit the Raiders hard. The Raiders couldn't throw
the ball... But the Buccaneers never stopped. Not for a
second. They never quit. They dug in and battled for the
goal. They wanted it and fought for it. Even when it looked
like the game was over... the Bucs snapped up a pass and went in for
another TD with only 2 seconds left in the game. Outstanding!
WELL DONE TAMPA BAY! My hat is off to you! Great win.
The attitude and the motivation that was through out the team was
infective. Great example for me... A lesson I will take to
heart. My new goal is to come out on top in Virginia... this
lesson came at a good time for me and my family.
The entertainment was
pretty good too. It's kinda funny that at Half Time, Shania
Twain's bra scored more points than the Raiders did. What the
hell was up with that? She sings Country, but look like a
Villainess from the Sci-Fi channel. Sure, she looked great and
her tits jiggled naturally... but too bad her act was canned. Oh,
no... it's only the SUPER BOWL and the wench couldn't even be bothered
to actually sing. Thanks a lot Miss Twain. Now, next on
stage was Gwen Stephanie and her band "No Doubt". She rocked.
She wore a glitter bra too... but has a much smaller payload.
This is okay, because she was actually singing. You know...
putting out a real effort. You could even hear her getting out of
breath. She was pretty cool. And then Sting came out and
they sang together... Awesome job. Even better when Gwen started
those belly dancing moves. Ouch. Sting was looking good for
an old fart. How old is he now? 50? Anyways... more
suckage came at the end after the actually game had been won. Bon
Jovi. Where the hell did he come from? I though he died or
something. Well, he should have... and taken Shania's bat-girl
costume with him. He stank. Now, of course the
highlights of the game were the commercials. The Ass-Clown
Bud-light commercial was awesome. The sea-shell commercial was
hilarious too. But the best one was Terry Tate's Reebok
commercial. If you have no idea what I am talking about then you
didn't watch the game. Shame on you.
Two words for the Super Bowl today... "OAKLAND RAIDERS". I
remember back when the Raiders were the "Bad Guys" in the sport... the
evil empire. It's been a long time since they had that rep.
Well, they are at the Bowl now... let's see if they still remember how
to fight dirty. I think they will take it. I mean, who the
hell are the freaking Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Florida only had one pro
team, and the Dolphins aren't playing. Where did these guys come
from Tampa? Isn't that a college team? Feh... The
Raiders with eat them. (after the game note - Okay, I was
wrong. Waaaay Wrong.)
Since I am going to be
leaving and taking my computer... I want my wiffy to have one too.
For email and for school work and for some music... So I bust out the
tool kit and the box of parts and start going to work. My old
Athlon K7-700 gets a new home in a different case and I start playing
with it. I throw in a CDRW and a 44X CD Rom, a couple hard drives
I have... nothing special. A GForce 4 MX420 so my boys can play
some games... I throw in my last 3 sticks of 128 SDRAM and turn it on.
I go into the set up and everything checks out fine. All sizes
are recognized and even the fan speeds are read accurately.
Hmmm... 700Mhz? That's not quite warm enough... let's try this... there
we go... a nice solid 805Mhz and it's not getting hot. Good.
Now, let's see if it boots into Windows. Er... problem. Wont do
that. Okay... let's throw in my XP disk and see about it that
way. Hmmm wont boot from CD. Check the boot settings... no
joy. Swap the disk to the other drive... still no joy.
Recheck everything... Damn. Oh well... I'll get it figured out.
Up for sale:
1978 Jeep Wagoneer. 401 V-8. Best offer, bring a
truck for it. If anything... the engine is still strong.
Very strong. If you have a Wag and need a good engine for
it... here it is. And some other parts as well all in a nice
package for you. Or you could restore it. That was my
plan, but things changed on me. Only one Jeep is going to make it
back to Virginia with us... and this one isn't it.
Jan 25th, Saturday:
MadOgre.com's email server is down for the time being...
however the
OnsiteConsultants.com email is up and running. You can email
me
HERE until I have my server back up.
Well, I am not going back into work... I'm done. It's finished.
Making plans for going out to Virginia. I have a ticket I can
pick up that will land me in Baltimore for only $125.00. Not bad,
but that means I will be over there without a car. Mrs.
Ogre will be getting a new Mini-Van in just a little bit, and that
means I could take the Jeep. If I can take the Jeep - that means
I can take my computer and have all my important job hunting stuff with
me on tap... Resume and Email and all that goodness. I am
leaning to the drive idea. I will need a vehicle out there and
hey, the Jeep is paid for if you know what I mean.
I'll probably roll in a week. Not yet sure, but regardless, I
have a lot of prep work to do on everything and I don't have the time
to waste hanging out at CompUSA.
If you have noticed a
bit of a slowdown in the internet, your right. It is slower.
There is a new Code Red type worm out now that is causing the problems.
Give it a few days and everything will be back to normal.
Jan 31st will be the
day that the first "Skycar" will be sold on Ebay. This is the first
working prototype of the Moller skycar that we have all seen before...
the one that has been under development in this cat's garage for the
last 20 years. It is said to be able to hover. Wow.
Oh, wait... I am not that enthused. Yes, I want my flying car...
but I want one that isn't using ducted fans as it's source of lift.
I'll wait for the anti-gravity version. Then I will rebuild it to
look like a Rebel Alliance Snow Speeder on HOTH. YEAH BABY!
Jan 24th, Friday:
I have a cartoon I must post.
You may or may not know the name... but his cartoons are something I
have enjoyed ever since I could remember. 
TGIF!
What a week this has been! Looking at everything it's going to
take to get out to Virginia... it's a daunting task. But a worthy
one. I've got to get out there. ASAP.
Here is a raging debate.
Which Girl Scout Cookie is the best? Well, that is
an easy one. Thin Mints, with Samoans coming in a close second...
the rest are crap. The link goes to a poll by the Salt Lake
Tribune. *sigh* And people wonder why I am going to move
back to Virginia... Look, if your too stupid to realize the Thin Mints
are #1, I just can't live anywhere near you.
I have heard complaint
that I am not doing enough reviews. Okay. That's fair
enough. What do you want me to review? Make the request...
and I will give it an honest review and evaluation. Now, the
problem is that I must have the item, or have access to the item.
If it's a film, then I must have seen or be able to see. Since I
am in process of moving after quitting my job... going out to see a new
movie might not happen. So, requests for new film reviews or
software reviews may need to be accompanied by a small donation via
paypal so that I might obtain the experience required to write a proper
review. 7 bucks for a movie ticket would do. Of
course you can't send me on a mission like that with out a large
coke... so that's another 4 bucks... so $11.00 would do it. Oh,
wait... Make that 22 so I can take my wife. Er... babysitter...
Okay... Send me $30.00 and I'll review any movie you like.
Okay?
I went over to my
Uncle Bruce's house this evening. I have some cousins
there... 3 girls that I have not seen since they were quite small.
Now they are full blow teenager girls... I am so glad I
have all sons! I couldn't handle girls! Emotional, dramatic
creatures.
Jan 23rd, Thursday:
Well, today has been an interesting day.
I was at work and was kicking ass. I got so much stuff done it
was sick. Oh, and in the middle of it all, I gave my 2 weeks
notice. It's time to start getting ready to head out to Virginia.
I'll be going in just a few weeks. Seriously. I'll drive
out, get things set up, fly back, pack up a U-Haul and bring my family
back to Virginia with me. How long of a process that will
actually take - I am not sure. Especially the "Get things set up"
part. This job really wasn't the best fit for me and my
skill set... so I am not really sad about leaving that. But what
I am going to miss are the Techs that I worked with. Not that I
am shedding tears or anything, but I wish them all well, success, and
happiness. But not you Steve... You suck as much as your mom.
(he reads MadOgre.com so that was said purely for his benefit)
Okay - on to more
important matters - The V-22 Osprey. It is on the table again
because I am a little pissed about it. I have
just read on G2mil that
there has been yet more Marines killed doing the project testing.
That is just great. This Osprey project needs to fucking go away
- and it needs to go away NOW! Before anymore Americans are
literally sacrificed on the alter of Pork Barrel Politics.
When I read this report this morning - I was so pissed my teeth were
grinding. This project is so doomed... yet they keep continuing
to field this thing. Now, look... I LOVE the Ospry. I also
love the Millennium Falcon. Both are Science Fiction... but one
is getting people killed to make a few people rich and the other is
just making a few people rich because there are so many geeks out there
that buy the swag. Like Steve's Mom.
(Side Note - All
references to "Steve" is not the same Steve as this
Steve.)
Anyways, back
to the issues of the Osprey... and why it is killing Marines. The
fuel tanks are just cheap plastic... this is worse than the Ford
"Fireball" Pinto. Give a degree of shock - the plastic tanks
rupture. All the sudden your V-22 full of Marines is awash in jet
fuel. Now given a military situation, as this fucking plane is
supposed to be a military aircraft... shocks are likely. Also
likely is the needed spark. Now you have a plane load of Marines
inside a fucking BLAST FURNACE with no way out. That is just
FANTASTIC! But lets not stop there. You know what...
just read the damn report....
I am getting pissed off just recapping this thing. What a
gigantic piece of Sgt York shit. Well, one thing the Sgt York had
going for it... IT DIDN'T KILL IT'S CREW!
Email from Reader:
“Have a firearms related question witch i
am too lazy to bother looking up. My friend, in all of his infinite
wisdom, believes solidly that the Chinese type 56 carbine has a built
in silencer. I am 100% sure it does not, as its an AK-47 rip off. Also,
i was wondering about the issue of legally getting a silencer, or a
weapon with a built in silencer. Yours Truly, David”
Well, David...
"Yours Truly"? Don't expect us to take long showers together into
the wee hours of the morning... Now, about your question.
The Type 56 does NOT have an integrated suppressor. You can get a
silencer with a $200 tax stamp and legally own that suppressor and put
it on any gun you want that it can fit on. A weapon with an
integrated suppressor will require a Class III license. Just a matter
of money.
Check this out.. Man's head was ripped off in an auto accident.
Doctors reattached the head... man lived.
Jan 22nd:
Email From A Reader -
"You
mentioned not knowing the number of ships over by the Gulf, so being a
former Bubble Head I figured I would give you an idea of what we're
looking at: A carrier battle group, depending on mission and
anticipated threats, will contain one large aircraft carrier with 2-4
guided missile cruisers, 2-4 guided missile destroyers, and 3 or more
frigates for ASW. Also included will be at least one attack submarine,
and various resupply ships ( oilers, supply, and ammunition.) So going
with minimum numbers, there will be 6 carriers, 12 cruisers, 12
destroyers, 18 frigates, and 6 submarines. All but the carriers can
launch cruise missiles. Add to this that there is also at least one
Marine Amphibious Group in the area ( second on the way????), comprised
of at least one amphibious assault ship ( like a small carrier with
LCAC/ landing craft bays), an amphibious support ship, and a protective
ring similar to a carrier battle group. There are probably also
independent groups of subs, destroyers, and frigates. So yeah, that is
a lot of whup ass in a small area. And the battle groups could be off
N. Korea in about a week from the Gulf area."
Yup. Like I said... more than enough firepower to hit Iraq and
North Korea! And that is just minimum numbers. Going
wartime footing... your probably looking at a much fuller battle group.
Anyways, thanks for the update, Bubble-head. This is just
the Navy side of the game. Look at the US ARMY and Air Force
assets moving and shifting... Iraq has ZERO chance even if all the
other surrounding axis of evil places and Saudi decided to get frisky.
They are in for a pounding.
Another Email: "Hi,
Ogre. Need some advice... I'm looking to pick up my first rifle. I've
shot 9mm so far (USP!) but am thinking of upgrading for a SHTF/HD
situation. Although stopping power is great, I have a small frame and I
think I've settled on .223. The AR-15 sounds nice but there's a reason
I bought into the USP -- reliability. I've heard a lot of unpleasant
stories about AR-15's jamming up. What's a better alternative? I have
about $1000 to spend, and I live in MD. Thanks. -Jon"
I'm thinking
the VEPR II would be a good match for your USP. You can get it in
.223 and it has accuracy good and plenty with solid reliability.
Now, if it's legal in Maryland, I have no idea. Probably not.
But that would be a good choice given your budget. They can be
had for around 600, less if you shop smart. Now, a rifle is
good... but don't rule out a good pump action shotgun. A simple
scattergun goes a long way. Spend some time in a well stocked
shop and handle everything you can. Get what feels right to you.
That is the most important thing. Oh, take a look at the
Ruger Mini-14... cheap option, but not a bad one. Some have
issues with reliability... some don't. If you have a good one -
its well worth it.
You got to love this. Microsoft says to Houston "Pay up
for Office XP" And Houston says "Uh, no. We're going to use
something different now."
Jan 21st, Tuesday:
Funniest movie I have seen a long time...
Look, I'm Mormon. I am totally Mormon. I even pay tithing.
But I can laugh at the Mormon thing... because we are a rather goofy
lot. But that's okay. The Singles Ward hits very close to
home. That's what makes it so freaking funny. I was
laughing out loud, and I don't do that a lot. This movie had me
rolling. Great film. The guys that made this one -
Brilliant! I'm going to have to buy this DVD.
Classic.
We are putting 6
carrier battle groups in the Gulf.
6!
That is a freaking Armada! Do you know how many ships are in just
1 group? Neither do I but it's alot... ;) Wow. 6 of
them. That's enough firepower level Iraq and anyone else in the
region who cries about it. Actually, that more than double the
firepower needed to do that. Hmmm... you know... that's also
enough for something else. You know how you play chess and
you put a Knight and a Bishop kinda over to the side of the action...
just waiting for the moment to strike? "Hey, North Korea! CHECK!
You fuckers."
18th, Saturday:
Combat Flight Simulator 3.
Multiplayer. Normally I don't like to play over the internet...
but I decided to dabble. I'm glad I did. Ran into a pilot
by the handle "Apple Pie" who was flying a Bf-109G to good effect.
He is a good pilot and was very skilled with his aircraft. We
traded punches for a few rounds and I have to admit, he got me more
than I got him. But I gave him a bloody nose for the honor.
One pass was a medium altitude flyby... I was flying my beloved Tempest
V with the 4 20mm cannons. Well he was about to flash past my
nose at a good 600 mph closing speed, crossing left to right. So
I kicked right rudder and squeezed the trigger. My cannons must
have hit his square in the tanks because he instantly exploded in a
ball of fire. Ouch. That was good shot! The Tempest
is a bigger and heavier fighter, so he was able to out turn me most of
the time. I was able to predict a few of his moves and have my
guns bearing on him when our vectors crossed again... but not often
enough. He could just turn inside me and nibble bits of my wings
off until I had no control surfaces left. Most of the time
I died because I was simply unable to turn out of an arch that had me
flying into a tree or a house or just simply the ground. I
was started to use a Spitfire that gave me a better dancer and I was
able to stick to his 6 like I was tied on. He had a couple
moves so I would lose him now and again. Anyways overall
that was a lot of fun. All I have to say is that he is
lucky I didn't have a Hawker Hurricane. LOL. I
hope to see him some time in the future... right under my gun sights.
Lots of fun.
FEARDOTCOM,
I guess this was supposed to be a scary movie or something. Didn't
really turn out that way. 2/3's of the way through it became tedious
and predictable. No surprises. You got to the point where your just
sitting there thinking, "Damn, I just wasted 4 bucks renting this
POS!" Oh well... When it comes to scary movies, they are all like
that. These guys tried to capture the same feeling as "The Cell"... But
without J-Lo's ass in a suit of armor. Me recommendation for a good
scary is Signs, or The Others. I am told by several that The Ring is a
must see. Well, they might be right... But I don't know... It's a
remake of a very popular film in Japan. So I guess it has potential.
5 sons. Did
you know I have 5 sons? Dayum! I had a vision of the future when
the boys are all teenagers... Frightening! I about had a panic attack
just thinking about it. Anyways, check this out, to feed this little
horde the most cost effective ways is to hit a buffet. So today we
stopped by a pizza-salad buffet to fill the boys up. While there we
noticed this old couple. Big fat people... Now, seriously, I have
nothing against overweight people. Live large if you like. But these
two took it to a whole new level. The people where obviously there for
some time before we arrived. Two people, 18 empty plates stacked in
front of them. After a few more slow waddles to the line and back,
each time the plates were piled with food.. The fellow took the stack
of plates and put them on another table. "Time to start over!" he
joked. The manager about feinted right there. France surrendered
again... Little children were frightened. Holy cow... That is so not
even funny. I'm not the skinniest of persons... But damn... Made me
never want to eat again! After the eats we went to the park to let the
horde run. They had fun.
My liver must
be acting up again. I feel like shit. Not only that, my left eye
keeps bleeding. What is up with that? I’m not going to bitch about my
health… but I have been better. I’ve been worse too… so I guess I am
just fine. But it’s funny to see people look at my eye and then blink
away. It’s pretty disturbing.
North Korea.
What a bunch of asshats. If I was China, and had those retards
next door... I would just squish them. But that is just me.
The more I read about NK, the less and less I like them. I have
nothing against Koreans... but I have a lot against The People Of North
Korea, and especially it's leadership. They are wanting to
nuke America. That's what they want. They don't want
to fight... they don't want to win anything... they just want to nuke
us. Fuck these guys. I say we should blow them back to the
stone age.
Jan 17th, Friday, 2003:
Observed:
A collection of car-nuts. All trying to look like extras of The Fast
and the Furious. Someone please tell me when a Honda Civic became a
performance car. It must have been some club or something. 30 some
cars of various tail-pipe diameters. And from what I could tell, there
was only one real sports car in the bunch... A Toyota Celica. It was
one of the late models with the power-ranger hood and a huge "Supra"
wing on the back. Now, don't get me wrong here... I respect and love
the Supra. And I respect and love these new Celicas... But these
Celicas are not Supras. Not by a long shot. Anyways, the other cars
were a generic mix of Civics and Neons with a CRX thrown in for fun.
The CRX was a neat little sports car in it's day, but now it's just out
classed. One car that was distinctly absent was the Prelude. You
would think that with all this Honda stuff rolling around, Honda own
sports car would be representing. I think it was in 1989 that I drove
each new performance car out on the market. Out of all of the I had 3
favorites. #3 was the Mitsu Conquest TSI, a turbo charged war-horse
with a tendency to over-steer like mad. Fun car. Blazingly fast. #2
was another Mitsu... The Eclipse. All wheel drive turbo goodness. You
could try all you wanted to break the tires loose. But all you would
break was your neck as the car would rather leap forward as if it was
an F-18 launched off an Aircraft Carrier. #1 was the Honda Prelude 2.0
Si. This car was slick in every aspect... The shifter was precise and
crisp. The quickness was on par with the most frisky of cars... But it
was the handling that really set it apart. It almost felt exotic.
Handled like a razor. Zero body-roll, zero under-steer, zero
over-steer... I could milk out every ounce of performance out of that
little car. Something you couldn't, do with the higher-powered TSI.
You see, it's not about how fast the car is, but how fast you can drive
it.
In the film
"Fellowship Of The Ring" we see Orcs climb up and down Sheer smooth
rock walls and pillars like roaches. Now, in "The Two Towers" we
see the orcish horde delayed by a simple castle wall. Why didn't the
orcs simply swarm over it? Yes, I know the soldier orcs were Uruk-hai,
a bigger and stronger species of orc... But if they knew they would
fight at such a place as Helms Deep, why didn't they bring a battalion
of the lesser orcs to breach the walls and open the gates? They could
have flowed over the wall like a stream of running water. Methinks the
Uruk-hai were not as smart as Sauruman would have liked.
I have heard
complaint that madogre.com hasn't been updated in two days.
Forgive me. I've much on my mind. There is much happening in my world
that I haven't explained. Gears turning like a giant machine... Lots
of little gears turning bigger ones... An engine if you will. Not sure
where this engine will take me. To Virginia? Maybe someplace else? I
do not know. I'm also looking at going back to school. But before I
do that, I need to decide on what I want to do when I grow up. I've
been trying to figure that one out for over 30 years. I feel like the
guy in "Office Space" when he was asked what he would do... No, not the
"Two chicks at the same time" guy - the other guy. "Nothing" is all I
can think of. I've done everything I've wanted to do since I was a
child.... Save being an Astronaut... And two chicks at the same time.
Now I am left with the mediocrity of both approaching middle age, and
the drudgery of everyday life.
I love the
wizard battle in LOTR... No magic beams or shit... Just some
serious ass whipping. I'd love to have that power the next time
someone bitches at me because the have an old laptop and I tell them
they can't put an AGP type graphics card in it.
Speaking of
Wizards... I hope Hollywood doesn't get the idea to do a spin-off
movie about Radagast. I am still reeling in pain from that
Scorpion King spin off... *shudder* Next Hollywood producer that does a
spin-off or a Part II that isn't a part of the real story; they need to
be stuck repeatedly about the head and shoulders with a large staff or
any handy plank of woof.
Jan 14th, Tuesday, 2003:
I just finished reading an interesting book.
"Snake Hips - Belly Dancing and How I found True Love" Written by
Anne Thomas Soffee. My newest Sister-In-Law. I picked up
the book earlier this evening and only now put it down... I stopped
reading at the Glossary. Anne is an interesting person. I
have only met her once. We all went shooting and then out to eat
at some curry joint. Good food and good company. I'd like
to do that again some day. Hopefully that will happen if I
am able to return to Virginia. The book is a good one.
Certainly better than the book I had been reading on my iPaq "Down and
Out in the Magic Kingdom". Anne has a unique style that
honestly reminds me a female Jack Kerouac. I can't describe
that exactly, but if you have read them both, you will know what I
mean. Couldn't put it down. My Brother is mentioned
and the way he was introduced had me rolling. Seems like
his new Father-In-Law had him pegged dead to rights, right off the bat!
LOL. I hope to see them in the not too distant future.
April-May, maybe?
Email
from Reader:
“Just wanted to comment on your
China posting. I
agree that China is going, and has been, a big thorn in our side. From
rumblings in Panama about Hutchinson-Wampoa running various utilities
for the canal, to Chinese assistance to Iraq, Iran, and Yugoslavia with
their air defense systems. Wherever we are involved, they seem to be
too. It may sound a bit paranoid, but I think China is plotting to
retake Taiwan, by using the simultaneous conflicts in Iraq and the
Koreas to distract us to the point where we cannot stand up to them.
They tested us with the Orion vs. fighter incident a while back. They
cheered when we were attacked by the Islamo-fascists, they were giving
aid to the Taliban, and to Pakistan. In fact, many believe Pakistan
owes its nuclear capability to China. Kind of like North Korea. I am
still very supportive of any action in Iraq. I think it is something
that needs to be done. And I think North Korea should be next. But we
also need to apply some heavy diplomatic pressure, behind the scenes,
to China. Yank Most Favored Nation status if N. Korea doesn't behave.
Impose sanctions and punishing tariffs on anything remotely related to
the ChiComs. Somewhere else to keep an eye on is South America. Brazil
just elected a rabid leftist, Columbia has been in a civil war for 25
years, Venezuela is basically a stooge of Cuba. All we need now is for
Mexico to fall into that sphere of influence and we are in serious
trouble.”
Thanks for the email. You gotta love the way we are deploying troops.
We are sending lots of people over there. But at that end, they are
not seeing a lot of people arriving. I think we may be holding troops
off in case we need to throw down with NK. If China does not tell NK
to shut the hell up, this situation could lead very quickly and easily
into WWIII. That’s not a joke. We punch NK, then China punches us,
and it’s on. China has been itching for a fight with the USA for
decades. They are just looking for a reason to throw down.
On
a lighter topic, check this out...
movies on the Pocket PC.
Full blown movies. How cool is that?
Jan 12th, Sunday, 2003:
I've been
quiet for awhile. Lots on my mind and very busy. There are far
too many things that weigh heavily on my mind for any light-hearted
dialog today.
Issue #1: W.
Looking at the President's plan to stimulate the economy... I'm no
account (maybe Correia could comment) but I think it's exactly what the
nation is needing. Removing taxes on dividends makes sense. This
could prompt more investments by Joe Lunchbox, or the companies could
just use the loopholes to reinvest back into the company. Either way,
we all win because your still throwing logs onto the fire. This really
could stimulate the economy and it could do it quickly. I see no
downside other than losing some revenue on the Federal level. I know
the States are bitching but the States are making there own tax laws
anyway so they should just shut up. Strong National economy means more
money for them anyways. Of course the biggest bunch of babies are the
Democrats. The just wish they thought of it first. They don't like
the idea of people with jobs, homes, and money. They want you
dependant upon them. If your doing well... Then you don't need them...
They lose control. It's all about power.
2: North Korea.
They have come right out and threatened the American People. The have
said they would turn the US into a sea of fire if we challenged them
about nuclear arms. NK has got to be the single most dangerous
country on the planet. Why? Because they give the finger to the rest
of the globe. They are flat out insane enough to do anything. They
also have a military machine that can allow them to throw some serious
punches. But it gets worse... Because NK is like a snotty ttle brother
to the real bruiser... China. China is crazy... But China is smarter.
China is waiting for a reason to jump into a fight. They wont throw
down without one - but they will fight. If we go toe to toe with NK,
we have got to be ready to deal with China. Here is the deal
though... The US is kicking some nuts over simple shadow threats and
suspicions... Yet we are almost ignoring NK's glove-slap. This can't
stand. I've discussed the China threat before... And had it was pretty
much ignored. China is a very real and very eminent threat. NK is
it's catalyst. NK is a that as well and I'm not trying to minimize
it... Those clowns are arming themselves with ICBMs and we are about
to have ourselves another cold-war missile crisis. How do you like
Reagan's Star Wars missile defense system now? People... A rack of
Patriots isn't going to stop a rain of MRV warheads. The answer to NK
isn't to ignore them, or to try swatting down nuke shots... NK needs a
very swift kick in the balls. Direct action via spec-ops on the ground
and in the air. I'm talking Seals and Delta to take out the sites.
Stealth bombers running in and squishing NK's air defense and
airbases.... B1 Lancers stabbing NK's military strength to the core...
B-52's carpet-bombing NK's army bases. Once we kick the legs out from
under them, then we can say "Now, what was that 'Sea of Fire' crack?"
We need to hit them first, we need to hit them hard. So hard,
that they are unable to hit back. Sun Tzu, Art of War. The
only problem with doing that is China. It's because of China that we
haven't done that yet.
#3: Mom & Dad.
They are coming out. Be here tomorrow as a matter of fact. I'm
looking forward to seeing them! I love my folks... My Momma is the
coolest. My Dad? Well, he's impatient and doesn't seem to like to
visit. So he is ready to roll in 20 minutes. We never talk, but
that's okay. I know he loves me, and he knows I love him. We just
don't talk because if we did it would just be all about regret and no
one needs that. It just goes unsaid. I think we both share a
understanding of that. They are both great people. Looking forward to
seeing them!
Jan 8th, Wednesday, 2003:
Forgive me for geeking out about a game again... but I have to.
I have mentioned before that I have been playing a bit of Microsoft's
Combat Flight Simulator 3. In it I have found what has fast
become my favorite aircraft.
The Hawker Tempest
V. Now, in earlier versions of the game, my favorite was
always the Hawker Hurricane. Here is why... it fights dirty.
The machineguns are only the little .303 British guns - but it has 8 of
them. The plane is excellent in medium to low altitudes where it
can out turn the better fighters... that on top of a very stable gun
platform allows you to do something very sweet. Slide in behind
your prey... unleash all 8 guns on the target... and swat it out of the
sky with one burst. YEAH! That is what I am talking about!
Now, the Tempest V is a much bigger and more powerful fighter... and
instead of 8 little .303 machineguns... it has four 20mm canons that
allow you to do swat down even the biggest and baddest of the German
air machines. One singe 20mm shell can shred a Bf109. And a
nice health burst will blow a Fw-190 out of the sky. It's not
just about the firepower... the Tempest V outclasses the FW-190 in
almost every way. You can stick behind a 190 like your it's
little brother and just wait till you line up that perfect shot and
blast it to bits without a wasted shell. Nice.
I have discovered a big improvement to CFS3 over the first one...
The AI. The enemy pilots are a hell of a lot smarter now.
They will trick you... they will dupe you... will get on your 6 like
they were tied to you... The Split S is your friend. The
Hammerhead turn is your friend. And the Rolling Reversal is
sometimes your only hope. The only part of the game they
didn't improve on was the AI of your fucking wingman... because that
guy is not your friend at all. Sometimes that bastard will go for
your target even if you are in the way. Hey buddy, thanks
for clipping my control lines to my right aileron! Friendly Fire,
isnt. Just wait till we land, bitch! Now,
there is another plane that attracts my attention... the Mosquito.
Not the normal one... but the one with the guns. Yeah... the
badass one. That plane is just awesome. Huge twin engines
and a light little airframe. The thing is sweet. The
position of the machineguns allow you to put a nice tight burst into
your adversary, and the speed and power allow you to get in and out of
the fight whenever you want. There is only one downside... no,
it's not the roll rate... it's the plane it's self. It's made of
wood. Just wood. It's a farking all wooden plane.
Wood and canvas. Like WWI. Yeah, it makes you cheaper and
lighter... and this is all fine and well until you take a hit.
Even a light hit can devastate you. A canon hit will finish you.
You can have a lot of fun... throw rocks at the bullies and then run
away and out pace them... but if they land a blow on you, your toast.
Back to the Hawker Tempest V. All around great fighter.
Heavy firepower, pumped up engine, great maneuverability, and good
visibility thanks to the clamshell canopy. Did I mention that
it's fast? The one thing that Microsoft's CFS series does is give
you a real feel for history.
"Reaching Newchurch
airfield at 480 mph I held "RB" down to 20 ft from the runway and then
pulled her up to a 60 ° climb holding it as the speed dropped slowly
off and the altimeter needle spun round the dial as if it were mad. At
7000 ft the speed was dropping below 180 mph and I rolled the Tempest
lazily inverted, then allowed the nose to drop until the horizon, at
first above my head, disappeared below (or rather above) the now
inverted nose, the fields and woods steadied into the centre of the
windscreen and then whirled around as I put the stick hard over and
rolled around the vertical dive. Steadying again I pulled out over the
tree tops at 500 mph, throttled back and pulled hard over towards the
airfield in an over-the-vertical climbing turn, lowering the wheels and
flaps in a roll as the speed dropped. What a magnificent aeroplane!
They could have all their Spitfires and Mustangs!" -
Roland Beamont
Field
Jacket.
Check this out… My normal jacket is a black suede leather jacket that
is softish and very comfy. I conceals very well, even my largest
handguns like an HK USP, 1911, or now my Beretta 92FS. Anyways… love
the jacket. This morning my boys messed it up a bit and I am going to
have to get it cleaned…. Looks like oatmeal. *sigh* Anyways, it was
cold this morning. My red windbreaker just wasn’t going to cut it. I
needed something warmer. My other black leather jacket would have been
fine but the zipper ripped out when I was fighting with Airline
Security on my last business trip… Okay, so it got snagged on something
and ripped it out when the jacket was passed through the X-Ray
machine. “FAA? Yeah, can you buy me a new jacket?” Anyways, so I
break out my old Army field jacket… Threw it on and went to work. This
little choice set me up all day for crap. No respect for service
time. None at all. I got some from the guys on my team… I have 2
service members on my team. But the other people at work… let’s just
put it this way, I’m never wearing that jacket again to work.
Fucking cake eating civilians.
I've been job
hunting pretty hard in Virginia via the net.
It's great - I can see all the positions and apply on-line or email
them my resume. The difficult thing though is the interview. I don't
know how I'll be able to interview. I'm not sure how this will work...
But I am absolutely certain that I need to be back in Virginia. The
question is how to get there. Unlike all the other movies in my life
- this isn't a pick up and go proposition. I now have a house full of
stuff. Just packing up a few bags and heading out is over. That's
the scary thing. I've always enjoyed the fact that I can move with
just 1 car load. Then now all the sudden I'll be lucky to move out
with just one truck load. "Family stuff" grows exponentially
multiplied times the number of family members. I remember a time
when everything I owned could be packed into two duffel bags.
That was great! So, you might guess that with a family of 7, we should
be able to do it in 14 duffels. No way. *sigh* Oh well... We do have
a lot of Cool things now... Nice biggish TV, a few computers, a really
cool clock that my bro Sage made for us, a table and some chairs, a
couple bunk-beds, a couple dressers, lots of clothes... And a whole
shit load of crap that could fill a barge. There is just way too many
unnecessary things in our house. If you haven't seen an item in over a
year... Yet you still have it.... Just pitch that shit and get rid of
it.
I'm really not an
environmentalist, but I do love nature.
I think everyone is at some level. I am growing concerned about Utah's
draught. This winter has seen hardly any snow... Not even on the
mountains. There will be very little run off to fill the lakes and
resviors. Deer Creek is almost empty. I've never seen it so low. We
needed a nice heavy snow pack this year and it never came. Now it's
too little - too late. It's going to be a very dry and hot year this
summer. Utah is screwed.
Jan 7th, 2003:
Virginia has been
on my mind a lot lately.
Today at work I bumped into a couple college girls from Richmond. They
even knew some of the same people I knew. Wow! Is that a sign or
what? There are a lot of cool thing in Virginia... History,
Character... Style that is in short supply here in Utah. Good gun
shops are in short supply too. I remember several killer shops... My
favorite was/is Greentop Sporting Goods on Rt. 1 north of Richmond and
south of Ashland. Great store. Those guys always took care of me.
Yes, I finally archived the month of December... Your welcome.
Applications
for Pocket PC:
Boy… there is a lot of shit out there. No, I’m not meaning a lot of
stuff… I mean a lot of shit. There are very few applications and games
out there for the Pocket PC that are worth downloading. What’s worse
is that most of them you have to pay for only to find out that they
totally suck.
I've been troubled.
This possible war with Iraq is hitting very close to home. A very
good friend of ours is being deployed. Reports are coming in from
other sources of more deployments. There are chartered commercial
aircraft awaiting loading for troopers on the way over there...
It's happening. This is real. America is at WAR
again. The shooting just hasn't started yet. My friend was
here on my couch calling his attorney getting his will and all those
documents squared away. Not cool. I also have family that is
deployable and more good friends that are getting ready for it as well.
Email from Reader: "Reading
your entry today about your son's silver streak brings back fond
memories. My first was a blue streak- also .20 cal. , and that was
about 25 years ago- seems like yesterday. Target practice, hunting
squirrel and doves in the foothills of the mighty blue ridge etc...
Anyway , your website and links are thoroughly enjoyable. Hope you keep
it up. Don't particularly care if God kills a kitten, but if you have a
drop box, I'd be glad to contribute (modestly) to your cause. And again
thanks for the info on the molon lave hat maker. Take care."
Thanks for the email, Rule. Paypal to
ogre@madogre.com is my drop box
for contributions. The Blue Streak is pretty much the same rifle,
just, er... blued. I used to hunt squirrels in the Blue Ridge
with an air rifle... one I have never seen since I sold that one I had.
Folding stocked, pistol gripped, single stroke pump-cocking.
(Damn that sounds obscene!) it had a peephole sight, and was in a
camouflaged pattern. Cool rifle. Wish I still had it.
It was only .117 but the velocity was very high and the accuracy was
unbelievable. Airguns can and always will be seriously fun.
Scorpion King. That
movie was a horrible pile of shit. Cheesy, cliché filled vomitous
sack of crap. Uh... but it has an upside. Some seriously
hot scantily clad ladies! Woo Hoo!
Jan 5th, 2003:
Kade has grown to the age where he is ready for his first rifle.
Good Comrade Steve came across a pellet rifle from a family rental
property in California. He gave it to me for the purpose of
gifting it to Kade when he was ready. Well, truth was, he has
been ready for awhile now. I had been wanting to get him a
certain rifle... I had a one many moons ago for the purpose of
eliminating pigeons. The one I had was CO2 powered, but it could
only get off about 15 shots per cartridge. So I was looking
around for a pump version. It's called the "Silver Streak" and it
is a very handsome pump gun. Very powerful too. Well, for
an air rifle. .20 caliber, 600+ FPS. That isn't too shabby.
This is what Steve just happened to come across. Thanks Steve.
Kade was BEAMING. This was a special moment that I will not
publish... Let's just say that I was filled with love and pride.
This Sunday was very
calm and peaceful believe it or not. I picked up a few DVD
rentals and we are watching movies and chilling out. Oh, Thanks
to Steve one more time for figuring out our set top DVD player and why
it wasn't playing. Excuse me, but I'm going to watch The Scorpion
King. Have yet to see it.
Last night I picked up
a Microsoft Sidewinder joystick. Then I realized, I no longer
have any games that use a joystick. Crap. Okay, long
story... my old stick, a Wingman Digital Extreme freaked out on me.
Well, I bagged the stick and gave away the games. Then I break
out with CFS3 and dig the stick out... not much fun flying without a
rudder. So I lose the stick and CFS3. So then I have the
chance to pick up a new stick because a fellow at work owes me a favor
and does me a favor in return and buys me a joystick... a Cyberman Gold
or something. Rudder control and programmable buttons... would be
perfect for a flight sim game. So I bring it home... damn thing
wont install. I tried all the different ways and everything...
the stick just doesn't install. Doesn't work. So I take it
back and am looking at the other options... I decide to go with the
Sidewinder. It may be microsoft and evil, but damn if it doesn't
work. I plugged it into the USB and BANG! The thing
installs instantly and perfectly. I didn't have to do a damned
thing. Not even calibrate it. Microsoft does have it's
advantages. I am sure there are some people out there that would
say the other options are better.... but those "Better Options" require
a lot more effort to get to work don't they? Not worth it.
It's just a damned Joystick. I'm now looking for a no cd crack
for CFS3.
Jan 3rd, 2003:
Ghost Recon
has got to be one of the finest games out there... Yet it falls
very short in any popularity contests. When talking to "Gamers" they
generally didlike it because it's too slow. Not enough finger-muscle
twitching I guess. This is funny to me because I consider
Counter-Strike to be much too fast. It's even funnier when the Gamers
say the word "Realistic". First off a Gamer wouldn't know reality if
it walked up to them and handed them a live Grenade... Secondly,
Counter-Strike isn't even close to real. Ghost Recon was developed
with a lot of research when it comes to speed and timing. This is very
important to a guy like me. A guy that has been there and done that...
With full gear, ruck, and weapon load. Running 400 meters and then
climbing an 80 foot ladder in under 10 seconds is just not going to
happen... But in CS it can. Mind you, Ghost Recon isn't perfect
either... But it is a good game. Well, maybe not game... more like a
squad-based-tactical-simulation. I find the difficulty to very
challenging. You have to use a great many more brain-cells to win GR
or RS than it does to win any Half-Life or Quake III type game. Okay
maybe not. Maybe, I just like a more cerebral game. Or maybe
Counter-Strike/Quake III players are just really wussy and can't hang
with the Big Dogs.
Robo-Grip.
I've always liked Bob Vila... You know him from the "THIS OLD HOUSE"
series... Where he goes in to some old crap-hole house and rebuilds it
from the inside out. Yeah, that guy. Pretty good with the tools,
right? You would think so. Well, that's what I used to think too. Or
at least I did until I picked up a set of "Robo-Grips". These are
basically a kind of self adjusting pliers... You can see them
advertised all over the TV. Well I was in a store, saw them and
thought, "Bob Vila recommends them." You know, these damn things just
don't work. I've tried them on many a project and find that they are
never the right tool for the job... Never once did they cut the
mustard. Okay, maybe they are not real "Robo-Grips" and just some
no-name Chinese knock-offs, but still... They should still be able to
do something, right? I blame Bob Vila for this. It's his fault. He
is the guy that sold me on this self-adjusting pliers concept that I
dropped twenty bucks on. Fucking Bob Vila.
Job Hunting in Virginia... I am feeling an even greater pull back
to the East Coast. Maybe it's just a craving for real sea-food
from the Chesapeake... maybe it's just homesickness... or maybe karma
is telling me that I need to just be there. I don't know.
But I am looking for the chance to head out there again. I miss
Vitos and that little sandwich shop there in Ashland... oh, and
GREENTOP sporting goods on Rt 1. And that little BBQ shack right
there... Yeah... that would be awesome.
Jan 2nd, 2003:
I've been
following the OSX forX86 rumor mill since the beginning. I hope it
comes out soon. If it did... I'd swap OS's in an instant. Here is why
- I've had yet again another "BSOD" in Windows XP. And in XP it's a
serious thing... It means your OS is categorically fucked. Right now,
I can't even reload Windows. Hell, I can't even load Mandrake Linux!
Shit - Damn - Hell! Okay, maybe this had nothing to do with
Windows... originally. Maybe this had something to do with me bumping
up the voltage on the front side bus and then some other shit went down
and now my pc is fucked. But this couldn't have been the result of
anything I did... This has to be a Windows problem! Fucking Windows.
I've played
with OSX.2 (Jaguar) for a while and find it to be an almost perfect
operating system. I think I'll switch as soon as I can.
Anyways, enough of my bitching about computers. Any computer issue I
have is generally quickly sorted out since I work with 4 smegging
brilliant computer techs. Anyway.
Okay, it turns
out my Mo-Bo was okay, I just found that my setting for my voltage was
too high by a large margin. I stumbled on that revelation when I
noticed that my dip-switches where out of place. “Oh, look at this.
That doesn’t look right.” Flip flip… “Now, let’s see what that did.
Yup. Man, nothing can make a guy feel like a dumbass more than a
computer! At least I found that myself and not one of my techs! Then
I would have REALLY felt like an idiot! Still… OSX for PC’s and I’m
all over it.
New Years Day
was long and slow and I am just happy it’s over. The day after was
the same, just not quite as pleasant. I have a few resolutions for the
next year:
-
Brutal Honesty
in every day life. If I don’t like you… I’m just telling you. Fuck
you. I already don’t like you… why would I care if I hurt your
feelings? If I like you… that’s nice… now just shut up and stay out
of my way and maybe I won’t put you on the Ogre Fecal Roster.
-
I need to
improve MadOgre.com’s Quality… I need to do better. More comment on
the current events of the nation instead of my immediate life. I owe
that to my loyal readers.
-
More gratuitous
self-promotion. Hey, no one else is going to do it… might as well be
me, you know? Besides, if you want something done right…
-
Spend more
quality time with my boys… Saturday will be Boy’s Day. In that same
vein… spend more quality time with Mrs. Ogre. She is a good woman
and more worthy of my attention than any of you assholes!
-
Work on my
books more often. Pay more attention to those details and get
something published in a hard cover instead of in periodicals or Net.
I reinstalled Ghost Recon. This time I am
going through it with a tougher goal. Not just to not lose a man, but
not to even take a hit. In the whole team. No one catches one. Oh,
and the setting is on VETERAN. Pretty dang hard. But more
satisfying. Ghost Recon is a great game... I just wish it had more
weapon choices.
January 1st, 2003:
Happy New Year everyone.
2002 has been a very odd year. Looking back it had more ups and
downs that I care to recall.
Viking Kitties put to Led
Zeppelin. I don't know... but the song is cool.
Warning, do not sip any beverage just before before clicking that link.
Got some
feedback on my last post there about Star Wars. Hmmm... You would
think I had gone out of my way to kick your dog. Geeze, what a bunch
of freaking cry-babies. And hey, I never said Padme was ugly... no.
She is very shagadelic. It's just her voice is as grating to my ears
as "Gothic Death Metal". You have to admit that the Young Lord Vader
was a pussy and needed a good New York Pimp Slap. Crying about "It's
not fair!" Please! It is FAIR - it's called paying your dues and
earning you rank and seniority. It's also called giving respect to you
peers and associates and elders. Too bad Lucas can't figure that
out. That kind of thing is all over LOTR... And respect for women
to. Almost every women in Tolkien's world is damn near a goddess.
Each one is practically worshipped. I like that. Chivalry... You
don't see that very much any more. Do you see it in Star Wars? No?
What do you see? How about a country bumpkin getting the hots for his
sister? Yup... Star Wars is a great film... Yeah right.
I've played MS
Combat Flight Simulator 3 today. I have to admit the graphics are
trying to be spectacular.. Trying to be something they are not. This
results in generally poor system performance. I don't think the
graphics are any better than the first CFS which ran just fine on my
older machine that was more than twice as slow as my current machine.
Go figure. There are a couple cool things about CFS3... But I'm not
sure if they are even worth mentioning. Overall I am just
disappointed. Not just in the game... My Logitech Digital Wingman
Extreme is pitching a fit. The stick wont hold a neutral position and
the rudder keeps flapping side to side. So I had to disable the rudder
and fly without it. Not easily done. Especially during a fight... Or
even just during a takeoff. Landing? Just bail out over your home
base. Don't worry about your plane... They will build you a new one.
Between stick issues and graphics performance issues, I really didn't
have a good experience with CFS3. Of course the last time I played
CFS online, I was shot down by a pair of TIE Interceptors... And that
was now fun either. There is a rumor that MS FLIGHT SIMULATOR can
earn you points applicable to your private pilots license. That's
cool! But can time in CFS earn you credit towards a seat in the AIR
FORCE? I want to fly an A-10! hmmm maybe I would have liked it
better if I had a better stick. I'll keep an open mind about it.
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Copyright G H Hill 1999-2012
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