tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30891390185637758082024-02-07T16:24:10.366-08:00Curiosities that haven't killed me just yetKen Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-30105158378580839272019-07-19T08:54:00.001-07:002019-07-19T08:54:48.735-07:00Axe Throwing PhysicsI touched on a previous <a href="https://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2019/07/my-journey-into-axe-throwing.html">post</a> about physics in axe throwing and how empirical data is very different. The first issue I have with articles I've read leads to an interesting conclusion that that axe velocity doesn't have an impact and that the rate of speed and rate of spin are two different and independent forces. While it was possible to lob the axe quickly without spin, trying to spin the axe quickly without affecting velocity was a fruitless effort. There were assertions made as fixed constants for unknown or flexible variables including distance, axe orientation (90 degrees to the floor) and that every axe sticks in the board. The assertions aren't accurate representations since ideal landing is the top edge of the blade, while distance is relatively fixed between fourteen to sixteen feet, it doesn't account for taking a step, and we have all had our share of drops and know that sticking it in the board isn't a guarantee. As we become experienced we become able to manipulate our throw to accommodate a variety of variables for an ideal stick in the board, but physics suggests otherwise.<br />
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There are two camps of thoughts on how an axe rotates according to physicists. Camp A asserts that the largest mass being the axe head will predominantly influence the spin in an uneven arch that's off-axis, and the second the axe finds an equilibrium somewhere between mass, length, and energy with energy separately defined between velocity and rate of spin. The distance being minuscule the attrition of energy from other factors are entirely discounted. The biggest problem for both camps is incomplete data. There are a lot of assertions made that doesn't even take into account board density, newness, moisture level. There are numerous variables either wholly ignored or treated as constants that unilaterally apply to all throwers like arm length, height, force, axe weight, and axe length. Environmental conditions aren't even considered. The damning conclusion from both is that if the axe is held lower on the handle that the rate of spin increase. This doesn't align to empirical testing and leads question the validity of their initial calculations. There was one interesting observation that proved true, and that's thrower height. The observation of their data suggests that the taller the thrower, the slower the spin that necessitates greater distance. To test this I took the giant throwing and what do you know? I also interviewed coaches on the topic and field data suggests this observation be true.<br />
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After reading a lot of about axe throwing physics, comparing my own empirical testing, and my own math, I conclude that this is bananas, that at every iteration I find my solution incomplete because of the lack of data. It's not that science isn't a great approach, I simply don't have the appropriate equipment to measure things that I would need to measure nor a facility to have repeatable results. Can I speculate on the topic along with some science? Sure. But so far old fashioned tried and true, just throw it and get at it has proven to be the best teacher. With this final conclusion, I won't include any science in this writing as the data collection is incomplete and immature, but welcome any comments and happy to speculate on data to collect with those looking to try. For a primer on the topic to those curious but unfamiliar, read up on rotational motion of a rigid body, much of which is based on constant angular acceleration.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-75644536724924241402019-07-17T07:30:00.001-07:002019-07-24T10:03:31.396-07:00Advancing Axe Throwing TechniqueThese observations and opinions are from my own experience and in no way definitive. As I continue to learn and grow in the sport of axe throwing, I plan to come back here and share new tips, techniques, and ideas since anything past the basics is a scarce topic. Let's dissect and talk through the various components of an axe throw and where better to start than the grip. The throw that I've developed over the course of my first season is a one-handed throw with a Canadian pinch for the grip. The Canadian pinch was popularized by our northern brethren by the likes of Straun and Julio. They've sorted out that in order to have a consistent release it is important to minimize contact surface between hand and grip without sacrificing articulation. The result is a three-fingered grip between thumb, index and middle that pinch the handle with the majority of the weight resting in the palm. The Canadian pinch as seen in the pics below showing what the normal full grip looks like, but demonstrating how it is supported by three fingers by releasing ring and pinky that results in a clean release with finesse and accuracy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitiCj1jc3MzkFpv-n5ufFci-o9QU01U055aObhX86sVHNs-DMk10IQc7-Vn0X3IQxMJqE0oLsGZZXPPeIIbDmomRdrhaEbMzxPOB_yqMNB2skSNMjhVPhjx8JfIelEv1CYCsdZ18V1nw/s1600/canadian_pinch_3finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitiCj1jc3MzkFpv-n5ufFci-o9QU01U055aObhX86sVHNs-DMk10IQc7-Vn0X3IQxMJqE0oLsGZZXPPeIIbDmomRdrhaEbMzxPOB_yqMNB2skSNMjhVPhjx8JfIelEv1CYCsdZ18V1nw/s400/canadian_pinch_3finger.jpg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtuilefbqJwX4bWyy0qXVBlAZ6LcGz2jXbGrfu0v2VY7J0HhQDqsypkLtERuhmzj3hfBqvoR9T3HhjJwKJS0cGSMsLzBNEVc4damT9Drz2mdfPlsHCfsT7Z95AsN-g7Pigsyo6kiUyT4/s1600/canadian_pinch_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtuilefbqJwX4bWyy0qXVBlAZ6LcGz2jXbGrfu0v2VY7J0HhQDqsypkLtERuhmzj3hfBqvoR9T3HhjJwKJS0cGSMsLzBNEVc4damT9Drz2mdfPlsHCfsT7Z95AsN-g7Pigsyo6kiUyT4/s400/canadian_pinch_full.jpg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
It's hard to discuss grip without talking about the handle and I'd like to circle back to how my handle length, size, and profile iterated to where it is today. When I began throwing I gripped with my thumb wrapped around like handling a hammer. I throw an Axe Gang and it comes with a straight handle that's cut and shaped on the bigger side as a square with very rounded corners. It was cut down to fifteen inches and I kept scraping the blade side of the butt of the handle, causing it to skip off the target before landing. To address this issue I cut a thirty-degree bevel on the problem area of the handle which was well highlighted by the amount of paint picked up from the scrapes. While there was a reduction in handle scrape, it wasn't entirely eliminated and after trying out other thrower's axes I cut mine down to thirteen and a half inches from eye to heel for additional clearance. The change in length also means a faster spin from a change in rotational mass (the one part of the physics everyone agrees on) that enabled me to stand closer. It worked ok for me, but when I started developing my throw I realized that common mistakes like the handle slipping out of my hand came from the straight handle that's unforgiving for a pinch type grip. <br />
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It was around this time that I bought two more Axe Gangs with the intention of experimenting with different handles. I bought a couple of handles off of Amazon but they arrived with the eyes cut facing the wrong direction, making them useless. Not wanting to wait and take a chance on another set of handles and figuring that the stock handle has plenty of material, I decided to re-profile it. I drew on the handle with a grease pencil until I was satisfied with the curve and started shaping the handle with a random orbit sander, stopping to check with a simple grip and feel and kept going until it felt 'right'. When I finished what I didn't expect was how the change in ergonomics impact the balance of the axe and thus the perceived weight. To be clear, it was a .02oz difference between starting and ending weight, but the perceived weight felt lighter by pounds. I iterated over three axes, adjusting size and profile after each throw to land on the profile that I liked best. Through this process, I discovered between optimal grip and release that sanding past 120~150 grit makes the handle too smooth. Length of 13 3/8" is ideal for me and helped me win my first league playoff. Above all, it fixed the straight handle issue where the curved profile mitigates the axe from slipping out of a pinch grip. <br />
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The handle was initially finished with tung oil but found that it wasn't water-resistant enough (I sharpen on a wet stone) and switched to an old school clothespin finish made of boiled linseed oil (wood conditioning), pure gum spirits (keeps mixture pliable), and beeswax (water resistance). If you want to make a batch, be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area, and be aware that the materials you'll work with are highly combustible with low ignition temperatures. The ratio is 1oz beeswax, 2tbsp each oil and spirits. You need to melt the beeswax first either over a candle warmer or in a double boiler. Keep in mind the melting temp is around 135~145F and anything higher you'll discolour the wax with a flashpoint of around 200F. Once the wax is fully melted keep on the heat and slowly pour in as you mix the oil than spirits until completely mixed. Let cool and solidify to a paste before use. When using a little goes a long way, put it on overnight wipe off the excess in the morning. <br />
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The top picture is the profile I regularly throw. The second pic shows the first axe in front but across slight variations during my experimentation, and that's @mostinterestingchiweenie in the background photobombing like a pro<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWsxZu4EMgOOiFq4cgi9wEK0Pt9RebhNOxnd4vD9OaHAMeRJxWk3RUrrVWJiIwtiYNSw3V0h_Ag-HtXL-SvEuwTrdFCBjOtbA4dUTVbL-M3cwiw6uOOJRMdMSTTzv4EFp66Dz4CRfiiU/s1600/axe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWsxZu4EMgOOiFq4cgi9wEK0Pt9RebhNOxnd4vD9OaHAMeRJxWk3RUrrVWJiIwtiYNSw3V0h_Ag-HtXL-SvEuwTrdFCBjOtbA4dUTVbL-M3cwiw6uOOJRMdMSTTzv4EFp66Dz4CRfiiU/s400/axe1.jpg" width="400" height="400" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfkluKxzFVTYC7H1Ah6VPoPirEG76rTJm3EkNpSbvFw9hQNbqijbYbYGBbRp_rocAmHC7OQYdE10QXexCWpJMynaBr1pFbj6890-cdtB-BWCIGWnDtB_ZEtcrm1vfW-xNZS50JXb7XI0/s1600/three_handles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfkluKxzFVTYC7H1Ah6VPoPirEG76rTJm3EkNpSbvFw9hQNbqijbYbYGBbRp_rocAmHC7OQYdE10QXexCWpJMynaBr1pFbj6890-cdtB-BWCIGWnDtB_ZEtcrm1vfW-xNZS50JXb7XI0/s400/three_handles.jpg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
Knowing where you stand in relation to the black line is key to a consistent starting point and distance. NATF allows your leading foot anywhere past, on, or behind the black line so long as one foot is completely behind. When I began throwing I picked the distance that naturally gave me one rotation which was at the black line and didn't take a step. One of the coaches at Urban Axes Boston, Travis mentioned to me that the ability to take a step means being able to close the distance to the target. This is an interesting strategy where the NATF rules stipulate that taking a single step during the motion of the throw is allowed so long as the player doesn't cross the fault line. The strategy enables me to close the distance from around fourteen feet down to maybe eight feet, that is a 57% change in distance, more if you take a bigger step. Closer to the bullseye, easier the reach. So I began practising, trying to close that distance. Changing the distance with a step impacts the available rotational distance and it required me to adapt and change my throw. Initial feedback from my coaches helped immensely. As I accumulated experience I became able to identify my own faults and make adjustments as necessary. I ended up with my leading foot around halfway on the black line vs one foot over to favour the ability to land the axe with the top edge of the blade consistently. <br />
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I've been throwing one-handed my entire throwing career and began varying my axe starting position as I evolved my throw. I originally held the axe ninety degrees to the floor and as I closed the distance with a step, I defaulted back to other analogues like shooting where I began pointing the axe at the target that changed my starting index to a forward tilt. The reason for the forward tilt was to emulate pointing at the target. In shooting a base premise to understanding your natural point of aim derives from the concept that where you point your finger is where your pistol is pointed. In speed draw I index my trigger finger parallel to the barrel for two reasons, first to ensure my finger doesn't land on the trigger during the draw (safety first!), and second to be able to point at the target and have the barrel naturally align before engaging the trigger. The drawback to throwing this way is that I noticed my recoil to throw increasing and going past my line of sight. When I say recoil in the context of axe throwing I mean to describe the amount the arm moves the axe back to throw. I wanted to increase the economy of motion and I went back to watching the Straun vs Julio final match from the 2019 NATC. Not only did I notice that they have a small economical motion to their throw, but I also noticed that they both start with their axe tilted back towards them. I began experimenting with this and made a couple of interesting observations. First, it reduces the recoil and increase the economy of motion and second, it became possible to keep the axe throw in my line of sight. Having the throw in-line of sight means being able to see wrist orientation, release point, and trajectory that provide real-time feedback. I realize right away if I'm dipping my shoulder down where my axe lands in the three-ring, or tell at release if my wrist was tilted and may have a negative impact against a new board. I practised this throw repeatedly and is how I threw through in my playoffs to a win.<br />
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Here you can see Straun (right) and Julio (left) who came up throwing together and have a nearly identical throw starting the finals match at NATC 2019 (Starts around 2:55:00), watch the masters of this throw themselves where they regularly hit 81s<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qwysj1u3tEA?start=10529" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Starting axe/hand height has a significant impact on where the axe lands. I realized that if I line up for a throw and stay too relaxed I hold the axe where the head is about chin height and I will under throw the bullseye in this position. I raise my axe to about eye level for my throw, which is similar to the NATC footage between Straun and Julio above. The height isn't absolute and is relative, but I've found that with the change in axe/hand height I feel my trajectory is less like an arch and more direct and straight which greatly improves my bullseye accuracy. I can also feel if it's throwing like an arch or right at the bullseye which informs me if I am holding too low. Along with this subject comes aim. Conceptually easy to understand, but when asked what people are aiming at, the answer suggests an area, not a precise place. In shooting, there's a saying; aim small, miss small. I don't just aim for the bullseye ring, I aim for a specific spot, usually dead centre of the bullseye. A great practice is to put a dot in the centre of the bullseye with a marker and throw till you can consistently split the dot (thanks @axcellentabby for this awesome practice!).<br />
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On the topic of aim, I feel it's a rare case but have seen folks sight and line up with just one eye and feel that sighting should be mentioned, especially on the topic of using both eyes. I get that TV and movies tell us a very different thing about aiming with one eye, but it is less than beneficial. This reminds me of a lesson from shooting where it's important to shoot with both eyes open, and axe throwing is no different. There are many reasons that shooting with one eye open isn't optimal, but the main drawback is that we are used to stereoscopic vision; two competing yet similar sight of the same object that is coalesced as a single image by our visual cortex that excerpt additional information like distance and depth. When you sight in your axe, resist the urge to close one eye as it will be a disadvantage, especially if you don't know which eye is the dominant eye. I'm fortunate and am right eye and right hand dominant. I know people that are cross-eye dominant where your dominant eye is opposite your dominant hand. Watch the short video below to determine which eye is dominant, what I find interesting is the amount of drift people experience between left and right eye. I have a mild drift in my left where I know people that have nearly none to it's so exaggerated they wonder how they see straight at all. These factors can be mitigated in axe throwing by simply sight and throw with both eyes open.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Gbkca4RM-4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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A thing that's rarely touched on is what your form looks like when completing the throw. @axcellentabby got her axe name, the flamin flamingo because she completes her throw with one leg up. As I evolved my throw I started unintentionally flamingoing. There's even footage from the 2019 NATC where Straun can be seen flamingoing a little bit as well. At first, like Abby, I became a little conscious of this and tried not to but doing so had a negative impact on my throw. With anecdotes and advice from Abby, I decided to embrace it as she had since it doesn't negatively affect my throw. During my practices, one of the things I practice is timed throwing where I count hoe many clutches I can throw in three minutes (thanks Travis for this awesome practice!). The practice is meant to shut down your brain and stop overthinking your throw and it was during one of these drills I discovered why I flamingo: forward momentum. The faster I threw, especially when I have both lanes to myself and don't have to wait to get my axe, I realized that my stride to doesn't break between throw and walk and in fact is in direct line with my normal stride. When I was able to essentially keep walking through my throw (still releasing at the NATF mandated one step, but kept walking through to the next step after release) I wasn't flamingoing (oh verb weirding) because I was able to keep my forward momentum and that I flamingo in an effort to redirect energy from my forward momentum to stop at one step. So if you flamingo, don't worry, some of the best throwers in the world do and doesn't hurt your throw!<br />
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The release has two components to it, when and where you release the axe during the throw and how you release the axe. The point of release during the throw is a nebulous topic that I don't frankly have a go-to answer for as it depends on how a person is throwing in relation to where the axe is going. How it's release however is a topic that can be covered, specifically the order of operation for your fingers and axe orientation. For the sake of clarity, I'll refer to point of release as release-p and how it's released as release-g. What the Candian pinch forces is proper release-g, meaning that the process should start from your pointer finger. Most sports teach the opposite where your pinky if at all involved gets out of the way first. Pick up something and toss it in the air, what finger do you release last? If you throw it straight in the air, it feels like it's simultaneous, but if you try purposefully adding spin you'll likely drag your middle and pointer fingers to affect the necessary force for the spin. In axe throwing, we don't want roll or yaw, just pitch. If you're a new thrower experiencing a throw where the axe is reaching the board, but landing with the blade facing sideways, try thinking about releasing from the top (pointer finger) to bottom (pinky) to eliminate unwanted yaw to the throw.<br />
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<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/VHkXpQrXzsznXkmyXd" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/pitch-roll-yaw-VHkXpQrXzsznXkmyXd">via GIPHY</a></p><br />
Between our skeletal structure and muscle orientation, it's unnatural to throw the axe completely straight and will be something that will require practice to overcome. The benefit of throwing it parallel to the wood grain is an increased chance of the axe sticking by following the natural grain. You have three components of your skeletal structure to consider, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The muscles around your shoulder want to naturally pull your arm across your body (think about how a baseball pitch completes) and this is something that can negatively influence roll and yaw. The Canadian pinch is designed to isolate the shoulder as much as possible while predominantly relying on the elbow for force and wrist for pitch, but it's still possible to add unwanted roll if your elbow is off-axis and is important to keep the elbow directly in line with your axe. The wrist is the weakest join in the throwing chain but can influence the throw most and if unstable would consider exercise to strengthen.<br />
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Let's talk about the elephant in the room, how to throw a clutch. A tip that @axcellentabby shared with me was to raise my axe higher than my normal throw to better align with the clutch. The moment she said it, it was one of those statements that made so much sense and was so obvious after the fact, that I don't know how I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me. How much you raise the axe is personal preference, I started out very exaggerated raising it and since found a comfortable middle ground. One of the fortunate side effects of iterating my throw is that my clutch throw isn't all that different compared to my regular throw. The a-ha moment came when I was drilling clutch throws and during the speed drilled, another observation I made was that the economy of motion is important. My normal throw isolates my shoulder and leverages the elbow for velocity and wrist for pitch. My clutch throw is just that, isolate the shoulder, use the elbow and keep the wrist straight. The economy of motion has really helped my clutch percentage and it was this throw method that helped me win my league championship with a clutch. <br />
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A slight change in throw for the clutch is normal. I've tried no tilt back with the axe staying perpendicular to the floor and keep throwing motion above me, tile back and recoil past my head (per recommendation from Andrew at Half Axe, Marlborough), change in distance, etc. I'm still experimenting and dialling in my clutch throw. There is another strategy I've considered and that's using a clutch specific axe. While the NATF stipulates qualities necessary for an axe to be used within the NATF regulations, there is nothing stating that a player can't switch axes mid-game. This is something that I haven't seen anywhere yet, but have contemplated if there are benefits to this or not. For example, being a thrower slightly under six feet of height may mean that I am at a disadvantage compared to taller throwers who are closer to the clutch by height alone. There may be a potential strategy where a longer handle may yield positive results by having the axe blade closer in line to the clutch. I don't yet know if this is true as it is strictly a hypothesis at this point. <br />
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My nerdy self with my trophy and the championship-winning clutch right above me!<br />
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Above all else, practice. Repetition is what creates muscle memory and begin to be able to understand where your own throw may be off. One of the things I came to learn after developing muscle memory is when I feel like I am overreaching on my throw. At first, I just thought that I had a bad throw, but come to discover another interesting thing is that the black line may not be even to one another in the same arena. The black line is measured from the backboard and is 170" away, that's around fourteen feet. The black line is ten inches wide and is 52 inches long, or about four and a quarter feet. We make an assumption that all buildings are perfectly square with straight walls, and that the backboards are all the exact same depth...but none of these assumptions is true. Add to those variables that it's measured by human hands using tape measures where if the tape measure pulled at the tab or not can drift up to a quarter-inch pending how loose the rivet is, and if the tape was drawn perfectly perpendicular to what is likely an uneven surface as a point of reference. This means that the black line may be at, or slightly forward or back of the fourteen-ish feet. It was this observation that made me pay attention to feeling like I was overextending and if I was, it was more likely the fact that I am just a little too far away, even if my foot placement on the black line is consistent. I realize that this contradicts the earlier statement of knowing where you stand, but it isn't it's an evolution in understanding precisely where to stand based on feedback from my throw. This is why practice throws are super important, and if you aren't used to throwing in a given arena, take the time to throw at every lane to learn if there may be a need for small adjustments to foot placement. Another key element for me was concentrating on one thing and making small changes. Don't try to make all the changes at once, get perfect on one thing, and then move on to the next. <br />
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Once I was able to throw from muscle memory, the hardest part was developing my mental game. I've found that I sabotage myself more than anything else when I start to overthink my throw, let's say it's fourth throw and I've been throwing fives and all I need is this bulls and then a clutch for a 27...I already failed myself by concentrating on the outcome and forgetting about the process, the throw before me at that moment. Sports psychology is a whole other topic and well established by professionals in the field who's advice and strategy helped me win my playoffs on my rookie season. The two articles that helped most are '<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201202/sports-5-ps-the-big-game-0">Sports: The 5 Ps for the Big Game</a>' by Dr. Jim Taylor and 'F<a href="http://www.sportpsychologytoday.com/youth-sports-psychology/five-components-of-mental-preparation/">ive Tips for Mental Preparation</a>' by Mike Edger. I've also received amazing advice from Shane 'snapshot' Shep who's currently ranked number in Massachusetts. He asked me how I was feeling before my playoff and I said a little nervous, but that I was trying to reign that into something positive and he said that this sport isn't about throwing against another person, but against yourself. Best of all, those boards down there don't heckle you. Another piece of sage advice came from Travis to only think about the throw at hand, that the last throw, good or bad it doesn't matter. To don't let a 'bad' throw shake you. The ability to focus on the task at hand is critical. I stayed in A bracket for m playoff and lost the first round and without having a strategy in place for adversity and to remind myself to focus, I wouldn't have pulled off the win. I clearly remember throwing the last clutch that I wasn't thinking about how this is the game-winning throw, or that I need this clutch to close it out. I only thought about where I stand, and how I've thrown this before and know that I can hit the clutch whenever I wanted.<br />
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I'm curious to hear from other throwers and coaches of their thoughts, opinions, and experiences. I also like to invite physicists and mathematicians on narrowing what variables to collect for a complete set of data. Please comment and share as I hope to have this as a living document as I have found scarce information on advanced technique in axe throwing, only the basics of how to throw an axe.<br />
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-23850966171417028532019-07-10T08:52:00.000-07:002019-07-17T07:47:37.978-07:00My journey into Axe ThrowingIn March of 2019 my bestie organized her father's birthday that included a variety of activities that culminated at Urban Axes Boston located in Somerville MA. I arrived not knowing what to expect and discovered that it's a well organized and well thought out operation. Upon walking in the staff has you fill out a release form if you haven't already done so via the internet. The staff checked my ID and ensured that the information entered on the release matches up and to validate age (21 and over), and finish with a check for closed toe footwear. All checks complete a wrist band is provided indicating when and where I'm throwing an axe, or if you're just spectating (you will still need to fill out the release as a spectator). Off I go to huck an axe at a bunch of 2x10s...well almost. <br />
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The throwing area is an arena divided into a set of lanes which are two adjacent areas with targets. think of the two lanes in a bowling alley that share the same ball return. There are clear boundaries for axe throwing demarked by a short wall that doubles as a counter, and paint lines for segregating arena and spectator area, throwing lines and fault lines. I met my coach Travis (Urban Axes Boston) who walked us through how to throw an axe starting with a two-handed throw, then one-handed throw and finishes with explaining scoring and gameplay. Urban Axes is a National Axe Throwing Federation (<a href="http://www.nationalaxe.com/league-rules.html">NATF</a>) member and use the rules and match format provided by NATF. To summarize the NATF rules a match has three throws of five between two players. The target has three rings starting from bullseye to the outer ring and the points are 5, 3, and 1 respectively with two smaller green dots at the top left and right corners above the target called clutch. The clutch is only available on the fifth throw and is worth 7 points. Axe scoring is done by the majority of the blade in a ring with favour towards the higher point value as it is measured from the outer edge of the paint line inward with the exception of clutch where you only need to break paint. Once we learn the gameplay and have had a few practice throws, we begin throwing axes for points. It was awesome. The points racking up and narrowing down to a final style bracket I came out the victor (sorry not sorry bestie's dad's birthday and all). Travis mentions to me that there's a league and encouraged me to join one...<br />
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I signed up for what is now Season 3 at Urban Axes Boston and joined Sunday Green which is the earlier of the two leagues on Sunday night. The first time meeting the rest of my fellow Sunday green league on week one was really great, and count myself fortunate to be among some stellar humans within a super supportive environment. It was fortuitous to have joined a night where there are good throwers still dialling in their technique and gave me a lot of room to grow. Our night has 29 people total, and it was explained on the first night that the top 16 players will move onto a final championship and I set a goal for myself to be within the top 16 for playoffs on week 8. Previous to arriving we received league emails notifying the availability of <a href="https://www.coldsteel.com/axe-gang-hatchet.html">Coldsteel Axe Gangs</a> for purchase by league members, which I decided on immediately recalling every sport I've ever played and how having my own gear helps improves my performance by fixing what may be a variable using house axes. In hindsight, it was a great decision as the Axe Gang has an ideal shape to the axe head where the cheeks (the sidewall of an axe) thinly taper to a fine edge that holds a really sharp edge well where the Axe Gang is differentially hardened at the blade while the rest of the head is softer to absorb impact (read: less bounce out). They initially came with something like an eighteen-inch length handle which is just too long and was cut down to fifteen inch overall for me. I threw with it at that length for a few weeks and I've discovered that 13 3/8" is an ideal length for me, and just slightly over the NATF minimum length of thirteen inches measured from eye to heel. NATF does have clear guidance on min and max on axe head weight and blade length as well. The Axe Gang weighs just .05 lbs over the minimum axe head weight at 1.3 lbs with a max allowable blade length of four inches that provide a lot of surface area for clutches. The blade comes to a sharp point at the top and bottom that increase the chance for inexperienced throwers like myself to stick the axe in the board. Overall an ideal axe and why I see nearly all of the top throwers in the NATF throwing an Axe Gang in one form or another. Since the release of the axe gang between increased popularity of axe throwing and feedback from end users, Coldsteel now offers the <a href="https://www.coldsteel.com/competition-thrower.html">Competition Thrower</a> which is an axe gang hung on a shorter handle and the head painted grey versus the original black. Otherwise no difference in the axe head itself. <br />
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The fun thing in axe culture is personalizing your axe. There are some things that would be disadvantageous to do, like adding anything that would increase the friction that can negatively affect the release. But sometimes, it's not all about performance and just got to have fun. I've seen vairous painted handles and fully painted axes or covered in stickers from various things. Adorned full of sharpie writing, or just left as is and let age and use be the only character on the axe. I went the route of cleaning up the axe head by removing the paint and sanding and polishing out most of the tooling and production marking. The Axe Gang comes with a straight handle which I've been contemplating replacing with a curved fawns foot style handle, but after getting terribly made handles delivered via Amazon (the eyes were cut in the wrong direction) I decided to apply my woodworking experience and re-profile the straight handle. I also bought two more Axe Gangs to hedge against adverse change that doesn't work. I narrowed it down after experimentation to a profile that I really like throwing and will need to produce my own handles from hickory sheets going forward if any of them break.<br />
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First experiment next to my league thrower maintaining the straight handle<br />
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Later iterations as I developed the profile that I use today (photo with axe on counter with sharpie graffit)<br />
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The first week Zen was the league coach as our regular season coach Abby was busy off winning first place for a west coast swing dance competition (congrats @axcellentabby !). League nights offer an hour window before start time for practice which I showed up for religiously. Each league night practice I doggedly sought guidance and tips from my coaches and fellow leaguers, making small changes to my throw and evolving to how I throw today over the 7-week course of the regular season. I obsessed over the 2018 and 2019 National Axe Throwing Championship (NATC) and observing where possible two-time champion Straun Riley and how he throws (speaking of if you're reading this NATC, two words for you: guy-wire camera). I've read a few articles on the physics of knife and axe throwing, but the unfortunate assertion to every article on the physics of how an axe spin is an assumption without validation. The two hypotheses are either the axis is off centred and controlled by the axe head being the heaviest mass, or is centred to a point between the head and somewhere on the handle. Both hypotheses did figure out that velocity doesn't matter from a fixed distance, but that velocity can remain fixed if the rate of spin can be changed and remain unaffected by velocity to compensate for the change in distance. In a perfect world, those conclusions should be true, but empirical data is very different in that it's really hard to change the spin rate without affecting velocity. I've digressed on my topic and will touch on throwing technique and lessons learned in another article.<br />
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We finished our regular season with a bi-week for finals with the fourth of July on what would have been week 8. I did make my goal of making the top 16, what I didn't expect was to finish third in my regular season with pretty good stats for my rookie season. I count myself fortunate for the support I've received from the coaches and the axe throwing community and have signed up for the next season on Sunday late night where the top players are competing and hope to make myself push to match their skill level. Thanks go out to @axcellentabby for all the tips and information on throwing and discovering my throwing handle, and to Travis for teaching me skill drills that have improved my clutch game. Looking forward to kicking some axe at the finals!<br />
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Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-28211597283840661312015-10-05T09:50:00.000-07:002015-10-05T09:50:23.002-07:00Fighting back moths (from yarn, not mothra)This scenario unfolded recently where the missus rather annoyed and mildly upset that her collection of yarn has been attacked by moths. Yes, I know this is a riveting piece of news to some excluding myself until I learned more about yarn and those who knit. To start, it's been explained to me that people who knit do it because they like it, not because it's any cheaper than say buying a sweater from a store. On a recent yarn shopping trip with the missus I've learned that a good quality yarn for a sweater costs between $60 to $200 not counting the time invested. Those figures assume that you already possess the necessary tools which in this case, are knitting needles and the like. That's another thing I never realized that knitting needles come in different sizes, materials, and features. Sure that's obvious if you give any thought to knitting, but being someone who doesn't knit it's all brand new to me. I've also learned that the knitting folks are rather pun-y when it comes to the nomenclature of the craft. Tinking is the process of un-stitching a stitch at a time and the name becomes obvious along with an instant facepalm when you realize that 'tink' is 'knit' spelled in reverse. Frogging is where you pull out several rows of stitches by yanking at the row and my inquisitive mind as to where the name 'frogging' came from it was explained, 'when you frog, you rip-it, rip-it, rip-it'........
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Appropriate groans to puns aside the missus discovered that her yarn was eaten away by moths, well specifically moth larvae are the culprits. Having one's 'yarn stash' compromised is a big deal to begin with considering cost and time to accumulate the material, what was really devastating was her collection of hand-spun wool yarn from her time in Scotland which are irreplaceable. Some internet searches lead to <a href="http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2014/11/clothes-moths-save-yarn-stash-fabric-wardrobe-sanity-infestation/">this site</a> where the author talks about how moth larvae can be eradicated with a temperature of around 130 Fahrenheit. The issue we've discovered that most modern ovens don't go that low (mine bottoms out at 160) and toaster oven's heating elements are far too close and damage the yarn. I start to think of how to have a controlled temp and consider a few ideas up to and including building a mini-oven with fire bricks, heating element, thermometer, and an Arduino board but settled on a far simpler idea that already exists and has all of the features already. I'm going to Sous Vide me some yarn.
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First thing I need to figure out is at what temperature does yarn's mechanical bonds breakdown. Instead of empirically testing it I decided to see if someone already researched this topic and as it turns out a letter to the editor in the a 1968 edition of The Journal of the Textile Institute goes on to describe that wool's mechanical bonds breakdown starting at around 100 degrees Celsius, or 212 Fahrenheit which means that I have a pretty wide margin to play with. What I also found out that wool ignites at 228 to 230 Fahrenheit which means that I could have oven baked the wool, but what I couldn't account for with higher temps are dyes and wool filament size that may change those figures and decided to stay the Sous Vide course where there are no open flames. Another thing that I wanted to figure out is what temperature and duration would it take to kill moth larvae. A <a href="http://public.wsu.edu/~sjwang/resist-cm.pdf">study published by Washington State University</a> explores in detail that temps as low as 46 Celsius/114.8 Fahrenheit for fifty minutes has a one hundred percent mortality rate for moth larvae and basically states that with enough heat and time that they all die off.
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With the data on hand I decide to Sous Vide the yarn at 135 Fahrenheit for one hour as the only thing that remains unanswered is if it's the temp regardless of condition, or if dry heat makes a difference. In theory, it should be way overkill, but given the varying density in spools of yarn as well as wool itself and the fact the Sous Vide is flameless where there is no concern for accidental ignition or a sudden climb in temperature breaking down wool I went with the longer cook time. The first issue I had to overcome compared to what I normally Sous Vide is just how buoyant wool is in a ziplock bag devoid of air. It took two bricks to overcome the buoyancy of three skeins of wool for those that are wondering. We pull the first bag out of its maiden soakage and inspect the yarn to discover that the first few layers had moth damage as expected. We salvage what we could of each skein and re-wrap the remainder. Overall the process worked. It was a great advantage to be able to walk away while the Sous Vide ran, running errands and such and after a day we Sous Vide her entire yarn stash. A month later and we've overserved no moth infestation and the yarn remains intact to this day since.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-16425283783944218782014-12-17T07:18:00.000-08:002014-12-17T09:01:16.440-08:00Trying Sous VideI've been curious about <a href="http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/what-is-sous-vide">sous vide</a> for sometime and took the plunge when I came across an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NJS0A1O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Anova One</a> for ~$160 on Amazon's Cyber Monday deal. Sous vide cooks by submerging vacuum sealed food in water at perfectly controlled temperature compared to traditional cooking methods where you heat up a pan or oven to few hundred degrees while trying to cook until desired doneness and try to pull the food from the heat source at the perfect time which becomes a quickly dwindling window. The problem with traditional methods is that it over cooks the outside with food like steak creating a grey band while aiming for between 130~139 fahrenheit in the center for medium rare where else sous vide doesn't run this risk because the water immersion is heated between 130~139 fahrenheit to cook the steak to a perfect medium rare from edge to edge. After sous vide traditional methods to cook a steak feels like the very definition of Schrodinger's cat. Another amazing benefit is not running the risk of overcooking your meat and can even leave it cooking longer to tenderize. The one shortfall with sous vide is that it doesn't create a <a href="http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/03/the-maillard-reaction/">Maillard reaction</a>, which in laymen's terms is to brown your food. Specifically Maillard reaction is when proteins are super heated where sugars and amino acids breakdown to create that savory flavor, those lovely smells when steaks are cooked on a grill. With the Anova One delivered today I am in the midst of sous vide cooking a couple of blade cut steaks with carrots and asparagus to follow.
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The Anova One is extremely straight forward to setup. The box contains device, power cord, and manual along with warranty and looking at the Anova One there is no mystery as to where the power cord goes and how it mounts on the side of a container. Initial power up has you pick either Celsius and Fahrenheit and then you're onto picking temp and time. Like I said, simple. So simple in fact I read the manual only to find out how to clean and maintain the device. Next comes food prep and that means a way to seal your food in an air tight bag. I didn't want to invest in a vacuum sealer quite yet so I used zip lock bags with the <a href="http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/info/how-to-use-ziploc-bags-for-sous-vide">water displacement method</a>, which like anything has its pros and cons. With the proteins I was able to get a better seal and the weight made up for any air in the bag to keep the food submerged, but with vegetables I couldn't get as much air out in comparison and would float which is slightly annoying having to binder clip a wooden spoon to pin the bags down in order to keep the veggies submersed. Another option with zip lock bags to to simply keep it open and clip it to the edge of the container, which I plan on trying out.
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Cooking if you want to call it that is as simple as cooking with a crock pot. First I cooked the meat at 138 fahrenheit and the veggies followed at 190. <br><p>
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The meat pulled and veggies in, I realized an error in my methods. I'm so used to cooking various things at different timing on the range and to account for meat to rest that I now have to worry about the meat getting cold while the water comes to temp for the veggies which is slower than I imagined would be. I left the steaks in the zip lock bag to keep them as warm as possible while I busied myself preparing the next steps. I planned on searing the steaks in an iron skillet with fresh thyme and sage with oil and butter in the last few minutes of the veggies cooking. Once the water comes to 190 I drop the carrots in which have a fifteen minute cook time and the asparagus five minutes which mean they will be dropped the last five minutes of the carrot's cook time. I bring the skillet with oil to temp and as the asparagus are dropped I begin to sear the steaks basting with a spoon once I add the butter. Everything comes out at the same time, which is awesome and really easy to time things with sous vide compared to traditional cooking. To my joy the steaks aren't cold and the searing brought the steaks up to perfect serving temp. The vegetables are finished simply on the plate with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I pull the red herb potatoes from the oven and plate and couldn't be happier with the results. The steak was very tender and the medium rare just perfect and the vegetables maintained a vibrant color with perfect texture.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjqx3RpJwfV8mv_P4HHCzFig6nQd25HiP9LqV0o0OZrlV0lY6a2FRwzB8aUgj-R9ywNIr10maMEhTILb7_eE7ofIxggG_xrCwktV5ebp3A65B3YDWFlTeQLi_EF78KwIbJRwzxQQ_YyY/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjqx3RpJwfV8mv_P4HHCzFig6nQd25HiP9LqV0o0OZrlV0lY6a2FRwzB8aUgj-R9ywNIr10maMEhTILb7_eE7ofIxggG_xrCwktV5ebp3A65B3YDWFlTeQLi_EF78KwIbJRwzxQQ_YyY/s320/photo+2.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8-E4UBMGGbFNCauAZEwhmzy9OVmsuCNsdwz1rksguPKo0xMbZKAl9rkSBbb7G6zYHMXHiS2rbcSX349Cae4rcuu7sFjBBQ6Bsw_HYluJJX2ACV8JtsRHrtuWtU9IxJma1GkD6cSBJHE/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8-E4UBMGGbFNCauAZEwhmzy9OVmsuCNsdwz1rksguPKo0xMbZKAl9rkSBbb7G6zYHMXHiS2rbcSX349Cae4rcuu7sFjBBQ6Bsw_HYluJJX2ACV8JtsRHrtuWtU9IxJma1GkD6cSBJHE/s320/photo+3.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z9MGR9z-hKXcFKpsPxfznX7mXbASXj95oHNI1v8_hvi_WRFzcmfYFPBjx3CoNR_ZRtv5kdb1MOCo-Qu-kQk_wOsvQkLE3SJD7YOYiYeN2y1vQSH7cLvJ0qKzPeb5lz8Nf3Qovyap-Tw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z9MGR9z-hKXcFKpsPxfznX7mXbASXj95oHNI1v8_hvi_WRFzcmfYFPBjx3CoNR_ZRtv5kdb1MOCo-Qu-kQk_wOsvQkLE3SJD7YOYiYeN2y1vQSH7cLvJ0qKzPeb5lz8Nf3Qovyap-Tw/s320/photo+1.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu_N-0-lOgaNeh4qQ-lN8z2VqltBtI5ZAVBu1URR2Eb6ngjJ8qTo8-kF5aYSLL-bsGqUu6R7KvPBDecrQ0CJJWIAc-uh6MBWhv0s81loCYZwX0b3bNeCr5Rg4CRF47_hT2eru6oCOxck/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu_N-0-lOgaNeh4qQ-lN8z2VqltBtI5ZAVBu1URR2Eb6ngjJ8qTo8-kF5aYSLL-bsGqUu6R7KvPBDecrQ0CJJWIAc-uh6MBWhv0s81loCYZwX0b3bNeCr5Rg4CRF47_hT2eru6oCOxck/s320/photo+3.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
I left the Anova One running to hold temp at 140 and when I finished dinner I started cooking the tomorrow evening's dinner, country style pork ribs. The ribs were cooked at 140 for twenty two and a half hours and seared seared in the iron skillet with garlic and scallion infused olive oil. I cooked another round of carrots and asparagus sous vide and reheated left over potatoes. It was by far one of the most tender ribs I've ever made, and tasted amazing.
<br><p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxXvO3QwCdnulzYSeJw2fCHmeTuryicoYivNZEqFDpCiURCZKfrTapwyFkKFrgRF8xP40l14q2S5pzsztoJELx-jz9GxiTzLI7xbOm9yNfemMrfRKrEU5HcvDakYN-xmdnyKDesU2-gE/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxXvO3QwCdnulzYSeJw2fCHmeTuryicoYivNZEqFDpCiURCZKfrTapwyFkKFrgRF8xP40l14q2S5pzsztoJELx-jz9GxiTzLI7xbOm9yNfemMrfRKrEU5HcvDakYN-xmdnyKDesU2-gE/s320/photo+1.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPbmdckDJyxsPTLjmG-9-5hdq98l-N7uc7IaB6M-K-udsJTNl5fx8eKs8aKVc1Jogh6zdsctR0G34N0lFvixUF7ZZUJdnE8uNMDLxQ3bl5r0dTQ_dvQNaDUmccbab65vOJenpobbCelg/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPbmdckDJyxsPTLjmG-9-5hdq98l-N7uc7IaB6M-K-udsJTNl5fx8eKs8aKVc1Jogh6zdsctR0G34N0lFvixUF7ZZUJdnE8uNMDLxQ3bl5r0dTQ_dvQNaDUmccbab65vOJenpobbCelg/s320/photo+2.JPG" /></a>
<p><br>
My first experience cooking sous vide is a positive one with lessons learned. Veggies should be cooked first and then the water temp dropped quickly with ice to cook proteins. While the proteins are cooking the veggies can be placed in the water to keep warm without cooking further. Furthermore this means that you can pre-cook veggies at portion size in a vacuum sealed bag in advance and bring to serving temp as the meat cooks as well. With sous vide I found it much easier to time everything coming out at the same time with that translating to being able to plan for exact dinner times next time I invite friends over. Clean up was really easy with the Anova One wiped and dried. I find that an immersion circulator is a worthwhile investment and if you've been thinking of trying sous vide, but aren't convinced yet you can try the <a href="http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/cook-sous-vide-tonight-stovetop-method">stovetop method</a> and see for yourself. The only thing to think of now is what to cook next.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-11509997829251033812014-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:002014-12-08T12:39:19.518-08:00I want the world to stop abusing the word 'hack'This is just a rant of seeing all things being a, 'hack' these days. lifehack, this and that hack.......it feels like the collective IQ of our species dropped a few points when there was a movement on the internet to start calling things a hack when it all came down to either approaching something in its use slightly differently or god forbid, using something exactly as intended. That is simply not a hack. I realize that writing this will invite comments disagreeing with me and that's ok, we are entitled to our opinions just as I am with viewing those that use the word, 'hack' outside of cutting something roughly or with heavy blows, or in using a computer to gain unauthorized access as fuckery by mouth breathers. Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-36382046720782289072014-11-24T10:31:00.002-08:002014-12-01T09:00:39.854-08:00Getting Geppetto Version 4.3.0 working behind a proxy (a workaround)Geppetto stands alone as the only Puppet IDE available as of this writing. Initially created by cloudsmith the IDE leverage Eclipse with custom components for developing modules and writing manifests. As of version 4.0 Geppetto has been maintained by Puppet Labs with one of the fixes being that it would work behind a proxy. The idea is that the Puppet components should obey proxy settings set within Eclipse and the reality is that his doesn't work. First of all there are sparse documentation on where and how to set the proxy within Eclipse. In case the next release fixes the bug that I filed regarding this issue, here is where you set the proxy setting within Eclipse;
<br><p>
-Click the Window tab and select Preferences which bring up a new window <br>
-Select Network Connections in the left pane and change Action Provider drop down to Manual <br>
-Edit the proxy info as necessary and hit apply then close window <br><p>
What happens once the setting is crated is that certain functions does obey the proxy settings except for Java function calls within Eclipse. When an attempt is made to import a module from the forge the error log isn't clear on where it fails, but the log reveals a java process that is making a call to https://forgeapi.puppetlabs.com. The workaround I have in place makes use of <a href="http://www.proxifier.com/download.htm">Proxifier</a> to direct any traffic going out to http://www.proxifier.com/download.htm to make two hops, the first through Proxifier which then redirects it to the corporate proxy address and port. Here are the steps and settings within Proxifier;
<br><p>
-Click the Profile tab and Select Proxy Server. Enter your corporate proxy's IP and port and select protocol and click OK. <br>
-Click Profile tab again and this time select Proxification Rules. Create a new rule called Geppetto and under Target Hosts enter forgeapi.puppetlabs.com and change the Action drop down to the the Proxy Server you set up in the previous step. <br><p>
Proxifier will not pipe all traffic that tries to reach forgeapi.puppetlabs.com to the corporate firewall. The con of this process is that it requires a second application to continuously run, but sure beats waiting for my bug to be resolved. <br><p>
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-82286622411838002122014-11-05T13:00:00.002-08:002014-11-06T06:35:02.317-08:00How to get proxy working for Ubuntu 14.04 without GUI (Works for all users and sudo)By default proxy settings aren't enabled on Ubuntu servers and I've come to find that there are syntax changes in 14.04 that are drastically different compared to their last LTS (Long Term Support) release without it being very obvious. I've crawled the web and have come across various solutions, but those solutions only fix pieces like apt-get and what I wanted is something that works across all users and all calls even when using sudo. One of the things that I figured out was the when you elevate with sudo it doesn't necessarily mean that it will inherit user variables and that was a key discovery that ultimately pointed me on the right path. Without further ado here are the steps. Keep in mind that I prefer vim for a text editor and my examples will reflect that and you can use whichever editor you are comfortable with.
<br><p>
<b>1.) Update your environmental variable</b>
<br><p>
The first step is to create exports in your environmental variables and you can do that by editing /etc/environment
<br><p>
<i>sudo vim /etc/environment</i>
<br><p>
In the file you should add your exports below the PATH= line and the syntax will look like this for each type, http, https, and ftp. (In older versions of Ubuntu you could use all_proxy which I am not sure is still in use and haven't tested for). One you edit for the exports you need, save and exit.
<br><p>
<i>export http_proxy=http://yourproxyserver:proxyserverport</i>
<br><p>
<b>2.) Create your proxy file</b>
<br><p>
As I've mentioned that by default Ubuntu doesn't have proxy settings enabled and this means that there ins't a proxy setting file for apt-get either. You will need to create one and if you are new to Linux, the file be will automatically created when you open a text editor by the name you intend to use for the file.
<br><p>
<i>sudo vim /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/30proxy</i>
<br><p>
Keep in mind that the two digit number before the file name is arbitrary, it can be any number except for ones already in use. If you want to use a number and see what's there you can run this to see what other files are in that directory;
<br><p>
<i>ls /etc/apt/apt.conf.d</i>
<br><p>
Moving on to editing the file, the syntax is highly specific and I would suggest copying and pasting what I have written below. Short of that, pay close attention to double quotes (" ") and semicolons (;) and be sure to close every curly bracket used. Save the file once done and off to editing sudoers file next.
<br><p>
<script src="https://gist.github.com/kenk667/245f41fc31ab6c1d1eba.js"></script>
<br><p>
<b>3.) Update sudoers file</b>
<br><p>
The sudoers file needs to be edited to allow it to not only inherit, but to also keep the environmental variables being passed to it that you specified in /etc/environment. The best way to edit the sudoers file located /etc/sudoers is to use viduso. Keep in mind unlike vi or vim it doesn't require you to type "i" to input and to save you press ctrl+x, agree with "y" and take the default .tmp file that visudo wants to use to update the sudoers file. The section that you be editing is towards the top where it lists "Defaults". There you will add additional lines equal to each environmental variable and here is the syntax for adding the http_proxy example from before;
<br><p>
<i>Defaults env_keep += http_proxy</i>
<br><p>
Once you are done editing we will perform some tests to find out if sudo is inheriting the environmental variables. Run the following two commands and the output should be the same for both, if sudo is missing ant of the grep searches than try to reboot first and if still the same issue than double check your syntax in previous edits.
<br><p>
<i>env | grep proxy</i>
<br><p>
and
<i>sudo env | grep proxy</i>
<br><p>
Finally, try to run <i>sudo apt-get update</i> or if you have ruby installed <i>sudo gem update</i> and see if the updates run successfully.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-59884259782882082802014-10-29T06:36:00.003-07:002014-10-29T06:37:00.671-07:00Journey to my next SBR upper Part 1After completing my <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/09/sbr-build-completed-and-how-to-install.html">SBR build</a> things are sweet, things are great. There's something simply fun about shooting a SBR that needs to be experienced to make sense why something as seemingly banal as a shorter barrel is better. I've been running my 11.5 inch barrel with a <a href="http://www.griffinarmament.com/M4SD-5-56-Tactical-Compensator-1-2x28-p/xhp556tc.htm">Griffin M4SD</a> compensator that mitigates muzzle climb well while keeping most of the concussive force away from the shooter even on a SBR. The M4SD has noticeably more side blast compared to an A2 flash hider, but that's to be expected when switching from a flash hider to a compensator. With the muzzle climb of .223/5.56 being manageable a part of me considered switching back to an A2 until I start shooting successive follow up shots and am reminded why I use a compensator. Two years and so many new products on the market later I wanted to build an upper around the new thinner cousin of the Noveske KX3, the <a href="http://www.shopnoveske.com/products/kx5-flash-suppressor-w-crush-washer">Noveske KX5</a> in hopes of a muzzle device that balances muzzle control while directing the blast away from the shooter.
<br><p>
Ordering a part at a time on my last build afforded me the agility to change parts on the fly when either my initial choice for a part no longer meets my needs and specifications or a better part emerges on the market. I decide to repeat this method with the KX5 build and start with a loose idea of parts for the upper;
<br><p>
Noveske KX5 <br>
Barrel TBD <br>
Keymod rail (likely BCM KMR) <br>
Upper TBD
<br><p>
The first step was the barrel. A quick search on the internet reveals more choices than ever before and I realize that I need requirements and began making a list of things that I want to change about my existing SBR. One of the pitfalls I've encountered with a M4 profile barrel is that it heats up quickly and in turn heats up the Troy Battlerail Bravo until it becomes untenable to shoot without gloves. The debate over heat shifting point of impact rages on the the internet, but what I can tell you is that without being able to grip the forend my shot placement stops being consistent regardless of shift in POI. The heat issue lead me to choose a medium profile barrel that balances between weight increase and heating rate. The other requirements are maintaining a carbine gas system and to use a shorter barrel than what I have now to accommodate the KX5's long profile of 3.25 inches. The shortest a carbine gas system can be is ten inches and with the market offering either 10.3" or 10.5" those became my choices. Lastly I want to squeeze out as much accuracy out of the barrel while still being able to shoot either .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO and will be looking for a barrel chambered in .223 Wylde.
<br><p>
Though my requirements narrow my choices it still left me deciding between too many manufacturers without comparative data that indicates which barrel will best suit my build. I add another requirement for a twist rate of one in eight or ideally one in seven to better stabilize a 55 to 77 grain bullet through a sub-eleven inch barrel. Thorough deliberation left two choices between Noveske and Lothar-Walthar and I decide on Lothar-Walthar in the end. The things that steered me to L-W was the many emails that Woody from L-W answered as well as the performance that LaRue gets out of L-W's barrel blanks. Noveske is an outstanding company with a very long history for quality, but it was hard to resist a barrel of equal quality that cost around a hundred dollars less. The negative comments that I have for L-W is that they feel behind the times in terms of buying a barrel on the internet. Their website doesn't clearly convey what they have without reaching out to them to asking if a given configuration is available. Contacting them is a blast from the past with an @mindspring.com email address which I had no idea that domain still exists let alone that mail continues to be routed, or that anyone still uses those accounts.
<br><p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-E4fm4Wqego" width="480"></iframe>
<br><p>
Woody from L-W replies with the news that they have a 10.5 inch medium profile barrel in stainless steel with one in seven polygonal rifling available. A few more email exchanges to find out gas block size and total cost with shipping comes to $239.75. I ask Woody how to place an order since it wasn't obvious on their website. Is there a page on the site that I can place an order through? Do I email you this order and call you with a credit card? Maybe complete the transaction over paypal? No, no, and no.........he tells me that I need to write a letter with my order and that they accept either personal check, cashier's check, or money order. Had that been a phone conversation it would have been followed by a long pause of awkward silence.
<br><p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yFf3Yirh0DlqtNRW5l1aGEKI7yJyTG0_6o9xQ86UtiE5D63Cm-wGv7na-vx_hQOPpIjXNgMVfg5re1_2AD9mRvn63aqn7ZcSEKpMMfgF8ZzbrBWcLzG6xkOGMq_e7d5-swEDnVvgbdc/s1600/notsureifserious.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yFf3Yirh0DlqtNRW5l1aGEKI7yJyTG0_6o9xQ86UtiE5D63Cm-wGv7na-vx_hQOPpIjXNgMVfg5re1_2AD9mRvn63aqn7ZcSEKpMMfgF8ZzbrBWcLzG6xkOGMq_e7d5-swEDnVvgbdc/s320/notsureifserious.jpg" /></a>
<br><p>
With the ability to order anything on the web today it was weird, even awkward to type out an order and print it out only to stuff it in an envelope along with a check for the appropriate amount. Payment is no longer the final step by the consumer as I still need to write on to the envelope sender and return address, affix a stamp, and mail it. My present self is astonished with my past self at having done those things and wonder why anyone did it except that web ordering wasn't a thing back then yet. Soul crushing agony was around the corner at the realization that I am blind to the order fulfillment process. Letters don't let me click to see where my order sits, if it's shipped, and what the tracking number is. I am forced to wallow in the darkness that is mail order purgatory praying to the mocking demigods of snail mail and all things paper that it all miraculously comes together and that the barrel arrives. Now begins my descent into madness.
<br><p>
As I was driven slowly insane by the lack of order transparency I redirect my focus on figuring out the upper and rail. While I like the Bravo rail's full run of MIL-STD 1913 rails that enables me to mount accessories anywhere along the rail that flexibility comes with a price. MIL-STD 1913 specifications dictates a minimum dimension that can't be escaped and that translates to a rail that can only go so small yet maintain MIL-STD requirements while weight becomes a delicate balance between the rail's integrity and durability. I feel that keymod solves maintaining mounting flexibility without suffering MIL-STD 1913 restrictions for size and weight. With the KX5 being initially developed to fit under Noveske's super thin NSR rail I wanted to take advantage of that design specification and have part of the KX5 under the rail. Initial estimation points to either a twelve or thirteen inch rail to accomplish that look and will have a better idea when I can rough fit the parts. All of these thoughts regarding the rail distills down between Bravo Company Manufacturing's 13" KMR and Midwest Industry's 12" SSK. Both are well reviewed, durable, and light weigh solutions with just enough space to fit the KX5 with the final decision hinging on empirical measurement of actual length from upper to KX5 once parts arrive. For the upper I want mil-spec dimensions that surpass a typical upper's quality and the search leads me to Vltor's MUR upper which gives me increased wall thickness for a tough upper with a slightly different look compared to a traditional AR upper with very angular lines.
<br><p>
Withe the barrel ordered I impatiently eye my updated parts list and cultivate my inner zen to wait to order a part at a time;
<br><p>
Noveske KX5 <br>
Lothar-Walthar 10.5" barrel <br>
Keymod rail (Either BCM KMR or MI SSK) <br>
Vltor MUR upper <br>
<p>
Now to get some of that patience that I hardly have any of.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-88202775917253750232014-02-20T21:14:00.000-08:002014-02-25T09:15:25.381-08:00Valjoux 7750 are not all created equal.....or are they?I recently had a conversation with a friend about how various watch makers use the Valjoux 7750 and that sparked the idea for this post. For the uninitiated the 7750 is an automatic chronograph movement designed by Edmond Capt for Valjoux and released July 1, 1974 only to be discontinued shortly after its release due to the watch industry's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz_crisis">quartz crisis</a>. When the watch industry stabilized the movement was revived and put back into production in the 80's and various models of it exist today that offer GMT, moon phase, power reserve indicator, tricompax layout, etc.
<br><p>
Chronograph movements aren't exactly a new concept with the very first one invented by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Moinet">Louis Moinet</a> in 1816 to solve the issue with tracking astronomical objects against an accurate time plot. The first automatic chronograph was introduce by Zenith with the El Primo on March 1, 1969 that still incorporated a column wheel design. The 7750 came five years later and solved a design hurdle which was a movement that can be manufactured easier, cheaper, and faster. Initially designed as a workhorse movement and still referred as such by watch makers the 7750's initial intention was not to be a high end movement, but an affordable chronograph <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89bauche">ebauche</a>.
<br><p>
What made the 7750 easier to manufacture was the use of a cam and lever known as the coulisse
lever system to replace the column wheel. The column wheel is a very precisely created piece and took tens of hours by a single person to finish and polish by hand elsewhere the coulisse lever system required far less precision in manufacturing yet maintained high accuracy. Not only was it easier to manufacture it is far more rugged than the column wheel and is the only type of mechanical chronograph to pass military standards. A draw back to the coulisse lever was that it wouldn't consistently reset the chronograph hands back to zero and Capt solved this by utilizing an existing patent from <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/US2265906?pg=PA1&dq=Henri+Jacot-Guyot&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5SEGU_ecIcaiyAHX24HYDQ&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ">Henri Jacot-Guyot who filed his patent in 1940</a> that of a heart shaped cam now ubiquitous to the 7750 that accurately resets the hands to zero.
<br><p>
Despite its humble start the 7750 has become synonymous with a high grade movement and the workhorse gained popularity among manufactures and watch enthusiasts alike for reliability and accuracy. While column wheel chronographs remain to be the highest echelon of chronograph movements the 7750 in various incarnations and modifications has found its way into many high grade watches. This is where the distinction begins within the 7750. Because it is a common ebauche you often hear advice from collectors to thosee interested in an automatic chronograph to purchase a 7750 based watch at the best price point, or that how IWC calibres 790x,791x, and 792x are just 7750s and no need to spend that kind of money. This is a common and unfortunate misconception and it is making the same statement when buying car that all V-8 engines are the same and it doesn't matter which one you buy, or when selecting a mobile phone that all smart phones are identical and that it makes no difference if you purchase an iPhone or an Android.
<br><p>
To be fair there are many custom options that can be ordered directly from ETA ranging from Geneva stripes to blued screws and that there are many watches with stock 7750s and its variants dropped straight in. I wanted to mention this because depending on the watch it is just a 7750 and you are quite possibly paying for the branding. An example of this is the Swatch Group to whom I often compare them as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_PepsiCo">Pepsi Co</a> of the watch world due to the number of brands it owns. As of this writing Swatch Group owns Breguet, Harry Winston, Blancpain, Glashutte Original, Jaquet Droz, Leon Hatot, Omega, Longines, Rado, Union Glashutte, Tissot, Balmain, Certina, Mido, Hamilton, Calvin Klein Watches & Jewelry, Swatch, and Flik Flak along with several movement manufactures namely ETA. For this writing I am looking very specifically at those watch makers who does modify the movement and worthy of assigning their own in-house calibre name.
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IWC is one of those companies that uses ebauches form ETA and modifies them in house with their 792xx calibres fitted with the Trovis regulator among other changes. Sinn is another manufacture with modifications to the 7750 that sets it apart from a stock ETA offering by using a proprietary blend of materials that allows the escapement to never need lubrication. Back to the column wheel discussion Longines overhauled the 7750 through ETA (both owned by Swatch Group) as the Longines L.688.2 or ETA model code A08.231 with the major change being the retrofit of a column wheel to replace the coulisse lever system and market it as an entry column wheel automatic chronograph.
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Helmut Sinn made the prediction that the market will be flooded with too many 'luxury' watches and this is the precipice we are seeing and where many draw the incorrect conclusion of 7750 based watches. ETA currently offers 7750 with and without day/date, 7751 moon phase, 7753 tricompax, and 7754 ETACHRON regulator along with additional component variation at the factory in an attempt to distinguish one 7750 from another. The quartz crisis forced many brands to go under and those that survived did so because they cut costs by ceasing R&D and production of in-house calibres in favor of using ebauches from ETA. In retrospect without the quartz crisis the proliferation of the 7750 wouldn't have been possible. Omega was one of those companies when facing bankruptcy in the 80's began using ETA ebauches to cut costs and in recent years returned to in-house movements when the market was favorable and profitable again. With growing sales of mechanical watches companies are less timid of taking financial risks in developing their own in-house caliber and this coupled with the desire to stand out in the market we are seeing for the first time in many years the development and production of in-house calibres. Breitling who is known for chronograph watches and practically made the style fashionable finally replaced the B13 which is a 7750 for their in-house movement the B01.
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Another factor to using the 7750 is a simple supply and demand issue where companies that are either getting back into or are getting into manufacturing in-house movements and does not have the production capacity. Tag Heuer has been struggling to cease use of Calibre 16 which is a 7750. They began by acquiring rights to existing movements and one of the acquisitions was the Seiko 6S78 which Tag Heuer modified and produce in Switzerland as the Calibre 1887. Tag Heuer didn't anticipate the growth well and went back to using Calibre 16 in some of their watches to keep up with demand. Conversely another strategy that took advantage of the supply issue was Panerai who purposely stunted production that essentially created a limited run. Panerai began developing their own in-house movements in 2002 and rapidly developed a replacement for every ebauche they were using from ETA all at their own pace with the exception of a 7750 reference design which it removes the chronograph functions and maintains a subdial seconds at 9'o clock as the OP III. Even ETA couldn't keep up with the demand and outsourced some of their manufacturing to other companies. To qualify as Swiss made movements the companies it outsourced to had to be in Switzerland such as Sellita.
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The venerable 7750 will be seen less due to ETA's decision to no longer sell ebauches but complete movements only to new clients beginning in 2011. They have also been cutting back on 7750 production because the Swatch Group no longer wants to support their competition when they have a number of their own brands to support. Timing however couldn't be better when it was discovered that several patents expired under ETA and that some of the affected patents were for the ETA 2824 and 7750. Sellita being an outsourcing vendor for ETA already had manufacturing capabilities for those movements and began producing exact clones of those movements under their own brand name and calibres as SW-200 and SW-500 respectively. Sellita SW-500 has already been showing up in watches that formerly used 7750s such as the Sinn 356.
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Can you find stock 7750s in various brands? Yes you can, but you can also find interestingly modified movements where the 7750 is a reference design. With the watch industry changing towards in-house movements and ETA withdrawing from the ebauche business, we may soon find the 7750 to be an in-house movement to Swatch Group companies only. Now to track down a Lemania 5100 next.....
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<b>Update;</b>
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I came across this <a href="http://www.watchtime.at/archive/wt_2008_03/WT_2008_03_156.pdf">amazing article</a> on the 7750 and it's worth a read
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMnf5Mf2h0XcsR06F7xs8LxzpMQxtsMFlyiUpOaQAAlk7t6d48iLg2BAnUpe95WgZPhyceJX5BylvVJq5Xz8-MwOEOVhMI3_xX4x63eXomsBAqGUpEBIe4nn0ukgYCLKF1coNgmxxUn0/s1600/Valjoux-7750.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMnf5Mf2h0XcsR06F7xs8LxzpMQxtsMFlyiUpOaQAAlk7t6d48iLg2BAnUpe95WgZPhyceJX5BylvVJq5Xz8-MwOEOVhMI3_xX4x63eXomsBAqGUpEBIe4nn0ukgYCLKF1coNgmxxUn0/s320/Valjoux-7750.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xkLdx04gIFaqyWinJrqMunufDR5LgqPjvs3pdNvOIYzPxp4xNe0qSKnRf0cvk8L1uvLdhbse9Gu3RISCG9i5qEl9NOuCVlYhsXJ7Cuu45wTWDUi6WPe_awStkk3in57j3r1_ACGE3Kc/s1600/oil3val7750a.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xkLdx04gIFaqyWinJrqMunufDR5LgqPjvs3pdNvOIYzPxp4xNe0qSKnRf0cvk8L1uvLdhbse9Gu3RISCG9i5qEl9NOuCVlYhsXJ7Cuu45wTWDUi6WPe_awStkk3in57j3r1_ACGE3Kc/s320/oil3val7750a.jpg" /></a>
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-5053689946632926542013-09-09T07:46:00.002-07:002013-09-09T07:58:03.888-07:00Smart watches will be the end of mankindThe day that I dreaded lurks around the corner where I will have friends, colleagues, and absolute strangers that find out I work on watches involve me in discussion on a device which I have no interest in. It's bad enough in this day and age where it's acceptable to ignore your social surroundings by being absorbed in your mobile device and let life run by you, technology will soon allow minimal life participants to be even less engaging by strapping a relay system to your wrist.
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The compelling reason that I hear most commonly is an urgent need to know why your phone just went off. As in you are driving and probably shouldn't check; let alone reply to that text, but you will risk life and limb to check that text. Seriously, you couldn't wait until you are at least stopped at a red light and get honked at as it turns green and you aren't moving because you are engrossed in an epic text conversation about the latest internet meme.
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I came across an article on <a href="http://gizmodo.com/i-actually-really-want-a-smartwatch-1257227834">gizmodo</a> that harks the need to know sentiment to which I commented on;
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<i>You need to know what just happened? So you're the idiot that causes unnecessary traffic jams and accidents because you just needed to know as you swerve to your and other driver's death? You must be the moron who is trying to reply to a text while riding his/her bicycle and gets creamed by a bus because you just had to know, and you must be the colossal buffoon who stepped off of the curb to cross the street when the cross walk is five feet away and you are hit by a cyclist replying to a text into traffic who is then struck by the motorist checking email just because you had to know.</i>
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As a watchmaker I already do not want to see the precious wrist real estate taken up by a gaudy gadget with a tiny screen that should tell you that you are a tasteless idiot, but instead pretends to be convenient by catering to your addiction of social media and messaging. If you ask me what I think about smart watches, now you know.
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Quick little update: Seems the author of the gizmodo article Eric Limer has removed my comment. Apparently he is the sensitive sort who can't handle people that can see right through BS.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-21568343928538394532013-05-30T09:59:00.002-07:002013-05-30T09:59:24.787-07:00First time home buying experience in MassachusettsI have been house hunting for the last few months and have learned a whole lot of what it means to buy a home along the way. There are misconceptions to real estate that will exist until you are faced with the task of buying a home, but you can get a head start by attending a first time home buyer's course. The courses are offered anywhere from free to a nominal fee and is a great resource for the target audience as well as a qualifying criteria for some incentive loan products that wouldn't otherwise be available to you. One of the things that the course will tell you is to assemble your home buying team. First and foremost you should have a buyer's agent who can help guide you through the weeds. I will leave links to the various people that I've worked with at the end of this post in case you live in the greater Boston area and are seeking reliable people to fill out your roster. You should also have your buying strategy figured out such as deciding ahead of time if you want the seller to cover closing costs. While having the seller pay the closing costs isn't atypical it may deter you away from certain sellers. Conversely keep in mind that closing costs on a single family home can range form $2,500 to $5,000 and condo's closing costing more.
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Every market is unique and I have been looking for a place in eastern Massachusetts with the goal of remaining within a reasonable commute to Boston and Cambridge. For my target area the property I purchase will likely be an existing structure since developable lots (assuming that you can find one in the city to begin with) have other financial challenges. For the sake of explaining it let's say you find a lot for $120,000 and you want to finance it. Traditional mortgage for an existing home can accept a down payment as little as 3%, but for developable land You will need to plunk down 50% of the lot's sale price to have a bank finance it. The reason for the higher down payment is because banks are afraid of the lender walking away from the mortgage if the lender isn't deeply cash committed. To continue our example, the $120,000 lot would need $60,000 down for a bank to finance it and be confident that the lender will repay the loan versus 5% down which would be $6,000 and feasible that a lender may walk away from the mortgage without suffering a substantial loss.
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If you are in the position of putting down half for a lot, you still need to consider the cost of building your dream home. Look around the street and locate the closest fire hydrant which will indicate where the water and sewer lines are. The further away you are from a hydrant, the more it will cost to plumb for water and sewer. You maybe in an area that sewer service isn't available and will have to bury a septic tank in the ground which limits your foundation size in relation to septic tank size and building code. The street may not have gas service and you will have to use propane, electric, or oil for your heating needs which are far more expensive options compared to gas. Maybe your street does not have gas run all the way down to your lot and will need to pay to have the gas run the rest of the street. While new constructions have ideal floor plans and have little to nothing wrong with them, your loan product becomes complex and may not qualify for a more favorable rate compared to a traditional mortgage. An alternative to consider is to put down 20% on an existing home to be free of PMI and either buy points or plan for renovations with the remaining cash to turn the existing structure into your ideal home.
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It has been a buyer's market since the real estate bubble burst, but lately approaching an artificial position that is nearly a seller's market due to constrained inventory. Our economic climate has directly impacted the national inventory shortage by forcing home owners to hedge against uncertain times by staying in their homes longer. The shortage of new jobs which traditionally incited a homeowner to move has also contributed to the inventory shortage. People who bought a home at the height of the real estate inflation are just now coming out from being underwater and are either selling or refinancing their home. Those that are selling are in a position to receive a better offer on their home with the inventory constraint which lends to the artificial perception of it being a seller's market as a result. I think that the market will even out between buyers and sellers in New England throughout the remainder of 2013 as being in the northeast we experience an increase in inventory and sales activities during warmer months versus the colder months of the year.
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One thing preventing another real estate inflation is the practice of an impartial third party to appraise a home. The home will appraise at fair market value with consideration for renovations and condition of the house which insures that the bank isn't approving a risky loan worth more than the property. The appraisal is submitted to the lending party and if it appraises lower than the agreed sale price, a rebuttal along with a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) can be sent by your agent to provide additional data to recalculate the value with. Even with a rebuttal the home cannot be valued above reasonable market value and this adds a layer of protection to the buyer where it is no longer possible for the seller to demand whatever they feel is right and expect a bank to agree with them. Once the appraisal is finalized, that is as much as the house can be sold for at that time. This is why it is critical that the seller remains realistic about what their home is worth. The constrained inventory is forcing fast actions from interested buyers often resulting in multiple offers submitted to a property priced to current market value. I have also seen properties sit on the market for a long time because the seller is expecting an unrealistic return on their investment.
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The question that plagues every first time buyer is how does one know which house is the right one? This question is easily answered if you prepare a list of what you <b><u>need</u></b> at a minimum and what you <b><u>want</u></b> in an ideal home. To give you and idea I was looking for a single family home in select towns to meet my commute goal and I need 2 bedrooms, driveway, and a dry basement. Ideally I want a third bedroom or office, second full bath, and a garage. My list helped me narrow my choices and reveal listings relevant to me. Finance is an obvious constraint and is important to be pre-qualified by a reputable lender to know how much you can make an offer up to. Ask your agent for a lender recommendation if you haven't approached one yet. Once you've been pre-qualified use a <a href="http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/piti-mortgage-calculator.html">mortgage calculator</a> to figure out what monthly payments will look like to prevent biting off more than you can financially chew per month. The calculator in the link has you input taxes and insurance and computes your projected payments with PMI. It will also help you understand that when it comes to dealing in hundreds of thousands over a thirty year term that a difference of $10,000 makes for a negligible change in your monthly payment. Understanding this difference will better prepare you for negotiating an offer quickly. A bill that you will not have had as a renter is a water bill and the city you are looking to buy in will typically have a website that can tell you how you are billed and at what rate. Now that you know what features you are looking for in a home and how much you are willing to spend, it's time to start looking in person.
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The first time you see a house it is both weird and exciting. In a short time you will master the process and will be able to figure out quickly if the home is right for you. Keep in mind that superficial things like paint color and wallpaper can be easily changed and shouldn't affect your decision. I remember the very first house that I saw which was a bank owned property in rather miserable shape. I walked through the front door and loudly declared, "nope" and that was my first taste of not liking a house and the end of my first viewing. I was told that you will know if a house is right and it's true, I knew the first house wasn't the place for me within seconds of walking in. A phenomenon that I have been experiencing is the ideal photo problem, or the inverse ebay law. eBay sellers are aware that buyers are favored in a dispute and would rather put up clear example of the sale item to mitigate negative feedback where else in real estate you see pictures of a home on MLS or Trulia and it looks amazing until you see the place in person and have to stand in exactly the right place at the right time of day to have it look as nice as it did in the pictures.
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It's important to check if the listing is accurate against the house with simple mistakes like gas heat listed in place of oil heat or omit details that would otherwise make a likable feature a moot point such as having to walk through a bedroom to get to another bedroom. The weirdest example by far was a listing that supposedly had 1.5 baths. I walked in and saw immediately that the pictures grossly misrepresented the property and knew that the place wasn't for me, but since I was there I figured that I would get my house looking practice in. I located the first bathroom in the kitchen which is a little weird in it's self, but could not locate the half bath on the second floor or in the basement. I was just about to leave as I noticed a panel that leads to the attic. I pulled down the panel by the string and revealed the folded ladder to get up to the attic to discover there in the open is the half bath.....it looked as if the previous occupant had someone chained in the attic. In short I found the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goonies">sloth</a> room with the open concept prison style bathroom. (Ew! Seriously, who puts a bathroom in the attic and why would you leave a toilet exposed?)
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Then there is what I dubbed as murder house which is a large colonial duplex listed as a four bedroom condo with a driveway and garage. The pictures of the unit showed stunning high arched ceilings and a promise of a large living space with condo convenience. I drove up the driveway and felt like I was driving on set to shoot an episode of Hoarders when I saw various crap everywhere in the driveway, against the three car garage, and in all garage bays. The steps leading to the front door is clearly neglected and wondered how the condo association hasn't repaired it yet. Past the front door is a foyer and once I figured out which of the three doors was the right one it opened to stairs that lead to the second floor unit. Exploring the place I found additional signs of hording on the vacant side and began to suspect that it is a multi-family owned by a single person who is trying to pass it off as a condo. The extra hoarding room is an obvious addition to the house at first glance as evidenced by the original roof cutting into the room. Being within arm's reach of the shingles I was able to see that the roof has been improperly taken care of with countless layers of shingles atop another that made for an overall thickness of 7~8 inches in shingles alone. I found another stair case in the back of the place and went down the stairs to find a narrow short hallway with a door at the end. I approached the door when I heard what sounded like strange music played on a Victrola (I kept picturing in my mind the sewer scene in Hellboy where Karl Ruprecht Kroenen is seated listening to a Victrola) and that is when it struck me that I was now behind the 1st floor resident's condo (realize there is no door on the second floor, only the door for the first floor condo which is creepy to think that your neighbor has easy access to your place. Compound that with the super creepy paintings in that short hallway to just make it all worse). It was at that moment that I felt that I was no longer on an episode of Hoarders but in a horror/slasher film and decided against making previous level slasher victim maneuver by exploring any further and risk losing life and limb. You need to look at every place you think maybe the one and see for your self as realty tends to tell a separate story from what the pictures represent.
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Once you decide on a place you will submit an offer to the seller or the seller's agent. Don't worry if you've looked at a few places and haven't found anything yet, I looked at at least a dozen places before my first offer materialized. I know one couple that looked at ninety places before circling back to the very first property that they looked at and another couple who are the outliers that found a place within the first three places they looked at. Your agent will provide a CMA which compares similar properties recently sold within a mile (unless you are in the boonies) to give you a view of what current values are for that particular neighborhood as well as if values are trending up or down. You should listen to your agent's invaluable advice who's experience and insight will aid you in making an offer. The overall shape of the home and nuisances that may detract from the enjoyment of your home should be taken into consideration as well as the age and condition of appliances, HVAC, and water systems. You should also understand the difference between an upgrade and maintenance. Adding a second bath is an upgrade and should positively impact the resale price while replacing a twenty year old water heater is maintenance and you shouldn't be expected to shoulder the previous occupant's maintenance cost. Additions and remodels increase value and maintenance maintains value. Conversely lack of maintenance decreases value and just because an addition or remodel is made it doesn't necessary add value if it didn't update or improve the home.
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Some sellers have taken these factors into account and price accordingly while others are greedy or clueless. Unless you offer asking price expect it to be countered. Countered doesn't mean rejected and you have to negotiate a price that both parties feel fair with, but if it is rejected you either offered too low to consider or you have a seller that wants too much. If the seller's counter is reasonable than there is no reason to keep going back and forth, but if you still do not feel that the price is fair than counter back. Be careful of emotionally vested sellers who may not be motivated to sell their home as well as becoming emotionally involved yourself. Yes, the buying process can be stressful and emotional at times, but it is a business transaction after all.
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You will often hear that no one can tell you what a fair price for a home is except for yourself. Well, that really isn't a relevant statement these days when the buyer has so many resources available to determine fair current value. Along with your agent's expertise there are various web resources for prospecting home buyers such as <a href="http://www.trulia.com/">Trulia</a> and <a href="http://www.zillow.com/">Zillow</a>. Between the two sites I prefer Trulia for one invaluable feature: Sold Homes near. With this feature you have a filtered list of homes sold near the property you are interested in and gives you an overall average price on square footage as well as historical pricing in the area. This feature has helped me figure out on so many occasions if a home is over or under priced for the market and helped me avoid the pitfall of emotionally answering the fair price question. Other useful features are what the home sold for previously and nearby school ratings.
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Once an offer has been accepted you should schedule an inspection. There will likely be very few surprises, but if there are tons of surprises than there maybe more problems than meets the eye. An inspection will always find something, but they aren't necessarily deal killers. After the inspection you should negotiate to either fix things that were discovered during the inspection or for compensation in the form of a lower sale price. I had one woman who was pretty unreasonable to work with during the offer phase and after the inspection revealed around twenty things on her home. I made a list in order of importance what I wanted repaired, replaced, or lower the sale price to reflect the defect and stated that the first two items were non-negotiable. The first was presence of WDOs (Wood Destroying Organisms, A.K.A termites and carpenter ants) that I wanted treated and any associated repairs performed. The second was to replace the basement windows. When I made the offer on the property I was informed that all windows were replaced but I discovered during the inspection that the basement windows were not replaced and were rotting out. She came back saying that she would only address the WDOs and nothing else which prompted me to walk away from the deal. Don't be afraid to walk away, the seller is not your friend and you have no obligation to stick around for a bad deal.
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Once both parties agree on the inspection items you will contact your attorney and insurance agent. If you do not have an attorney than ask your agent for recommendations which may have hidden perks such as my attorney representing both myself and the lending institution without an additional cost. Once your attorney engages the seller's attorney you just have to wait. Title insurance is something that will appear as part of your closing costs but is seldom discussed at length. Despite the name it is not offered by your insurance agent, but by your attorney. Title insurance is mandated by your lender to avert any risks to the title that may exist when purchasing your home. What is seldom discussed is your option for <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083102374.html">Enhanced Title Insurance</a> that protects the buyer after the home is purchased from unforeseen risks. Cost difference is negligible, but the coverage difference is huge and you should just tell your attorney that you want the enhanced option. The initial P&S will be drafted by the seller's attorney and attorneys will draft back and forth until all addendum and contingencies are satisfactory to both parties at which point you will be presented with the final draft to review. Once you sign the P&S it will be delivered to either the seller, seller's attorney, or sellers agent depending on the the P&S requirements along with your earnest money and will be countersigned by the seller and the P&S is fully executed at that point.
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Copy of the fully executed P&S will be sent to your lender and your lender is free to apply for a mortgage on your behalf. It is at this point that your attorney will be contacted to get a list of fees for the closing which are both attorney's and regulatory fees;<br><p>
Attorney Fees <br>
Title Exam <br>
Courier <br>
Obtain Municipal Lien Certificate (MLC) <br>
Rundown and Record <br>
Lender’s Title Insurance <br>
Owner’s Title Insurance <br>
Survey/Plot Plan <br>
Prepare Homestead <br>
Deed <br>
Record Mortgage with state <br>
File MLC <br>
Record Homestead <br><p>
From this point forward unless you are contacted by your lender for any documentation required by a bank, you simply have to wait until the closing date. If the title and mortgage are available before the closing date, it is possible to have your agent contact the seller to see if they would like to move the closing date up in exchange for receiving the check sooner. Good luck and happy hunting for your first home.
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As promised, here are the people to comprised my team; <br></p>
Agent: <a href="http://www.ascendrealtygroup.com/rick-nau/">Rick Nau, Ascend Realty Group</a> <br></p>
Lender: <a href="http://www.indmortgage.com/staff/">Dick Lee, Independent Mortgage, LLC.</a> <br></p>
Attorney: <a href="http://www.leeassociatespc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103&Itemid=178&lang=en">Ann Tran Mullin, Lee & Associates, P.C.</a> <br></p>
Inspector: <a href="http://www.oldschoolhomeinspections.com/index.asp">John O'Riordan, Old School Home Inspections</a>
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-17930843156268332702013-02-20T05:40:00.001-08:002013-02-20T05:40:18.086-08:00Anstead Oceanis<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a> has become my other bad habit where I peruse for campaigns I may want to fund that range from 'yesses! I needz this' to 'dear god what have you done?'. Among the projects I came across is the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/612992795/anstead-watches-the-oceanis">Anstead Oceanis</a>. The designer Tom Anstead explains on his campaign page that his designs were inspired by his experience while he served in the Navy aboard the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Independence_(LCS-2)">USS Independence</a>. My curiosity was peaked for a watch designed around function while keeping aesthetics in mind.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wis_MDhztZaHHnryuDvxwtmvzPtOsPUkXmnouV1tu6pRXBVabPCMJ03VD9LQ9y1XYQyVy31-N8Abu4k6eIHZhdABe2965TVMlK7ZhtywjR3hZxF-153VoY8F3T9xOnIhuIxNY7RbkTk/s1600/IMG_0823.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wis_MDhztZaHHnryuDvxwtmvzPtOsPUkXmnouV1tu6pRXBVabPCMJ03VD9LQ9y1XYQyVy31-N8Abu4k6eIHZhdABe2965TVMlK7ZhtywjR3hZxF-153VoY8F3T9xOnIhuIxNY7RbkTk/s320/IMG_0823.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJPFTArD83SzJntTNq7txSZC-pUU0LZXRVgbfuZ4hedquAUV7eWmHegQ5RNdqiq8eauxfpQUvpSrWYV7Kyfb4NA4N01kTVWZ8CjuWQw_aC1Dc-SqvFmEQ-eqkedX4xBJMV1V-HkCGjHo/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJPFTArD83SzJntTNq7txSZC-pUU0LZXRVgbfuZ4hedquAUV7eWmHegQ5RNdqiq8eauxfpQUvpSrWYV7Kyfb4NA4N01kTVWZ8CjuWQw_aC1Dc-SqvFmEQ-eqkedX4xBJMV1V-HkCGjHo/s320/IMG_0829.JPG" /></a>
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Where many entry dive watches start between 50m to 100m, the Oceanis is designed to withstand a max depth of 990ft/300m which at 33ft per <a href="http://www.thescubaguide.com/certification/air-pressure.aspx">scuba ATM</a> is an impressive 28 atmospheres. Greater depth requirement means a bigger case or a stronger case material along with a screw down crown to withstand the pressure. The brushed surgical steel case measures 44.3mm wide by 6.9mm, but add the case back, bezel, and sapphire crystal and the overall thickness comes out to 14.36mm making for a sizable watch. Anstead watch mitigates the additional material and R&D cost to survive the intended 300m depth and keeps a low retail cost of $399 after the campaign ended. The price point is a huge win for Anstead watches as you will be hard pressed to find a mechanical watch that can withstand 300m in that price range.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkevsGLt6Uug4Y4DqRlzL0H54lvPbqnZJkeZDOloLzJLJyXGWxVmxwT8-qBui7Nxui3XcEWLEB4jhtayKXi7XFzjL4oYvGsHEgqLa_dE_HYexNUTkx-7uXTSQDc8uq5_1hb5tXcP3TLqw/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkevsGLt6Uug4Y4DqRlzL0H54lvPbqnZJkeZDOloLzJLJyXGWxVmxwT8-qBui7Nxui3XcEWLEB4jhtayKXi7XFzjL4oYvGsHEgqLa_dE_HYexNUTkx-7uXTSQDc8uq5_1hb5tXcP3TLqw/s320/IMG_0826.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEVErACxPr9Be8d04f_ZRSibX7bx6FAeqC52d83esJp7Q_0Td4gCSqANQYpt-049wK3L1sKpAL7kYqfUDEal5PgssOwIPybShV0BzsdLqCL41P4RHpP-GapAGyN589kOzIbfjlPYm0j0/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEVErACxPr9Be8d04f_ZRSibX7bx6FAeqC52d83esJp7Q_0Td4gCSqANQYpt-049wK3L1sKpAL7kYqfUDEal5PgssOwIPybShV0BzsdLqCL41P4RHpP-GapAGyN589kOzIbfjlPYm0j0/s320/IMG_0828.JPG" /></a>
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The Oceanis continues with the large aesthetics with a 4mm thick brown leather strap attached to 24mm lugs. The strap has the Anstead name impressed on the inside of the strap as well as it etched on the buckle and is a good quality strap but could stand to be manufactured with wearability in mind. Conventional strap making techniques thin the leather as it extends down from the watch that creates a taper. Sometimes this taper is obvious and other times it is hardly noticed. There are straps that do not have this thinning done but those straps typically start with very thin stock and doesn't have much room to thin any further. The Oceanis' strap remains the same thickness across the entire length and as a result creates an uncomfortable 8mm lump of leather where the strap overlay in the stays. If the leather was softer I maybe able to tolerate the thickness but this isn't the case here. The lack of strap color choice is another issue for me as I am personally not a fan of the color and between the two I have ordered a replacement strap. You can see in the following photos the new strap as well a side by side of the old and new. Even with a deployment clasp on the new strap it feels thinner and far more comfortable to wear.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVpqOG5fu0RZS-j63fK5pw8ybYYDkAJ3TSA5FOoTWa49PlvRcSukk4_51a07lAaHMxLZgLkeQwHr16_vuMk9IEDFx454iG5Da3HAtkhQOBsGPsr-2LKl_ts_PLYdCt2IZx1rjdOZvH8s/s1600/IMG_0840.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVpqOG5fu0RZS-j63fK5pw8ybYYDkAJ3TSA5FOoTWa49PlvRcSukk4_51a07lAaHMxLZgLkeQwHr16_vuMk9IEDFx454iG5Da3HAtkhQOBsGPsr-2LKl_ts_PLYdCt2IZx1rjdOZvH8s/s320/IMG_0840.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKASS8Q0hNO2ncvS8FYN0eiWVwkDmbDDtoIL4Ro6PPwxbAIqqpCnLYIA22nWF2N-tcvDkbUKBQVldac3_UNP-kHFPTWtn_QR6xLVIjFMbWIICtIPovNCXSbKKcpFoe01uQ0MKM1jvinM/s1600/IMG_0843.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKASS8Q0hNO2ncvS8FYN0eiWVwkDmbDDtoIL4Ro6PPwxbAIqqpCnLYIA22nWF2N-tcvDkbUKBQVldac3_UNP-kHFPTWtn_QR6xLVIjFMbWIICtIPovNCXSbKKcpFoe01uQ0MKM1jvinM/s320/IMG_0843.JPG" /></a>
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The non reflective flat black surface of the 32mm wide dial is easy to read in daylight and the luminescent hands and markers make it just as easy to read in low to no light. The dial is protected by a thick sapphire crystal seated against an O-ring and is surrounded by a 120 click bezel that only turns counter clock-wise as it should. The bezel requires firm tension to turn which is a relief to find with positive clicks that can be heard and felt. For those wondering why the bezel isn't easier to turn and isn't unidirectional need to consider the application. The bezel gives a diver the oxygen supplies's remaining time by turning the index of the bezel to where the minute hand is from the moment when the oxygen is used. From that point the minute hand travel will indicate elapsed time against the bezel and tells the diver how long they have been under for and how much time they have left. If the bezel were to accidentally move it should only move counterclockwise wise so that you lose dive time versus if it were unidirectional you risk adding time and possibly running out of air. For reasons above the bezel shouldn't move too easily to prevent accidental moves to begin with.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh8AKrm-ZqrMsm33iGckCw4rncdHcw68uKxUfr25LvVhOkHT1Fd0bUbK-Wb9e2yvyq2VpXP5gAWAd0LBMI6Z1876xmrVYB8NdkDMEl4QpNC3aLAEaFldVGvxFKXffJMIlC3JLol1uc4M/s1600/IMG_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh8AKrm-ZqrMsm33iGckCw4rncdHcw68uKxUfr25LvVhOkHT1Fd0bUbK-Wb9e2yvyq2VpXP5gAWAd0LBMI6Z1876xmrVYB8NdkDMEl4QpNC3aLAEaFldVGvxFKXffJMIlC3JLol1uc4M/s320/IMG_0825.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJrM4bUM_3t91YBQwiEnxbs9Q4DgxlIBRJo7c1MpRMBdTIEdOYzAirvffQGXoUnLxR1iTsm9LAowsck2TUseGK7zDZLCoG8y2uvir_9MWwKbCSEYvXZUle5yD8xMTLFN5Ys9qwOqj5ow/s1600/IMG_0830.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJrM4bUM_3t91YBQwiEnxbs9Q4DgxlIBRJo7c1MpRMBdTIEdOYzAirvffQGXoUnLxR1iTsm9LAowsck2TUseGK7zDZLCoG8y2uvir_9MWwKbCSEYvXZUle5yD8xMTLFN5Ys9qwOqj5ow/s320/IMG_0830.JPG" /></a>
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The watch is powered by the Seiko NH36a which improved on it's predecessor the 7S26 through the more jeweled pivots and a hacking lever. A hacking watch means that when the crown is pulled the second hand stops for the purpose of synchronizing watches for accuracy. I like Seiko movements as they are reliable and durable while remaining affordable. It is the use of this movement versus Swiss movements like the ETA 2836 with a stop lever that helps keeps the cost down on the Oceanis. Watches with hacking ETA calibres capable of a 300m depth start at $850 and only go up from there. The only question that remains of a new movement is longevity but considering Seiko's track record I feel confident in it's ability to last.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dz1-YbTDgkhCx0fk5q8UxXLBFl3ccfoIRiBNFYLEjJFESLYQuKwuL-ByPXtN9zZpaIQE-swzIJXiCrTtCG_2ZEYxl_aM6aZ7Iom5EpWm3Dqk-UMDZto0sScjfF3QQtqwTWjhhCukCGE/s1600/IMG_0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dz1-YbTDgkhCx0fk5q8UxXLBFl3ccfoIRiBNFYLEjJFESLYQuKwuL-ByPXtN9zZpaIQE-swzIJXiCrTtCG_2ZEYxl_aM6aZ7Iom5EpWm3Dqk-UMDZto0sScjfF3QQtqwTWjhhCukCGE/s320/IMG_0833.JPG" /></a>
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The packaging leaves something to be desired, but considering the cost of the watch I shouldn't be complaining. If I were to pay $1k or higher I would expect a certain level of sophistication and experience in the packaging but I digress. The packaging is minimal and nothing special to note. It is a black box with a white top with the Anstead logo pressed into the lid which is printed in black. The watch is strapped on a miniature velveteen pillow and the color manual sits below the pillow. I suppose at the very least the minimalist design is tasteful.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93cbK25w1svYPZq2lEHyaAmr1kD1YuxWRYHtjq2WOYLEUi0FCy-9C8y-0P-JUWK7wCUmXkSM9bj02aamomWF1rRF3zKYI41AtafXV4iXPVirEcJcyutV8_288WBvm0yjkfARDThSc-Dw/s1600/IMG_0827.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93cbK25w1svYPZq2lEHyaAmr1kD1YuxWRYHtjq2WOYLEUi0FCy-9C8y-0P-JUWK7wCUmXkSM9bj02aamomWF1rRF3zKYI41AtafXV4iXPVirEcJcyutV8_288WBvm0yjkfARDThSc-Dw/s320/IMG_0827.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXVmtGFtmG9JW1P4rl7jn9qZPqpXXu1E9fdneDJncfODYvuBAmsfZTZ4KYID1n3FrP_s03B5EHNE0z8sk0jv2bk-ljo80Vv23g8PfWCZZOtlf54gQqJZS8Y3uJvkGEjSL-2m3P5CcQ0Y/s1600/IMG_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXVmtGFtmG9JW1P4rl7jn9qZPqpXXu1E9fdneDJncfODYvuBAmsfZTZ4KYID1n3FrP_s03B5EHNE0z8sk0jv2bk-ljo80Vv23g8PfWCZZOtlf54gQqJZS8Y3uJvkGEjSL-2m3P5CcQ0Y/s320/IMG_0834.JPG" /></a>
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I like the overall aesthetic of the watch but there are some flaws along with rooms for improvement, which I have emailed Tom and he was very receptive to. The day/date window of the dial is slightly misaligned to the left and crowds the day/date display. The case back threads aren't indexed so the etched case back will be randomly oriented (as you can see in the photo above, mine points to the right). The aforementioned strap thickness interfering with long term wearability. The bezel's quarter hours should have been lumed to aid in the use of the bezel in low to no light. I personally prefer screw in strap versus the ever so flimsy pins. When I changed out my strap I noticed that the pins were significantly bent and matched the contour of the case indicating that there is insufficient clearance between strap and case (to be fair this is the strap's thickness at fault). <i>I do want to note that none of the above points detracts from the value and construction of the watch and hope to see the above list addressed in future releases from Anstead.</i>
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I have been wearing the watch daily since it's arrival and the watch has proven to be accurate and durable. I look forward to see what Anstead watches offer next, I personally would sacrifice submersible depth for a display back and a nice looking movement (maybe some Geneva stripes on the NH36a's rotar? perhaps some jeweling on the bridges? Could be sharp with some blued screws...). If you find your self looking for a well functioning dive watch under $400 or just a good looking reliable watch, you certainly found it in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ansteadwatches">Anstead</a> Oceanis. Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-29023660058432696382013-02-13T20:22:00.001-08:002013-02-19T10:22:41.270-08:00Gun Control, Tragedies, and Media's Dishonest IntensionsIt's appalling to see CNN, MSNBC, and many other news outlets capitalize on the recent mass shooting tragedies by sensationalizing mass murderers. The news casters telling conveniently spun tales that are anywhere from twisting a small fact out of context to outright lies in the guise of journalism. A recent example that I watched was <i>Anderson Cooper 360</i> (who's show's ironic catch line is, "keeping them honest") on CNN that 'reveals' that there are <i>hidden</i> provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; A.K.A. the Obamacare bill that supports gun rights. The section in question is <i>H.R. 3590-766 Section 2717 subsection C; Protection for Second Amendment Gun Rights</i> which isn't as well hidden as Anderson Cooper reports considering that it took me under a minute to find it after <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr3590enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr3590enr.pdf">downloading</a> the bill.
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<a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/08/acd.01.html">Transcript</a> of the show is available on CNN's site for the entire story.<br>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5jFsdcQuiuI" width="480"></iframe>
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It's ludicrous to report that a legally passed bill signed by the President is a hidden, secret, or otherwise surprise section when it is every senator and President's job to read these bills before voting and signing off on them. If the case were true that the senators and the President did not know about it than that would be a confession of breaking their oaths they took when they took office; to faithfully discharge their duty. At forty seconds in on the video above, Anderson Cooper's field reporter asks healthcare advocate <a href="http://ccf.georgetown.edu/bio/joan-alker/">Joan Alker</a> her opinion on how Section 2717 appeared in the bill and her reply is mind blowing, "I don't know, but I assume the NRA put it in at the last minute". It's laughable that CNN resorts to fabricating a conspiracy theory aided by a reputable professional woman like Ms. (I apologize if it is Mrs.) Alker. Despite Ms. Alker's education she manages to sound like she is wearing a tin foil hat when she suggests that the 'NRA' manages to walk into congress to pen in Section 2717 as well as altering the table of contents and simply walk out moments before voting on the bill.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P7b8oaWdUalN8msO65enUtOERvW3jKpfpTjKOYSRPCKKDqCkg9YT2Mt17cX9AIHtuXxCk8nnzyS9A9yk1d_bircsFQ2xRwgTzlLy5PanJ7wo11-pX24EEtgT92VFbHYTGX4wRXMVHPg/s1600/jackie-chan-meme-face-tumblr-i18.png" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="160" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P7b8oaWdUalN8msO65enUtOERvW3jKpfpTjKOYSRPCKKDqCkg9YT2Mt17cX9AIHtuXxCk8nnzyS9A9yk1d_bircsFQ2xRwgTzlLy5PanJ7wo11-pX24EEtgT92VFbHYTGX4wRXMVHPg/s320/jackie-chan-meme-face-tumblr-i18.png" /></a>
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To think that we poke fun at the Weekly World News (and it's parent the National Enquirer) for making up stories. At least there is honesty in dishonesty as we read those stories for the same reason they were written: for the thrill of it.
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The news is a business and as a business it does have to make a profit. Profit margins are even more important if you are a publicly traded company that must answer to shareholders. It is sad to say that tragedy sells but it does. On the trail of those tragedies comes follow up stories that <del>can</del> will be milked for every red cent that can be squeezed out of the terrible situation. Time magazine once a reputable name in journalism has slumped <a href="http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/time-magazine-to-examine-plagiarism-accusation-against-zakaria/">further</a> when reporting on 'facts' of how an AR-15 is capable of firing 45 rounds a minute in semiautomatic mode.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcs8fcLsa7jUP_e8Nrq1lMJGQbfdnzjPdHb_zR8TRKIFZNoM6MyvRUMrQHR2pVXIbM8kIb8CEx45kK68GkLcTa0J9aSqjPsQBlzXDP6wMHWTKnMdpydJwQJ_HsW28KnL34uojZyMR_iQ/s1600/AR15-Time-Magazine-45-Rounds-Per-Minute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcs8fcLsa7jUP_e8Nrq1lMJGQbfdnzjPdHb_zR8TRKIFZNoM6MyvRUMrQHR2pVXIbM8kIb8CEx45kK68GkLcTa0J9aSqjPsQBlzXDP6wMHWTKnMdpydJwQJ_HsW28KnL34uojZyMR_iQ/s320/AR15-Time-Magazine-45-Rounds-Per-Minute.jpg" /></a>
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Photo Credit to <a href="http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2013/01/21/time-magazine-attempts-to-scare-with-ar-15-fact/">ENDO</a>
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I would like to know where Time got the figure for 45 rounds since it's an odd number in the AR world. There are typically 10, 20, and 30 round magazines for the AR-15 pattern rifle and that would be a magazine change to reach the 45 round mark. Even by an untrained person a rate of a round every 1.33 seconds (60 seconds / 30 rounds, mag change, 15 more rounds = 1.33 seconds) is rather slow and is clear that Time never checked their facts by reaching out to a qualified person or company to make a judgement call on an AR-15's rate of fire. For those of you that have never pulled a trigger there is a simple simulation you can try. Stretch a bunch of doubled and tripled over rubber bands between thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand and rest the pad of your index finger of your dominant hand on the stretched portion of the rubber bands and pull as if pulling a trigger. If you can pull it more than once every 1.33 seconds, congratulations for not being the slow person that Time magazine thanks you are. Another odd statement that Time makes is specifying 'semiautomatic mode' that seem to insinuate that there are modes other than 'Safe' and 'Fire' where AR-15s are semiautomatic only.
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Adding to Time's misreporting of facts is the picture they used which is a silhouette of an AK (presumably 47) and not an AR-15; they can't even get the picture of the gun right. Apparently the Times is not in the habit of checking their facts before publishing an article. If I were to speculate like Time magazine then I would say that they find the all mighty dollar more important than fact and truth and willfully misrepresent facts to get more money out of your pocket.
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The Society of Professional Journalists outline a <a href="http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp">code of ethics</a> that are seldom followed in the present day as evident by the blatant lies and half truth told as <del>gospel</del> news. In light of the recent mass murders the section to <i>Minimize Harm</i> are ignored wholesale in favor of their company's profit margins. These so called journalists justify harassment of grieving victims by broadcasting their misery to a nation of curious onlookers to satisfy a perceived public need. Journalists everywhere, pay close attention to the following words as they will morally elevate you among your peers: stop reporting the name and picture of a mass murderer. It is possible to report the crime without making a celebrity out of the killer. It's sad that journalism's peers can not create policy to stop using the mass murderer's name and likeness and worse yet that no method of enforcement or accountability exists.
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I want to raise some points for the sake of creating dialogue in the hopes of a positive impact in the wake of the mass murders and the resulting discussion of what can be done about it. Some of the points that I will be making are extreme, but don't think in narrow terms or as a suggestion of an attack on freedom of expression (the fact that I am writing this blog demonstrates my favor for the first amendment). What I hope to accomplish is perspective of our world and how we as people have a certain control and influence over how our media behaves and vice versa. With those disclaimers in place, let me begin.
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It is generally agreed that creating celebrities out of mass and serial murderers is a bad idea, but despite this consensus our morbid curiosity creates the loophole for public need in the eyes of journalists. As long as we have a need to know, journalists will continue to tell you in spectacular fashion the latest serial or mass murder committed by X. I would love to be able to say that next time such a story comes on your TV with the inevitable murderer name dropping that you should change the channel, but that would be asking you to ostracize yourself from the world by choosing ignorance. We are faced with the unfortunate situation of let it be for free press or fix it for public safety.
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Imagine if the SPJ's code of ethics were not just a suggestion but a set of federal guidelines and laws with an additional clause to omit the likeness and name of serial and mass murderers. With the weight of the government comes accountability for those that break their laws through fines and imprisonment. Federal enforcement would solve one paradox of the viewer's dilemma but it simultaneously creates a second paradox that infringe on the journalist's first amendment in the name of public safety. This hypothetical idea to marginalize the first amendment through specific limitations shouldn't be new to those of you that want to alter the second amendment in the name of public safety, yet somehow the idea of altering the first amendment specific to the press to make the world a safer place doesn't align to your moral compass. You want your government to protect you and are willing to give up your right to arms to do so, but not your right to run your mouth and complain how the world would be a better place without guns all the while expecting someone else to take the responsibility of holding a gun to take on the risk for your protection.
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<a href="http://mrcolionnoir.com/">Mr. Colion Noir</a> made some great points on his recent video regarding the mass shootings:
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hR3t7j2tUec" width="480"></iframe>
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I live in Massachusetts where it is required to obtain a license if you are interested in firearm ownership. Interested individuals must take a basic firearm safety course approved by the state before you can apply for the desired classification license. The class typically costs around $100 and the application is another $100. Assuming you are not a felon, convicted of a DUI, domestic violence, or any one of the disqualifying items on the <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/chsb/firearms/resident-ltc-fid-application.pdf">form</a> than you will have a license mailed to you once you satisfy all the requirements. What I find bananas are the states that only license for CCW or for specific kinds of firearms. This means that residents of those states can purchase firearms without a permit or license as long as the buyer is 21 or older without a criminal record.
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After the Colorado tragedy I looked up the gun laws in that state and come to find that <a href="http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/StatePatrol-Main/CBON/1251594549010">Colorado</a> requires you to obtain a Concealed Weapon Permit if you intend to conceal carry but not for purchase and ownership otherwise. The police investigation has discovered that the guns used were legally obtained but considering how lenient Colorado's gun laws are that statement is the same as saying all the clothing he owns were legally purchased. Connecticut does have a licensing system in place, but what the Sandy Hook perpetrator did was steal guns from his own mother. She clearly did not secure them as outlined in Connecticut's law where her unlicensed son shouldn't have had access. When motive is unclear and mental health issues are suspected as leading the would be killers to their brink, where was healthcare advocate Joan Alker on helping the mentally ill and the families to cope with mental illness? She was too busy making outrageous claims of conspiracy to CNN. This country always blames guns along with the perpetrator but what about those who are supposed to be in position to help but didn't because they were too high on their moral high horse about gun control?
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It is natural to discuss gun control after a tragedy that was perpetrated by a fire arm, but every public and political discussion seem to blindly revolve around the concept of an 'Assault Weapon'.
Under the tense political climate the government desperately wanted to save face by taking some sort of action. When push came to shove the politicians couldn't admit that they lacked the resources to keep everyone safe at all times and the next best thing was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipping_boy">whipping boy</a> called the assault rifle. Politicians uneducated on firearms incorrectly classified semiautomatic sporting rifles as assault rifles because of resemblance in appearance alone. The news media relays this information in their sensational fashion warns an already panicked public to the dangers of these awful instruments of death. Fear begat fear and out of it comes a public outcry for some form of justice, reform, or anything that would make the pubic feel 'safe' again. Spurned by a misinformed and scared public to make an example, the second amendment comes under attack again with the same old assault rifle song and dance. Mr. Colion Noir again has a great video (yet again) that educates you on the difference between and assault rifle and one that looks like one;
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4wUGiuMpFJ0" width="480"></iframe>
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To anyone reading this who are on the anti-gun side of the debate, please read on and contemplate the feasibility of getting your hands on an actual assault weapon tomorrow. I want to educate those of you that may not have a clear understanding of just how hard it is to acquire an actual assault (full auto) weapon and hope to once and for all remove the assault weapon debate off of the table so that we can finally begin to have a civil conversation regarding gun control. A full auto firearm falls under a Title II classification and my <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/06/gearing-up-for-sbr-build.html">SBR</a> article shows the difficulties and long wait time to obtain a Title II tax stamp. There are additional restrictions for getting a full auto firearm starting with availability and cost as well as state laws that may prevent ownership altogether. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act#Machine_Gun_Ban">Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA)</a> made sales of full auto firearms illegal to civilians with the caveat that anything manufactured before the act was considered grandfathered and thus the limited supply. The short supply drove prices up reaching tens of thousands of dollars and a full auto 'AR-15' would cost $15,000 or more and it typically would be an M-16, not those 'evil' AR-15s as the media will have you believe.
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The next inevitable point that is brought up by people who are 'knowledgeable' about guns are full auto conversions. If you are reading this and feel that you are about to be triumphant, prepare to be disappointed. You will need to replace the current fire control group to a full auto (FA) fire control group with a FA sear. You will also need the proper BCG and a barrel that can handle a high rate of fire. Sounds simple until you realize that the FA sear is a Title II item and requires a tax stamp, the same process as acquiring a tax stamp for any other Title II item such as SBR, SBS, and suppressors. The FA drop-in sears are regulated by FOPA and as a result cost as much as a FA rifle and just as limited in availability. This means that there are no new FA sears that you as a civilian can purchase. Assuming you live in an eligible state for FA ownership and have received your tax stamp and purchased a grandfathered drop-in FA sear for an obscene amount of money, your AR lower may not fit it. Most modern AR-15 lowers are machined with insufficient space to drop in FA fire control group as well as lacking the pin hole on purpose. For those 'knowledgeable' haters who are backpedaling by saying 'yeah I knew that'. I believe you, like I believe Time's report on AR's rate of fire.
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I for one do agree with reasonable gun control and I am certain to draw criticism from the pro-gun readers, but think for a moment who you don't want to have a gun and why. I don't mean people you dislike but people who may not be a responsible gun owner. As much as gun control laws maybe a pain to you law abiding citizens they are there specifically to stop people that are considered dangerous or irresponsible from owning one. If those people deemed unfit get their hands on one than those same laws make for felonious penalties. To be clear when I say gun control that I mean a base set of laws that govern a license that will allow an individual to acquire firearms just like a driver's license allows you to operate a vehicle in your license class. No more and no less. A license system for every state will mean that there will be many citizens that will have the right to arms revoked but if the reasons are one of the following, would you say it's a bad reason?
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-Convicted of a felony<br>
-Convicted of domestic violence<br>
-DUI (should mirror most state's driving law that scale the license suspension with number of offenses to eventual permanent suspension)<br>
-Violent crime conviction<br>
-Class A Drug conviction (sale, use, distribution, possession)<br>
-Involuntarily committed to a mental institution currently or in the past<br>
-Not a legal US resident or citizen<br>
-Ever been incarcerated for 1 year or longer<br>
-Have outstanding criminal warrants (excluding driving and parking citations)<br>
-Currently being indicted for a felony or violent crime (pending outcome)<br>
-Had a restraining order against you more than once to suggest repeat behavior<br>
-Reported by a mental health professional to be considered as a danger to one self or others (Should have a review period every three months and not a permanent mark)
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If you can look at the list above and still say to me what I propose is a bad idea than this stops being a civil discussion about gun control and becomes a stand off of opinions. My list isn't perfect and I can see how it can be exploited to reject a license but that's why it's a discussion. It's time for gun owners to take the rights fight to the government's door instead of waiting to hear what crazy ban idea is conceived next only to bitch about it after the fact. We are badly in need of people that are knowledgeable about guns to be in an effective position to positively lead gun control talks. There are discussions for a new ban right now, but a ban on firearms only affect the law abiding citizens and not the intended criminals. Laws are just like locks that they stop honest people and a criminal by definition isn't.
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I want to welcome your opinion and want to encourage positive discussion on gun control and the recent tragedies in the comments. I also want to say that if all you can or want to do is complain, slander, flame, or otherwise just want to troll over mass homicide tragedies and the resulting discussion: you are a soulless dick who I hope will soon fulfill their life long search to be a prison bitch to a pro-gun dude with herpes who's junk looks.....uncomfortable.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-70442275811073687002013-01-17T10:44:00.000-08:002013-01-23T16:05:40.822-08:00My experience with the Eotech EXPS2-0 and the slight learning curveWhen I tried a range member's Eotech 512 I found that target acquisition felt faster with Eotech's Holographic Weapon Sight (HWS) than my red dot (<a href="http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-strikefire-red-dot-scope-for-ar15">Vortex Strikefire</a>) and made a mental note to research the optic. After reading up on the subject I decided on the OPMOD EXPS2-0 which was initially developed in conjunction with <a href="http://www.opticsplanet.com/">Optics Planet</a> who wanted to bring a cheaper option of the EXPS3 without the NV (Night Vision) capability to market. The EXPS series comes with a quick detach base that raises the height by 7 mm to allow 1/3 co-witness with your AR-15 patterned rifle's iron sights and provide enough clearance for the battery compartment to fit over the delta ring. I have tried the Magpul MBUS as well as the ARMS #71 BUIS mounted on the same plane and have been able to co-witness with both of them.
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Mounted on the SBR <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VbTf3cNQ7bBYzqK8QAAjy5AtFL7cWk6URNvXjU9CQZq07EKiJBuOy4Z20yBm5jUaRqnc14GcCarfekpbHTogdOtM2ScL9qRSAagq52mk3w9-rArN_arIsE9TLiUZTtP4a6guFhsUgFw/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VbTf3cNQ7bBYzqK8QAAjy5AtFL7cWk6URNvXjU9CQZq07EKiJBuOy4Z20yBm5jUaRqnc14GcCarfekpbHTogdOtM2ScL9qRSAagq52mk3w9-rArN_arIsE9TLiUZTtP4a6guFhsUgFw/s320/IMG_0794.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfs0jirgpxZpNtVJE2vwjss_ZVod4srFt20o4v2h-f96AWpfgRg5qgq0V9k906Ycfbt6fWrxwo4f84IzJpYBZFdLIm-_5VoYs5u7lELYUhTDquIjZ4Yer8qWu6kDiXOaythIf4eT6flY/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfs0jirgpxZpNtVJE2vwjss_ZVod4srFt20o4v2h-f96AWpfgRg5qgq0V9k906Ycfbt6fWrxwo4f84IzJpYBZFdLIm-_5VoYs5u7lELYUhTDquIjZ4Yer8qWu6kDiXOaythIf4eT6flY/s320/IMG_0796.JPG" /></a>
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Opposite side with Elevation and Windage adjustments and bottom of the unit.<br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktg-M9MLCW56fIXEgM8Q9g1oo85MCyWR7aPuYPkPBnzGIXWB0szoQXTz4mSR7ueUH48fON6iJWeX1D2m2KmrtdFpmFdcmU_8d1bNToJaJ-TDN7jfLr_D1KSHelraKu6XGoQJW5dkeA0c/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktg-M9MLCW56fIXEgM8Q9g1oo85MCyWR7aPuYPkPBnzGIXWB0szoQXTz4mSR7ueUH48fON6iJWeX1D2m2KmrtdFpmFdcmU_8d1bNToJaJ-TDN7jfLr_D1KSHelraKu6XGoQJW5dkeA0c/s320/IMG_0797.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRquaxGrN8B4bvblq2wpxC2mmAu9iqwbBDNjH6qt_XIFmW2XLN_wvtGcpAA6B-zYsHz7t2z7lnJS6ygbG9NYfclNBJtuVfKS7ZvnoLNVxrEhKUnCSfnE7K6ZQKHrpNrgYbqdj3tC6-cYM/s1600/IMG_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRquaxGrN8B4bvblq2wpxC2mmAu9iqwbBDNjH6qt_XIFmW2XLN_wvtGcpAA6B-zYsHz7t2z7lnJS6ygbG9NYfclNBJtuVfKS7ZvnoLNVxrEhKUnCSfnE7K6ZQKHrpNrgYbqdj3tC6-cYM/s320/IMG_0798.JPG" /></a>
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The EXPS series fixes two long standing design issues. The first is the change from multiple batteries in prior models to a single battery which reduces size and weight as well as the obvious benefit of needing only a single battery to power the optic. The second change is the transverse battery case that better mitigates recoil and reduces the risk of battery disconnection and subsequent power loss. The optic runs for 600 hours on a single battery or to put it another way - 25 days. Couple that withe an auto shut-off feature of either 4 or 8 hours and my concern for battery life seems silly to have even considered it to begin with. The dash zero in the model name signifies the reticle pattern which in this case is the standard Eotech pattern famously replicated on many FPS video games with the large 65 Minute of Angle (MOA) red outer ring with four hash marks at 3/6/9/12'o clock positions that surrounds a 1 MOA dot in the center.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6EG9R7B1mgp1aR1OrCvQOyfmxzOKtWTlJMSeqa0waCgI_2tcxkzKSLFQRvV7hF6mmbYGfcjwI71YIXQJi16zCjSS5eJXEsU0sLgG9APxB3Ujhkte2uCu1p9m8-ytppN1rjJc6YVhyO8/s1600/eotech-0+reticle-with-measurements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6EG9R7B1mgp1aR1OrCvQOyfmxzOKtWTlJMSeqa0waCgI_2tcxkzKSLFQRvV7hF6mmbYGfcjwI71YIXQJi16zCjSS5eJXEsU0sLgG9APxB3Ujhkte2uCu1p9m8-ytppN1rjJc6YVhyO8/s320/eotech-0+reticle-with-measurements.jpg" /></a>
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As the post title suggests the optic has a learning curve. Comparatively a red dot is straight forward to use and if you have ever used any kind of scope or played any kind of FPS you will get the hang of it in no time flat. The HWS requires the shooter to look at the target and to view the reticle indirectly. This is because the technology projects the reticle onto the same plane as your target and looking directly at the reticle causes blurring and streaking of the reticle. Even on a red dot I don't keep the brightness cranked up as I find it distracting but with a HWS you <b>MUST</b> turn it down so that you are able to look through it to the target or else suffer blurry and streaky consequences. If you do not already shoot with two eyes open, the HWS will be a literal eye opener as it will aid in focusing on the target instead of the reticle and is especially useful during target transitions.
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The EXPS2 performed well for the first few hours until I started to see blurring and streaking in the reticle. The causes for blurring and streaking are one of three things, battery, the unit, or fatigue. Being that it is a brand new unit it is unlikely to have failed already and none of the low battery indicators occurred so I suspected fatigue and decided to pack it in for the night. I had ordered extra batteries anticipating the optic's arrival and decided to wait on the batteries to be able to eliminate the possibility before returning to the range. The extra batteries arrived a couple of days later and a return trip to the range verified that the optic works as designed with both new and old batteries which supports my hunch for fatigue being the culprit; the fatigue was causing my eyes to snap to the reticle instead of the target. Since this discovery I have focused on my varying fatigue levels and practiced until it's second nature for my eyes to snap to target when sighting with the HWS.
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Another feature that leaned my decision towards the HWS versus the competition is the ability to range with the reticle. The 65 MOA ring means it is 65" inside of the ring at 100 yards, or approximately 5'5" high object at 100 yards. Considering the height as well as what the reticle was originally developed for I will be discussing the ranging in terms of 'man-size targets' as it will aid in conveying the concept but please remember that you should never be pointing the reticle at a person especially if the optic is mounted unless you are in combat, law enforcement, or a life and death defense situation.
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The outer part of the ring adds a few MOA for a total of 68 MOA which coincides with the average male height of 5'8" at 100 yards. This means that if you see a man size silhouette occupy the reticle ring from top to bottom than you are likely looking at a 100 yard shot and can adjust your hold over accordingly for those of you that utilize the <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/search?q=improved+battlesight">improved battle sight zero</a> or if you zero at 100 yards than that is your ideal range and no hold over is necessary. With the knowledge of what a 100 yard object looks like you can extrapolate ranges from 50 to 400 yards.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn30gFN1KrqVwFWZNeGuLwBeJzhWNFmIYleGxubi5aG_01T1ykMTefgAUiu7v5EnDR-7-qLFOLUFNqo8sdlIZXihLaH5aTMkNpq-LRkKnmy4R70KZKxQpaKVackiRqGMKK9CcWd9buP4/s1600/HWS+Ranging-100yrds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn30gFN1KrqVwFWZNeGuLwBeJzhWNFmIYleGxubi5aG_01T1ykMTefgAUiu7v5EnDR-7-qLFOLUFNqo8sdlIZXihLaH5aTMkNpq-LRkKnmy4R70KZKxQpaKVackiRqGMKK9CcWd9buP4/s320/HWS+Ranging-100yrds.jpg" /></a>
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At 50 yards the 5'8" man size target's torso to head will take up the reticle ring and at 200 yards the target stands between the bottom of the ring to the dot.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLp2P-C1aqIEfz6lI6XI7ls7BOrduAieheBfR2VPCRsa176o2w2vZCUA0-JmS0XjyMyhTNhnatDL6tjne8NGwx5m9_txrHTyCcRUkiwAZEwn7gTw4jmf3p5vmsET9IfaePm3piRSJM6o/s1600/HWS+Ranging-50yards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="272" width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLp2P-C1aqIEfz6lI6XI7ls7BOrduAieheBfR2VPCRsa176o2w2vZCUA0-JmS0XjyMyhTNhnatDL6tjne8NGwx5m9_txrHTyCcRUkiwAZEwn7gTw4jmf3p5vmsET9IfaePm3piRSJM6o/s320/HWS+Ranging-50yards.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhk8m8A2hJHHH1zFfG7W_hle89BAzXrJ9vKzmVSwIK063KI-WCrAUmPYW_luCJtjUV9fe6KBmzVgkUf8G8Y1INMqHwyohbI9NWXazggf26GVO_e3-pBKy04-SPaDUjR7J0vP71FnxMqU/s1600/HWS+Ranging-200yards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="272" width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhk8m8A2hJHHH1zFfG7W_hle89BAzXrJ9vKzmVSwIK063KI-WCrAUmPYW_luCJtjUV9fe6KBmzVgkUf8G8Y1INMqHwyohbI9NWXazggf26GVO_e3-pBKy04-SPaDUjR7J0vP71FnxMqU/s320/HWS+Ranging-200yards.jpg" /></a>
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At 300 yards the target will stand 1/3 of the ring from base and at 400 yards 1/4 of the ring.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDGbnbxqAMbrcs8bUCRQfWokcw2rfuQ9CGXziYDW1QNsQ87L1prAOZd70DUkjBkdU41M6_7ci2_I02juzss19CN4X_ERsaS6BAuY86OsrPL0ldZVxho4MQumW_h2Hj9NCF0a8kTptnrE/s1600/HWS+Ranging-300yards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="272" width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDGbnbxqAMbrcs8bUCRQfWokcw2rfuQ9CGXziYDW1QNsQ87L1prAOZd70DUkjBkdU41M6_7ci2_I02juzss19CN4X_ERsaS6BAuY86OsrPL0ldZVxho4MQumW_h2Hj9NCF0a8kTptnrE/s320/HWS+Ranging-300yards.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJKngo8eI8U3_GMXN2z5kwP66FDquVbhcz9mP3a3pnbfyDQIk79-weJsDsjGF-b455SY_nIL1dPcWFrTN9GPsLVtaa1-BAQXJtowjuz9uncYW5eafAp4zKsY5diSv4cKuiewNn1eG8ZE/s1600/HWS+Ranging-400yards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="272" width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJKngo8eI8U3_GMXN2z5kwP66FDquVbhcz9mP3a3pnbfyDQIk79-weJsDsjGF-b455SY_nIL1dPcWFrTN9GPsLVtaa1-BAQXJtowjuz9uncYW5eafAp4zKsY5diSv4cKuiewNn1eG8ZE/s320/HWS+Ranging-400yards.jpg" /></a>
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Adjust hold over as necessary and if you aren't sure how much hold over to apply keep in mind the following;
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-Look up your ballistic data based on barrel length, rifling, caliber, and load data to figure out your bullet's travel path. <br>
-MOA is 1" at 100 yards which means at distance of 50 yards = 1/2", 200 yards = 2", 300 yards = 3", and 400 yards = 4". <br>
-The center dot is 1 MOA in size and can be used as a reference of measurement, but keep in mind that the dot size scales with distance. <br>
-When engaging targets 7 yards and under, line up the bottom hash mark to your target. <br><p>
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I wanted to mention an accessory I purchased for the Eotech and how it doesn't work at all. I ordered the GG&G Hood and Lens Cover Combo for my EXPS2 and it does not fit at all. I contacted GG&G and have received absolutely no response from them I will never buy anything from them again as their customer service is non-existent and their products are clearly below par. When I was trying to fit the replacement hood it was obvious that the dimensions were wrong when the factory hood came off with relative ease while the GG&G hood felt like I had to force it on.
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It would have been one thing if it fit tightly and worked but it did not fit at all. The screw holes do not line up and a crack started to appear next to one of the lens cover hinges during installation. To be clear I was not rough on it while installing it despite having to apply a fair amount of elbow grease to get the hood to go on the optic at all. I gently and slowly installed the hood multiple times only to be disappointed that it does not fit at all and that it was not me installing it incorrectly. Moral of the story is: Don't trust GG&G as they sell garbage that they do not back up.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-26151693767790252072013-01-03T15:18:00.001-08:002013-01-03T15:22:44.092-08:00The Cyclic Existence of Heavy Music - Part III, Full CircleThe nineties was the last decade that regular music video rotation would make or break a band. That same power directly influenced consumer decisions and he who controlled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)"><strike>the spice</strike></a> video, controlled purchase decisions. Music video purveyors Music Television, better known as MTV, controlled the majority share during that era. Just below the attention of mainstream the underground scene changed by coming to terms with the fact that nobody in mainstream media likes them. It's not that the scene ever cared if mainstream showed love, but it helped to stop pretending that one day the rest of the world will realize what kind of awesome-sauce heavy music is and the nay-sayers are just super poopy pants for not listening to it to begin with. With the apex of the eighties long gone and remembrance of when the majors cavorted with metal a distant memory; the pretense of metal being a superior form of music shed it's skin to reveal a humble scene ready to write new music freed of mainstream expectations.
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Metal's awkward teen years were dragged out into the public eye in music videos. We had eighties survivors Guns N' Roses putting out "User Your Illusion I & II" along with a prominent soundtrack slot on 1991's summer action blockbuster "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". The featured song <i>You Could Be Mine</i> carried over into 1992 and was performed live at the MTV Video Music Awards where Metallica won the Best Metal/Hard Rock category with <i>Enter Sandman</i> off of their heralded/hated self titled fifth studio record which came to be known as the black album. The growing pains in visual media continued with Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead as the archetypal shit sippers of metal fans wrapping metal videos around subtle social commentary. Headbanger's ball once a flagship show for MTV that demanded a three hour time slot felt the squeeze of alternative forcing its abrupt cancellation in the mid nineties. The combination of video and media dissemination along with quick fanfare exploit were the genesis of viral music marketing.
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Metal wasn't completely out of national distribution during the waves of alternative and other mainstream heavy(er) music. Once upon a short time ago where heavy music carved out it's niche existence through indie labels, those operations have since grown into respectable smaller national labels and some becoming or newly launching as major label subsidiaries. I am about to start listing bands and I know that some of you will have your feelings hurt for not having your favorite band listed but keep in mind that this is about the cyclic existence of heavy music, not a chronological evolution of your favoritest band everz.
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Pantera's 1990 release "Cowboys From Hell" showed the nineties that metal was't completely dead with Dimebag Darrell's badass solos while Rex Brown lays down some mean bass lines. Other brother Vinnie Paul with solid yet imaginitive drums and Phil Anselmo being Phil: mean sounding mother fu#&er. Machine Head started the Power Metal genre with 91's "Burn My Eyes" on Roadrunner records while Ministry released "Psalm69" that will go unnoticed until Beavis and Butthead airs the video for <i>NWO</i> two years later. Fear Factory's '92 debut "Soul of a New Machine" hits the scene, forever changing the standard for double bass and '93 had Sepultura release their third studio record "Chaos A.D." which was the first departure from their typical thrash sound. Mid nineties were busy years for Cannibal Corpse starting with a cameo on the '94 Jim Carey vehicle "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" than in '95 Bob Dole naming them among a few other artists for, "undermining the national character of the United States". In '96 a quorum made up of Senators Joe Lieberman and Sam Nunn along with activists William Bennet and C. Delores Tucker urged record labels to drop twenty artists that included Cannibal Corpse, citing them as having the most offensive lyrics. A testament to the DIY ethic of the hay day, Deftones managed to sell 220,000 copies of their '95 debut "Aderenaline" with absolutely no radio or video support through tireless touring and internet promotion along with good old fashioned scene word-of-mouth. Heavy music continued releasing records by bands that will retrospectively change the way heavy music will be played and viewed, but in the mean time we have to accept that during this era that metal is a joke thanks to embarrassments like Metallica suing Napster. Mind you, it's not that musicians standing up for revenue rights that's the issue, it's the way it was done (and Lars' whiny bitching did not help the cause).
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Between alternative's dominance of music dissemination and consumer pockets, the major labels began to sign heavier acts after Metallica's commercialization demonstrated heavy music's sustainability in the market. Alternative's fringe existence had Faith No More's '89 release "The Real Thing" that went unnoticed until extensive video rotation for the single <i>Epic</i> in 1990 while Nine Inch Nails received a similar boost for video rotation off of "Pretty Hate Machine". 1992 brought Rage Against The Machine's politically infused rap/metal self titled debut which went triple platinum and Helmet releases "Meantime" to a very accepting audience considering the genre. Tool's acclaimed '93 release "Undertow" spawned controversy with their single's subject matter that broadened their audience, earning them a bump from second to main stage during the third Lollapalooza tour. This is the 'metal' that MTV fed the populous and were told as gospel to the masses that this is what we should buy and listen to. It's so obvious now how we all drank the kool-aid back then but seeing those videos among all the mainstream music, it felt like it was fighting back against popular culture.
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It was those fringe major label bands in the early nineties that are commonly noted and blamed for setting the path to 94's Immortal/Epic signing of Korn and the self titled release that has been attributed with the birth of nu-metal. After their initial lukewarm reception Korn toured tirelessly and garnered radio spins and video rotation. Korn was the inertia to the nu-metal domino giving labels a push to sign competing bands such as Limp Bizkit (god damn you Fred Durst) who begat Staind (Be sad about everything) and so on. I confess that I still have a soft spot for Korn's first record but I guess it's like all of those stories that end with , "you had to of been there". When their first record came out there was nothing like it and it was refreshing to have something so heavy but capable of surviving in the mainstream, it was hope to a dying genre of music back then (keep in mind it wasn't called or considered nu-metal yet).
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Contempt for nu-metal built up throughout the nineties when it was cast out like a heretic. Branded inauthentic less than a decade after it's inception by the very scene that bred it despite giving way to heavy music's acceptance that we see today. Those that are turning their nose up may not want to hold themselves accountable for it but it's true, Korn's first tour was with Biohazard and their follow up tour with Sick of It All. Next time you want to point fingers on who's fault nu-metal is, start with a mirror.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB3mkgArrWynbsKbTX4bfqhWBX_13M_uJlHSMnVekQkDZPo8_URFWtVObJqnU1uvq00WtQ932bSEQhyphenhyphenwbn-uWLLOVsQkE2zVzKaz-ucgY6q1Lx1_rMaH3CtGVwpkUvw5TfSHtlZ3YpTc/s1600/y-u-no.png" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB3mkgArrWynbsKbTX4bfqhWBX_13M_uJlHSMnVekQkDZPo8_URFWtVObJqnU1uvq00WtQ932bSEQhyphenhyphenwbn-uWLLOVsQkE2zVzKaz-ucgY6q1Lx1_rMaH3CtGVwpkUvw5TfSHtlZ3YpTc/s320/y-u-no.png" /></a>
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Mainstream sales and marketing of nu-metal continued into early 2000's culminating with Evanescence receiving two Grammys and Linkin Park's debut record "Hybrid Theory" certified Diamond by RIAA for sales over ten million copies. Those of you that say you NEVER liked them even a little bit is the same liar-liar-pants-on-fire who also said that you didn't like NKOTB, but secretly had a poster on your closet door. It's OK, I won't judge you.....much. Considering the current trend for eighties metal nostalgia one can extrapolate the trend to a resurgence of 90's top 40 rock, but than again the songs haven't left radio thanks to the alternative radio format as well as satellite radio already having dedicated stations to the nineties. My youth's worst nightmare is coming true where I find myself yelling, "what the f is this sh!t" at the radio and the songs I grew up with are being aired as classics on some stations. Mark my prediction: nostalgia format for rock and metal that span eighties to nineties.
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While mass media pushed nu-metal and alternative the underground scene did what it once thought was impossible, the wall between hardcore and metal came down. Where the two genres were sworn enemies vowing never to mix, we began to see mixed genres on the same show and even going as far as combining aesthetics of each genre into a single song (gasp you say, I know!) to what will eventually be known as metalcore. It's like Martin Luther King Jr. and Adolf Hitler sitting down for dinner with Jesus and Buddha, or interspecies porn with uncomfortable looking creatures (think porcupines, jellyfish and you). Where California was home to the frontier of punk last time, the evolution of the genres happened on the east coast in the rather out-there Western Massachusetts scene.
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Western Mass has it's charms despite it's already weird existence far removed from any major civilization with Boston a two hour drive and NYC a further four to six hour drive. Northampton had the Pearl St. night club that booked locals as well as nationals in a larger club venue. Hadley had Katrina's on Rt. 9, but when that closed the scene moved to Infinity's (The Fin!) in Springfield. When the Fin closed it's doors it was another move over to Fat Cat's Bar and Grill on Worthington street in downtown Springfield. Fat Cat's decided that the heavy shows were an insurance and safety liability (because house music, hip hop, and wanna be gangstas from Springfield aren't) and it was yet another move over to The Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke.
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Shows cropped up at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls with Greedy Edna and Greenfield's old theaters with Under Falling Skies while Northampton's own industrial/metal Collapse Into Reason booked non-traditional venues such as goth clubs. Springfield became the home to all of the scene's bands but many started out of there such as Shoot the Dancing Bear, edgar, and Aftershock to name a few. 6thirty7 and All That Remains called the basement and hall shows of Holyoke home. The scene extended into the border towns in Connecticut where we had Simple, Grey Cell Green, and Still Life showing how it's done in CT at Webster Theater as well as many bars and clubs that promoted local artists. Mike Haze at 97.9 FM out of Northampton and the WCCC crew at 106.9 out of CT were the first radio stations that would play local music that went onto change heavy music.
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Band members from various projects hanging out with one another sharing ideas and forming side or new projects promoted growth. Phil's exit from Shadows Fall resulted in the formation of All That Remains and Adam and splitting away from him and his brother's band Aftershock eventually formed Killswitch Engage. Slo from 6thirty7 will go on to play guitar for Unearth and Scott Lee who never played but was a huge proponent for supporting and booking in the scene went onto start Metalfest and to book for Mass Concerts. After the main stream silence of heavy music, all of the pieces within the Western Mass scene were in place and it would begin with Shadows Fall's signing to Century Media.
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As it is said so often in recounting history that something was the start, Shadows Fall was only the tip of the iceberg that is the Western MA scene. They spent years playing locally as well as branching out regionally through tireless self promotion and self release of their records on guitarist Matt's indie label Lifeless Records. It was hard work and good music that got the attention of indie metal labels. Once Shadows Fall was signed, the metalcore cat was out of the bag and soon after Killswitch Engage followed. Those two bands spread metalcore nationally though constant touring and set the stage for the next round of bands to be signed. Soon after we saw Lamb of God out of Virginia and That Remains out of Springfield MA signed to Prosthetic records.
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Metalcore began to see commercial success with the same help it once received, video rotation and movie sound tracks. The only difference is that it wasn't MTV that dictated your purchase but YouTube and free will (albeit great marketing). With mainstream insertion of an underground sound the once indie bands were soon being tracked on Billboard charts. The mainstream attention would have those same bands nominated for Grammys and all of this begins the cycle of commercial acceptance and success of heavy music. That's right, metal is back bitches.
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It was refreshing to have new material to listen to after the metal drought but the competitive nature of the record industry will force labels be the death of metal again. It's a catch 22 that without competition there is no way to gauge the value of a product, but an over saturated market dilutes the product's brand and value. Labels will sign band after band putting out records by varying artists with mixed results. It became a land grab of the genre and you start to see labels formed tailored to the genre or a label converting to the genre. Soon the identity of metalcore will be lost and become as generic as calling all heavy music metalcore instead of metal. Where once we had the pretty definitive Big 4 in the 80's, it may simply be too soon to say who the progenitors are but those bands that began the wave of metalcore will continue on while the gazillion metalcore bands we now have will only serve to destroy the scene again never to see the success promised by the mainstream pipe dream.
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So now we come full circle where we have too many of the same thing and not enough change. While metalcore rang in the era of being able to play your instruments again where nu-metal just had caveman riffs, the evolution of heavy music continues with bands like Animals as Leaders who forsake vocals to deliver music virtuosity on eight string guitars. We are hearing less and less screams in music as it is becoming a tired out sound already and giving creed to people who can actually sing again. It's time for music apoptosis again and I for one look forward to the death of metalcore and will not mourn a second of it as I will be too busy looking forward to what music tomorrow will bring.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-6127015756493057402012-11-27T07:07:00.001-08:002013-01-10T07:52:47.798-08:00The Cyclic Existence of Heavy Music - Part II, Other Than MetalThe eighties were also the height of American punk, but punk's inability to break into the mainstream forced the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement. Independent record labels started by band members and scenesters came into existence to distribute music that the major media wasn't interested in. An example would be SST Records started by Greg Ginn; then frontman of Black Flag. Ginn recorded a record with his previous band Panic and had no luck securing a record deal and decided to release it himself by establishing his own label. SST Records then began distributing music from it's home of Southern California's thriving punk scene.
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Hardcore remained an underground music while punk experienced a revival in the nineties as 'Pop-Punk' with bands like Green Day. Punk resisted assimilation into the heavy music category by shying away from association with hardcore and especially metal with pop friendly branches like Ska. Granted, there are punk bands that remained true to it's roots but like any music that was taboo in it's heyday, it too had to give way to new music. An example would be when jazz faded from music played in brothels in New Orleans as music you heard while you got some 'jass' into easy listening AM radio stations.
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Indie label's distribution was limited and did not have the clout nor financial prowess of the major labels to take advantage of traditional marketing techniques such as securing an end cap display at a retail chain. Instead of competing directly with the majors, indies took a community based approach such as releasing split records. The idea of a split record is to feature two bands, one on each side. The record typically has a few tracks from each artist and one of the bands would be the draw intended to entice listeners to try another band based on association.
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It was through compilations from reputable indie labels that many fans heard new bands. Without distribution into retail locations, labels relied on the dying mail order system where you requested a catalog, picked items and sent a check for the merchandise (plus shipping and handling) then awaited its arrival; all correspondence via USPS. Some mom 'n pop record shops would carry these records but they were typically scene specific and traditional distribution was a thing to come.
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How did these kids hear about these new bands before the internet? The answer is the under ground magazine, or zine to the initiated. Zine's were put out either by individuals who had close ties to the scene or by indie labels. Zines evolved to take on subscribers and some of these DIY publications were nationally distributed through the postal service. Other than the zine it was word of mouth and live shows that spread the word. As time pass and indies grew in national recognition, they began taking out ads in publications that fans read like Hit Parader and Guitar World.
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Necessity being the mother of all invention, DIYers of the era understood the geographical limitation of a scene as well as indie labels. Where major labels planned tour logistics and offered support, these bands got a van and crammed as much gear, clothing, and merch as they could afford and hit the road. It was a slow process with no guarantee of success but it was those that braved it that paved the way for many to come. A great book on this topic is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Get-Van-Road-Black-Edition/dp/1880985764">Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag</a></i> by Henry Rollins.
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During the nineties when pop punk was making the top twenty charts, the punk bands of the past began to resurface with their back catalog picked up by a new and younger audience who wanted to hear where it began. Bands like Bad Brains suddenly became a household name where in the past it lived in relative obscurity to the mainstream media during the peak of it's career. The punk revival was in full swing with it being used in extreme sports events, game and movie sound tracks, even ivy league colleges were having commencement speeches by political punk alumni.
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Hardcore remains the underground redheaded stepchild of heavy music. The bastard descendant of punk diverged on it's own when it became too heavy for punk's liking where traditional punk fans shunned it while the new hardcore fans accepted it's roots. Built on the DIY ethos of it's punk roots and strengthened by the tight knit scene, hardcore thrived underground where it fostered the creation of independent record labels that distributed with fierce brand loyalty. Once upon a time fans could rely on Victory Record's brand to deliver true and good hardcore.
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The broader reaches of the World Wide Web in the beginning of nineties combined with the DIY attitude exposed hardcore to new, previously inaccessible fans. The music being heard for the first time by those without a local hardcore scene found themselves becoming immersed into hardcore culture via the internet; giving rise to new momentum by giving indie labels and unsigned bands the tools to strike against major media with the ability to release music worldwide without the need for traditional distribution channels.
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With both punk and hardcore heard by a global audience, we wait for those with new gripes, frustrations, politics and scenes to form a new voice to express what that local culture has to say. In part III we will be hearing how those voices will influence music to come.
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Check out the next article; <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-cyclic-existence-of-heavy-music.html">The Cyclic Existence of Heavy Music - Part III, Full Circle</a>Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-41393789810916517632012-11-13T09:48:00.000-08:002013-01-10T07:53:42.713-08:00The Cyclic Existence of Heavy Music - Part I, From the 80's to the 90'sJust like yourself, I listen to a broad range of music. When asked what kind of music I listen to I tend to fall back on metal, hardcore, industrial, and the various sub-genres that may be difficult to differentiate without being a fan. However, as both a songwriter and a fan of the genre I am not disillusioned into thinking that it will last forever. This may irk some of you but let's face it, music is an industry because it makes money and heavy music represents a small segment of the market.
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As far as the recording industry is concerned the popularity of any song is based on the purchasing power and attention span of the core demographic. Still nay-saying? Consider what radio formats exist today and if there are any formats dedicated to metal, hardcore, punk, etc. Sure there are radio stations that play heavier music outside of popular music, but it's relegated to late night slots at a college radio station.
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As metal died towards the end of the eighties we had Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax that represented the 'Big 4' of metal bands. When these bands started out they each made a distinct mark on metal - with Metallica being the popular example of Bay Area thrash; Mustaine's departure from Metallica came Megadeth as the rival feud; Slayer as the extreme end of thrash; and Anthrax representing East Coast metal.
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There were plenty of bands outside of the Big 4 that saw moderate to good success but the problem with a small business segment is that there is only so much room for competing products. When the metal scene became popular, bands seemed to suddenly appear playing similar material and eventually what started as a proliferation of metal became a saturation of metal and the bloated segment in music became unsustainable in the market. There simply were too many damn metal bands that didn't offered anything new, and to make it worse the scene was beginning to fragment and divide into different camps of metal.
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The end of the eighties was when metal and hard rock cemented their symbiotic relationship. Guns N' Roses' <i>Appetite foe Destruction</i> was released in 1987 to obscurity until David Geffen asked favors to include the record's first single, <i>Welcome to Jungle</i> which had an accompanying video to be included in MTV's late night rotation. This was the defining moment when video became as important as the single it's self in a band's survivability in music merchandising and advertising. So important was it that MTV began the Best Rock Video category at their annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1989 with Guns 'N Roses' <i>Sweet Child 'o Mine</i> as the winner up against Aerosmith, Def Leppard, and Metallica. The inclusion of the category helped break in heavier music to the masses.
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The beginning of the nineties mourned the death of metal, but really it was an inevitable end that had to occur in order to force it underground where it could be rediscovered among new blood with new ears and new ideas. During this transition, rock birthed the weird off spring that is Alternative, which had an impact on future musicians that was to become the next generation of metal and hardcore songwriters. Until the nineties it was faux pas to listen to metal <i>and</i> popular music which stunted the growth of metal for years, but with metal submerging underground again, it fostered a new scene with new rules. Alternative bands such as Alice in Chains and Sound Garden, who had heavy sounding guitars blended with pop sensible-yet-metal-ish vocals, helped the paradigm shift in the attitude towards what became acceptable in heavy music.
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As the nineties progressed we saw new acts added to rosters of metal labels like Road Runner and Metal Blade, with bands such as Machine Head, Candiria, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Major labels were signing heavier bands occasionally to tout them as 'alternative metal' and 'nu-metal' along the way. It was these bands in the nineties that were the front runners that changed the way heavy music was perceived. Without the Big 4 poisoning it's progeny that desperately tried to fit an already overflowing mold of what the major label audience wanted them to sound like, music again took precedence and gave way to creativity over profit.
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Now we have to let metal percolate in the melting pot of music and watch it change into something new, bringing in the next generation of musicians to write and play songs that become the anthem of the moment. We will have to wait another decade for that to happen. In the meantime, we will be taking a look at what else is happening in heavy music outside of metal in <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-cyclic-existence-of-heavy-music_27.html">Part II</a>.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-11269637852444557092012-11-10T16:54:00.002-08:002012-11-17T10:27:17.184-08:00Gumbo!One of the things I miss about New Orleans is the food. I recently decided to try my hand at gumbo and I settled on a recipe that I liked so I thought to share it with you here. It starts with a 6.5 quart crock pot.
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What you will need:
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1 1/2 lbs. Bacon (preferably thick cut) <br>
12 oz. Andouille Sausage <br>
2 lbs. Crawfish or Shrimp tails peeled and deveined <br>
1 & 1/4 white onion <br>
1 small bunch of scallions (About 8 to a bundle) <br>
3 Medium Potatoes <br>
2 Large Jalapenos (fresh) <br>
2 Habanero Peppers <br>
1 lb. can of diced Tomatoes <br>
1 lb. Chicken Broth (cartons come in 2 lbs packages, half of one of those) <br>
1/4 cup White Vinegar <br>
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce <br>
1/2 lbs. ~ 3/4 lbs Okra <br>
16 cloves of garlic (I buy them pre-peeled in a tub) <br>
2 oz. <a href="http://www.louisianapepper.com/">Louisiana Hot Sauce</a> <br>
1 oz. Tabasco Sauce <br>
1/8 cup <a href="http://www.andyroos.com/store/new-orleans-style-creole-gumbo-seasoning.html?sl=EN">Andy Roo's Creole Gumbo Seasoning</a> <br>
1 Tablespoon <a href="http://store.slapyamama.com/Slap_Ya_Mama_Hot_Blend_Cajun_Seasoning_s/44.htm">Slap Ya Mama Hot Blend</a> <br>
1/8 cup Cayenne Pepper <br>
~1 cup Flour <br>
1/8 cup Basil (dry) <br>
1/8 cup Oregano (dry) <br>
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Cilantro (dry) <br>
Water (Will get the amount later)
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For the rice:
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2 cups Rice <br>
4 cups water <br>
6 Cloves of Garlic <br>
1 Vegetable Bullion or broth/soup base <br>
Butter
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Start by pouring half of the carton (1 lb.) of chicken broth in to the crock pot and add the rest of the wet ingredients except for the water (vinegar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and Tabasco sauce). The can of tomatoes will need to be drained than add the entire can to the mix. Add all of the dry ingredients except for the flour (cayenne pepper, basil, oregano, Slap ya Mama, Gumbo seasoning, and cilantro) and stir till mixed than set the crock pot on high while preparing the fresh ingredients. Keep the lid off as you will be adding the ingredients as you prepare them.
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Potatoes should be cut to bite size, onion to be quartered than sliced ~2mm wide than rough chopped. Cut the ends off of the okra and dispose, than chop the okra 5~7mm wide rings. Scallion should be sliced to about 3mm wide wings, garlic should be crushed with the flat of chef's knife than roughly minced. Halve the sausage than cut 5~7mm wide. Crawfish or shrimp tail (whichever is available to you) will ideally already be peeled and deveined but if not, this is the time to do it. Jalapenos and Habaneros should be roughly minced and keep the seeds in. Place the lid on the crock pot and time to cook some bacon.
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Cook the bacon only till it produces grease (cook but keep soft). Go through the entire 1 1/2 lbs. and you will be saving the bacon grease in to a pyrex measuring cup between each batch to minimize contaminants in the grease as well to take care not to burn it. Once you cook through it all, slice the bacon to 2~3mm wide pieces and add to the gumbo mix. Add hot water to the gumbo mix to fill up the crock pot until it is nearly full at this point and than replace the lid. The bacon should have produced a little bit over a cup's worth which you will need to strain in to a clean pan set to low heat. Once the bacon grease is warmed, slowly add the nearly cup's worth of flour by slowly stirring it in to create the roux which will be added to the gumbo later. The flour to oil ratio is nearly one to one, you will need to continue to stir in flour until you get a putty like texture. Add the roux to the gumbo once it is hot by stirring it in slowly.
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With all the ingredients added, let it cook for three hours or until done. While this is going, prepare some rice. Melt the vegetable bullion in to 4 cups of water and combine with rice in a rice cooker and let cook. Once the rice finish, add butter and stir to your liking. When the gumbo finishes, heap some rice into a bowl and add gumbo and enjoy.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-64138279485777903242012-10-23T18:16:00.000-07:002012-10-24T08:01:24.010-07:00Mount NetApp NFS volume to Linux server (for Windows people)I recently had to update the disk firmware on a NetApp filer running NFS only (CIFS would allow Windows/NTFS access but needs a license and setup, and certain versions of ONTAP does not recommend running both NFS and CIFS) and after reading the documentation, I realized that the doc fell short for those that are not as Linux/Unix savvy and it inspired me to write something about it here.
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The gist of the upgrade for a NetApp filer is rather simple, mount the /vol/vol0/ and browse to /etc/disk_fw and copy over thew new firmware bits.....but if you haven't mounted a NFS volume to a Linux server before, you are likely searching Google right now chanting Whiskey Tango Foxtrot as you may have come across a link to this blog here. Time to fill in the gaps on that doc now;
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<b>1.) <i>You are going to need a Linux box</i></b>
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I virtualize all of my servers and I happen to have a Fedora 13 VM running and that is what I used to mount the NFS volume to the Linux server. If you don't have a Linux server but have vitualization technology available to you, there are pre-made VMs called appliances and there are many Fedora builds available. If you are the hardware sort of guy or gal, I'll wait, go ahead and build your dinosaur of a physical server while I drink some coffee.
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<b>2.) <i>Getting the NetApp NFS volume mounted to Linux (in my case Fedora 13</i>)</b>
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You have likely already looked at several webpages and have an idea of what the syntax maybe but just not connecting? No worries, I will explain in full here. First you need to make sure that the Fedora server's /mnt directory has a valid sub directory for the NetApp volume to mount to. The Mount command is Mount [file type] [from where:what directory] [to where] and the [to where] parts needs an existing path. I used <a href="http://winscp.net/eng/index.php">WinSCP</a> for an easy GUI browse of the Fedora server and when you first log in, hit the drop down that reads 'root' and go to /[root] which will re-populate the right side split window with more folders and each of those folders is called a directory. Go into the one labeled 'mnt' than press F7 to create a new directory and call is netapp.
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Now that you have created the /mnt/netapp directory, you are ready to mount the filer. I use <a href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/">putty</a> to SSH to the Fedora server and here is the command once you have logged in;
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mount -t nfs [IP of your netapp filer]:/vol/vol0 /mnt/netapp
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The above command declares the file type as NFS by '-t nfs' and [IP of your filer]:/vol/vol0 is the from where:what directory on the NetApp filer and the /mnt/netapp defines what directory on the Fedora server that this volume will be presented to. As a note of clarification, there should be no space between your filer IP and the : above, (e.g. 192.168.1.100:/vol/vol0). As for why /vol/vol0? That's the default on the NetApp filer's directories of where the /etc folder is, which we will be getting to shortly.
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To make sure that the NetApp volume mounted, browse the directory by entering ls /mnt/netapp/etc and if an output shows a bunch of files and directories, congratulations, you have mounted the volume successfully as you are viewing the /etc directory on the NetApp filer that has now been mounted to the /mnt/netapp directory on your Fedora server.
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For sake of ease, since I already have WinSCP running, I browse to /mnt/netapp/etc/disk_fw and copy over the necessary disk firmware files using WinSCP. From here on out, use the NetApp disk firmware upgrade instructions. Once you have everything you need, run the following command to unmount the NFS volume;
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umount -a -t nfs
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There are methods to mount the NFS volume directly to Windows using third party software such as <a href="http://code.google.com/p/nekodrive/">NekoDrive</a> but had issues when copying over data as it seems to retain the NFS volume in memory and will require a high memory machine to be able to complete write operations without error. If you are running ONTAP version 8.1 or later, I have come across a blog post by <a href="http://cosonok.blogspot.com/2012/01/netapp-data-ontap-81-enabling-sftp.html">Cosonok</a> regarding how to enable access directly from WinSCP but since I do not have that ONTAP version available to test, I haven't confirmed it's functionality (I can tell you that the method listed on his blog does not work for ONTAP version 7.3.2). The method that I listed works on Fedora and Red Hat servers (tested Fedora 13, 15, and RHEL 6) and if you use other versions of Linux, keep in mind that some of the syntax may change (instead of mount, it may be mnt, mt, etc). Hope this helped solve your NFS mounting issues.
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-75499664166650151762012-09-25T10:45:00.000-07:002012-09-25T10:46:01.268-07:00Making an iPhone 4S bracket for 1/4-20 mountsI have an upcoming project for Griffin Armament where I will be testing the performance of the M4-SD Tactical Compensator and one of the tests I have in mind will requires video and planned to use my iPhone 4S for this purpose. There are various brackets and mounts available on the market but I didn't find any that allowed me to view the screen while filming that would also provide a solid contact around the phone to prevent the phone from shaking off from the rifle firing near by; looks like I will be hacking one together for the shoot.
<br><p>
I stared with looking around on the web for either a case or a mount that I can use as a base to start and I deiced to go with a window mount type that I found on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00430ZA3K/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00">Amazon</a> which includes a goose neck and suction cup that attaches to the phone bracket. Another item I ordered with it is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00585CLVS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01">bar mount</a> with a 1/4-20 thread screw which is the industry standard screw size for attaching any camera (just like on a tripod). The bar mount I plan to use for attaching directly to the barrel for future use.
<br><p>
As for how I plan to attach the bracket to the bar mount and other 1/4-20 mounts is pretty simple, I headed out to my local homedepot and hunted around for parts and this is what I came out with;
<br><p>
<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1vZ12kx/R-202033997/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=t&storeId=10051#.UGHpjo1lQsc">3" x 3" T-Plates</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202033890/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=corner+brace&storeId=10051#.UGHqtI1lR5Y">1" Corner Brace</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202249719/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=1%2F4+20+7%2F8+nut&storeId=10051#.UGHq1o1lR5Y">1/4-20 x 7/8 Coupling Nut</a> <br>
Shortest 1/4-20 bolt I could find <br>
(3) 5.8x10mm nuts and bolts <br>
<br><p>
One of the holes in the corner bracket will need to be drilled out to 1/4" wide to fit the 1/4-20 bolt, simply clamp the bracket into a vise (failing that, screw it down into a piece of scrap wood) and drill through one of the holes with a 1/4" drill bit and if you have a way to deburr, you should to avoid a cutting hazard. The T plate will be affixed to two of the holes of the iPhone bracket with two of the 5.8x10mm nuts and bolts with the third set to attach the corner bracket to the T plate. The 1/4-20 bolt will pass through the enlarged hole which will be affixed with the 1/4-20 x 7/8" coupling nut where there will be enough space left in the coupling nut to thread onto tripod and other 1/4-20 camera mounts. See pics below for reference, it's a really straight forward build and should be done in under ten minutes.
<br><p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQpLfl-RmYewOVfi4kkdX32FHwE8VUu_kGZ61fmiYt_UQbD4Gh2FmFb97JShtHsh25lxN2OZTSITe0SnydjFtMZVMVPJWUrch545X0qZPVMZGLrg14Fw-iyuzJetg83wc_w55spalgD0/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQpLfl-RmYewOVfi4kkdX32FHwE8VUu_kGZ61fmiYt_UQbD4Gh2FmFb97JShtHsh25lxN2OZTSITe0SnydjFtMZVMVPJWUrch545X0qZPVMZGLrg14Fw-iyuzJetg83wc_w55spalgD0/s320/IMG_0645.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvrXasDoBDOTTs5MgVywVUuV3rvS9BJE8VsAts9323AujNgpBDvhS8p80djW1bYjpgZINI5SBblyvNKZSJcsltibALJ_-TVbFL9grO0DrObeKxSL-6S8WaeJ6Bvih0omDRZNjUQgzEzM/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvrXasDoBDOTTs5MgVywVUuV3rvS9BJE8VsAts9323AujNgpBDvhS8p80djW1bYjpgZINI5SBblyvNKZSJcsltibALJ_-TVbFL9grO0DrObeKxSL-6S8WaeJ6Bvih0omDRZNjUQgzEzM/s320/IMG_0646.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ywuNTuX8XNSrhSCwH5HfT1nwjn4alxmzhOxfvWUvVrERAfpHrY6_YY1kkbMYz5TR_fJl0ZiShukST199PZwSsaObeYqtkandX5TOPDFb4sz2MlbxFPBr2RJ61Bjri0FQ1gberIwiZn8/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ywuNTuX8XNSrhSCwH5HfT1nwjn4alxmzhOxfvWUvVrERAfpHrY6_YY1kkbMYz5TR_fJl0ZiShukST199PZwSsaObeYqtkandX5TOPDFb4sz2MlbxFPBr2RJ61Bjri0FQ1gberIwiZn8/s320/IMG_0647.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5K0tKO-_QETAnl4LOAwph9-uDXHi5S4nas6wCF8aUBkUNaQwOowweWHsBlMuc_ebMLCNtUBeYRykvAHhtrfAGOlu8y-jDr8FxGAQM40SZ5QNWmf8j7YlyClRQnZ39svTS88A_RsxlX4/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5K0tKO-_QETAnl4LOAwph9-uDXHi5S4nas6wCF8aUBkUNaQwOowweWHsBlMuc_ebMLCNtUBeYRykvAHhtrfAGOlu8y-jDr8FxGAQM40SZ5QNWmf8j7YlyClRQnZ39svTS88A_RsxlX4/s320/IMG_0648.JPG" /></a>
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-6401847614254908882012-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:002012-09-24T06:30:11.801-07:00SBR Build Completed! (and How to install the Troy Battlerail Bravo)The upper parts have finally arrived and have now completed the build as of 9/18/2012; I have been waiting for this rifle completion for <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/06/gearing-up-for-sbr-build.html">nine months</a> and considering the coincidence in length of time, it can be said that my SBR is born. Least to say I'm thrilled and haven't been this excited since a midget discoverd the husky section.
<br><p>
The parts in the build have been covered in <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/07/tax-stamp-for-sbr-approved-by-batfe-now.html">previous</a> posts but to recap here for the final build;
<br><p>
<b>Lower Receiver Parts</b>
<br><p>
Colt AR-15 Lower (Pre-Ban)<br>
Magpul MOE Trigger Guard, MIAD grip, & B.A.D. Lever <br>
<a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/07/geissele-automatics-super-semi.html">Geissele SSA Trigger</a> <br>
<a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-various-ar-15-stocks-i-have-tried.html">Vltor A5 Kit & IMOD stock</a> <br>
A.R.M.S. #71L <a href="http://www.armsmounts.com/default.asp?mode=products&sub=sights&id=[hsh]71L-F">Front</a> and <a href="http://www.armsmounts.com/default.asp?mode=products&sub=sights&id=[hsh]71L-R">Rear</a> Polymer BUIS <br>
<br><p>
<b>Upper Receiver Parts</b>
<br><p>
Stag Arms Model SBR 11.5" BBL + Upper <br>
Troy 11" BattleRail Bravo <br>
Magpul ladder rail covers <br>
BCM Gunfighter Mod 4 <br>
**soon to be added**<br>
Griffin Armament M4SD II Compensator <br>
<br><p>
I zeroed the rifle at 50 yards which also is know as the Combat Zero and if you use an A2 rear sight; it is possible to zero at 50 yards utilizing the <a href="http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=599">Improved Battlesight Zero</a>. The reason I chose the 50 yard zero has to do with how the 5.56mm projectile travels where at a 50 Yard zero the projectile hits Point Of Aim (POA)/Point Of Imapct (POI) and again at around the 200 yard mark and intermediate distances are a relatively flat trajectory that is +/- 1.6" out to the 250 yard range. This deviance is compensated with hold overs which means to hold my POA over the target a known amount above my expected POI at distances outside of the near and far zeroes and once trained with the hold overs, hitting 2" steel targets out at different distances are easy without having to fiddle with the elevation of my sights which makes for faster shots on target in a competition with multiple targtes at varying distances. The reason this zero works is the misconception of bullet travel path that when it exits the barrel, the projectile goes straight and drops down but in reality it is an arch which maintains terminal velocity over a longer distance. When the rifle is zeroed at 50 yards, the barrel is not level to ground pointing straight at 50 yards but at a slight angle upwards to produce an arch in the bullet path that is consistent with your aim where the upward angle is ever so slight to the shooter's perspective that it appears to be straight on. A very awesome explanation has been posted on the m4carbine forum by member <a href="http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=65679">Molon</a> that is worth a read if you want to know more about the 50 yard zero and how it works (scroll down further on his post to check out the Revised Improved Battlesight Zero if you are using the A2 rear sight, very much worth the read).
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The #71L sights which are the low profile polymer offering from A.R.M.S. Inc. is a pretty good sight, I like the rear sight better than Magpul's because it has the short range notch at the top of the sight already but the front sight needs a little work. The front sight simply has too much flat black with no definition and found it hard to quickly acquire the sight post center in the rear peep. I painted white alignment lines on the bottom and top surrounding the front post as well as the top ~1/4" of the post florescent green. The quick fix makes the sight pop out and is now a significantly easier, faster, and repeatable sight alignment.
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White base coat <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqXiKDu0gZoIS0UKtqdgOLxWRisYHQv4wtPbdSwZ6guRcT5ApqLV15oIK799TB1Y1PJwb7IANzJcC-XHxi1qL25VfH4XFkNcv448iwJF4O5Z3bD-qur9A3eK_N8f0neWFN0yM-3OZ3sM/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqXiKDu0gZoIS0UKtqdgOLxWRisYHQv4wtPbdSwZ6guRcT5ApqLV15oIK799TB1Y1PJwb7IANzJcC-XHxi1qL25VfH4XFkNcv448iwJF4O5Z3bD-qur9A3eK_N8f0neWFN0yM-3OZ3sM/s320/IMG_0613.JPG" /></a>
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Florescent green applied to post <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpDYjtNma8zj9ceNexlctzxc_D8Hw44GmwG3eEdOe-g21q_p2FTZ5D1Rjrt9N4aQOsB8OM1Do2Z0x9EaYL3bTJE9k7L0NU_tD4mRJHWYhP_mDucTashAsnb06xoQvphoikA5jw_nm_6Y/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpDYjtNma8zj9ceNexlctzxc_D8Hw44GmwG3eEdOe-g21q_p2FTZ5D1Rjrt9N4aQOsB8OM1Do2Z0x9EaYL3bTJE9k7L0NU_tD4mRJHWYhP_mDucTashAsnb06xoQvphoikA5jw_nm_6Y/s320/IMG_0615.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
View from the peep <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OR3xFKKdb79O4Mba2dVcQHPA70xpWTCJ1kHc0cAfvBUO64JCEaZcjzeu5jAWkqFkDrxsxB85ws_x5liqc_NKVN2gukXqea4QRUHD-oBAKmA5zhHKkeMRh4FM3nlxNjAitkI3YmDXbjc/s1600/IMG_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OR3xFKKdb79O4Mba2dVcQHPA70xpWTCJ1kHc0cAfvBUO64JCEaZcjzeu5jAWkqFkDrxsxB85ws_x5liqc_NKVN2gukXqea4QRUHD-oBAKmA5zhHKkeMRh4FM3nlxNjAitkI3YmDXbjc/s320/IMG_0616.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
There are components on this rifle (aside from the short barrel) that I have been wanting to test out and the parts lived up to my expectation. The BCM Gunfighter charging handle (CH) with the Mod 4 paddle which is the medium size latch works exactly as advertised. I resisted buying the Gunfighter CH for the longest time as I was just being a cheap bastard.....until I recently managed to break my CH on my other AR exactly where the BCM <a href="http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-GUNFIGHTER-Charging-Handle-GFH-Mod-4-p/bcm%20gfh%20mod%204%20556.htm">literature</a> mentions it. I manipulate the CH one handed with my support hand (that would be my left as I am right hand dominant) and with a standard CH, the one hand manipulation puts all of the stress against the roll pin that attaches the latch/paddle to the handle as well as adding a side way torsion that visibly warps the handle a bit. The BCM CH does not experience the warp as it is a much heavier duty CH compared to the GI and the added rigidity makes the CH manipulation easier. Looks like I will be ordering the second one to replace the replacement on my other AR now.
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Comparison shot between the BCM (bottom) and GI (top) CH <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPR2EIHvfMLYjaUc_y1dDhE9leONR5DEP44xhnjh-MBCg6VZZwezzr8GvdzI-t7z5nYCT0AtNR-oThk0KyCQT6yHSqkrAVq1SyhTWvX8lRDdEnBuO4jHZzOCVGiUtGrGbeVTm696x0UQ/s1600/IMG_0617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPR2EIHvfMLYjaUc_y1dDhE9leONR5DEP44xhnjh-MBCg6VZZwezzr8GvdzI-t7z5nYCT0AtNR-oThk0KyCQT6yHSqkrAVq1SyhTWvX8lRDdEnBuO4jHZzOCVGiUtGrGbeVTm696x0UQ/s320/IMG_0617.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
Another part is the Troy BattleRail Bravo measureing in at 2.2" wide and 2.44" high which is the update that redesigned the existing TRX and BattleRail line where the new rail is lighter weighting in at 13.35 oz. and attaches to the rifle with less parts for a better, more solid fit and has a closer resemblance to the Alpha series of rails. I shot the SBR for an hour and a half straight while sighting it in and it never got hot, maybe a little warm but nothing uncomfortable at all and with the combination of the Magpul ladder rail covers, I was able to keep a solid thumb over grip on the rail the entire time without any heat issues that would necessitate gloves. At one point when I was adjusting the front sight post, my left hand came in contact with the A2 flash hider just to remind me how burning hot the rifle is (much cursing ensued), it was easy to forget the fact with the rail which did an amazing job at keeping the blistering heat at bay. The only gripe I have with the rail is the finish which I have already started to see wear spots on and it has seen exactly one indoor range trip.
<br><p>
There seems to be no good explanation of the Bravo rail's mounting method or for that matter how it works; so here it is finally, how to mount the Troy Battlerail Bravo. Troy did away with the proprietary nut and uses the existing castle nut on the AR platform which makes for better parts commonality and a simpler installation process. The rail has four screws and tabs and the tabs slide between the barrel and castle nut and the screw tension binds the castle nut between the clips and the rail.
<br><p>
All of the parts<br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5nbkDoV07elYihD6qH7xK5wkVJFM9UXK8XUDVX5jBcw4KYi6E7eHIh262yXe4XPDFsu28YU53nACG695zRfmgoXfwNJ0spBeUghpB6vmRWlGdjLXU3_e-NiII8MBzB1DP2oImYL1C1I/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5nbkDoV07elYihD6qH7xK5wkVJFM9UXK8XUDVX5jBcw4KYi6E7eHIh262yXe4XPDFsu28YU53nACG695zRfmgoXfwNJ0spBeUghpB6vmRWlGdjLXU3_e-NiII8MBzB1DP2oImYL1C1I/s320/IMG_0628.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
Here the clips slid between barrel and castle nut to illustrate where they will go <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3NcOh6Fvl5uqbNbPMlZqRbr_5fHfuX_EGxT8QyEip7s4tUqFAlPxRrsh6kJPDuys0oc_c3g6t0Rljw8CkOxs3kEN6brcE_lf508Vn3eI8lBooD08SWJI2r7j7oSTfzhFcb8olE-v2FU/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3NcOh6Fvl5uqbNbPMlZqRbr_5fHfuX_EGxT8QyEip7s4tUqFAlPxRrsh6kJPDuys0oc_c3g6t0Rljw8CkOxs3kEN6brcE_lf508Vn3eI8lBooD08SWJI2r7j7oSTfzhFcb8olE-v2FU/s320/IMG_0629.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
You will need to hold the clips inside of the rail and thread the screw in and turn a few turns to keep them in place, the idea is to have enough slack that the tabs will slide in between the castle nut and barrel on their own during installation. Aside from the clips, the rail has keyed sections at the end of the rail that will need to be lined up with the castle nut ridges for installation which you can see highlighted in red. It becomes obvious when mounting that you will need to install the rail off center for the ridges to line up to the castle nut and will than need to be twisted to center for alignment before tightening the screws.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDuNEm-XC9vtlebt5QWoecYw5_hXGv2fhRyXpf-XVDnJFtiSu4OhFtI5R9XCIllmI-iPVptGuU0vTJerrw26lFMhnchZYdDgA9WQIXl0Wp3XAIqltGxVIuqRgXicCq93NlaN8977ZtHM/s1600/IMG_0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDuNEm-XC9vtlebt5QWoecYw5_hXGv2fhRyXpf-XVDnJFtiSu4OhFtI5R9XCIllmI-iPVptGuU0vTJerrw26lFMhnchZYdDgA9WQIXl0Wp3XAIqltGxVIuqRgXicCq93NlaN8977ZtHM/s320/IMG_0631.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0nqraaCE6YqnqOx8z_ymO4kFonwTCPud8-CvDRqu_GWk4V4OyFW_iO2kRhzcLbAtQJvRSQXhiWUekTu7mJMRkEXpBDH5vSTsImHA6Te1zAK8feiQqa9lhdQTFs47iNA6SUewwLUNAvU/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0nqraaCE6YqnqOx8z_ymO4kFonwTCPud8-CvDRqu_GWk4V4OyFW_iO2kRhzcLbAtQJvRSQXhiWUekTu7mJMRkEXpBDH5vSTsImHA6Te1zAK8feiQqa9lhdQTFs47iNA6SUewwLUNAvU/s320/IMG_0633.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqYnCYku9G2fgTwhunD2nJRPVMjXnmwnOplYD9SWLxKBHdfQ1bgkSGhM1YLOxM5HEFCrs29PQLy7PWRSBx-nW5GnVlPNoOZKC6uVJQzJaYiysil99nQV1t5BZI8CbFO5k97bc5GF8t9o/s1600/IMG_0635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqYnCYku9G2fgTwhunD2nJRPVMjXnmwnOplYD9SWLxKBHdfQ1bgkSGhM1YLOxM5HEFCrs29PQLy7PWRSBx-nW5GnVlPNoOZKC6uVJQzJaYiysil99nQV1t5BZI8CbFO5k97bc5GF8t9o/s320/IMG_0635.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vH8rSDK0_-oQ4dL72_cZCOJyzK0D7ED_tf5pYjZ_gfz26f-tzNgWF6_5Y1pOqnUoPNYwKTH-B6Q5_l0TV6Ca1ZsclEwQwmse_oQon2YI6mXggvi2VyTP0rVfi9Vs7T5Ik2IuW6Fh9A8/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vH8rSDK0_-oQ4dL72_cZCOJyzK0D7ED_tf5pYjZ_gfz26f-tzNgWF6_5Y1pOqnUoPNYwKTH-B6Q5_l0TV6Ca1ZsclEwQwmse_oQon2YI6mXggvi2VyTP0rVfi9Vs7T5Ik2IuW6Fh9A8/s320/IMG_0636.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
As for the sum of it's parts, the SBR overall functioned flawlessly. I did not experience a single malfunction but to be fair I haven't really put it through it's paces yet either. The Vltor A5 system gave the SBR the reliability of a rifle length buffer system that I was looking for. The FA BCG certainly performed well with a smooth feed, solid lock up, and a very positive ejection at around 4'clock which is where the case should be ejected towards. The dwell time couldn't have been timed better between bolt, buffer size, and tube length in conjunction with spring tension which also makes for a rifle that recoils very flat and straight back that allowed easy follow up shots once I got used to the shorter barrel getting influenced by the bullet spin as it exits the barrel more (the force exerted on the projectile from the rifling forces the barrel to move up and to the left) compared to my 16" AR. As i mentioned in the parts list above, I am waiting on the Griffin Armament compensator to try out in the very near future and will be writing about it here. Now to choose an optic for this rifle....
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZMjP_ReGM3oTHKaHRjGBjGe3NI2J3ZPhVZ2pxR37cbDforZ-rU6TBZG0DVnQ-Rzz5lM4hhLJx2hM0WL2gLYgJunB8G-n86s2HsCADF2aiY1rRs4p_GIxFCiGxOllrx2g5OMqm01MMZk/s1600/IMG_0640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZMjP_ReGM3oTHKaHRjGBjGe3NI2J3ZPhVZ2pxR37cbDforZ-rU6TBZG0DVnQ-Rzz5lM4hhLJx2hM0WL2gLYgJunB8G-n86s2HsCADF2aiY1rRs4p_GIxFCiGxOllrx2g5OMqm01MMZk/s320/IMG_0640.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsQnGJl_Q3gVEX6efeiqP0pyOfqsl92TwDbfNm_oolsWDcVdOhhqKg0WEKe2WtSVbYlENWt34TJh4EYmhy0F_aPhNdck4cL2K8RR6mEufNazKX0mr8Y80mmAJG1PO01cA0Q4H_B-6X9k/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsQnGJl_Q3gVEX6efeiqP0pyOfqsl92TwDbfNm_oolsWDcVdOhhqKg0WEKe2WtSVbYlENWt34TJh4EYmhy0F_aPhNdck4cL2K8RR6mEufNazKX0mr8Y80mmAJG1PO01cA0Q4H_B-6X9k/s320/IMG_0642.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9svCawJKxJdYaes4351msd1UBJIr3J81zmbD64Eycnyk2YDkz3iTrkSL16LSoRmtsR3FeH557359IISHy7_mlFM_iP761kRdvnR_T6sKvL7o29sKgYC-RvxbgqAFute27t1UA27-zt8/s1600/IMG_0643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9svCawJKxJdYaes4351msd1UBJIr3J81zmbD64Eycnyk2YDkz3iTrkSL16LSoRmtsR3FeH557359IISHy7_mlFM_iP761kRdvnR_T6sKvL7o29sKgYC-RvxbgqAFute27t1UA27-zt8/s320/IMG_0643.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLEy5BycSwXdiu0UJJWSDv7qoyD7S7maCkWib5wIx21vurKTG2Y8nhETD2NdcCFV2ytEVjZWPZ719ghBExHjoqufQmTFTUDb85luL8jLw4-0COWEBMWnsBWzU9kD-6rwTWGm9BA4LKdw/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLEy5BycSwXdiu0UJJWSDv7qoyD7S7maCkWib5wIx21vurKTG2Y8nhETD2NdcCFV2ytEVjZWPZ719ghBExHjoqufQmTFTUDb85luL8jLw4-0COWEBMWnsBWzU9kD-6rwTWGm9BA4LKdw/s320/IMG_0644.JPG" /></a>
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-2367158069823076832012-09-12T11:33:00.000-07:002012-09-28T07:44:18.154-07:00Few Watch finally arrives, less than stellar impressionAfter waiting longer than I had to, the watch arrived this morning. Before getting into the watch, there was a delay in production and no communication from Few regarding this delay until I contacted them. Even after contacting them, responses were extremely slow and when Few finally admitted to missing the committed production time, they at least offered me a free additional strap for taking so long. I have to say that I am less than thrilled with Few's communication and hope to see it corrected in the future.
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The watch arrived in a nondescript cardboard box which was well packed, inside I found a black leather case, extra strap, watch link tool, and a lanyard adorning Few's logo.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQyfK20t7e4IofpuxUTW5HNuTof3yCbm57V_6sZCj7RLzbe-736wdiQtpj1Jn2kZD0RcarKfFcYwNk8jAcE-cbvWYbhQ5XrbXS_1NesxSa46UAEi-C_7HFKibVM7l7FMjC53ernAXACg/s1600/IMG_0583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQyfK20t7e4IofpuxUTW5HNuTof3yCbm57V_6sZCj7RLzbe-736wdiQtpj1Jn2kZD0RcarKfFcYwNk8jAcE-cbvWYbhQ5XrbXS_1NesxSa46UAEi-C_7HFKibVM7l7FMjC53ernAXACg/s320/IMG_0583.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvbQSbmgmFf_bmN9JPmABhW4LXaWx2fpusBMqyaDgHVSqHutevKMqZFMvCABPtluxFHO5XNY8cCFrYDR4Y8Uq8gRbVNh2CX0W4yeayuYCp0UUP6gAjOqVr9EFzVSmPD5HT9jxP0PTHyQ/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvbQSbmgmFf_bmN9JPmABhW4LXaWx2fpusBMqyaDgHVSqHutevKMqZFMvCABPtluxFHO5XNY8cCFrYDR4Y8Uq8gRbVNh2CX0W4yeayuYCp0UUP6gAjOqVr9EFzVSmPD5HT9jxP0PTHyQ/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" /></a>
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The black PVD finish is pretty even across the watch but is not a particularly durable finish as I already see a spot wearing through.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oFZoskpE4dy90LmKbPHiIkR11njDzaElet9lkzC0_CLr-b9bl-rMukPFuppk0Ti0XHspBP1wSu1Os-BMQ3THG6YpFgmJ1vvbzKI-vnqCtKErKYFdjxGb5F58XILFgLkCBWIBxvTrQX4/s1600/IMG_0599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oFZoskpE4dy90LmKbPHiIkR11njDzaElet9lkzC0_CLr-b9bl-rMukPFuppk0Ti0XHspBP1wSu1Os-BMQ3THG6YpFgmJ1vvbzKI-vnqCtKErKYFdjxGb5F58XILFgLkCBWIBxvTrQX4/s320/IMG_0599.JPG" /></a>
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I am not certain what printing method Few is using but it calls for improvement as fine details are lost and prior to printing, Few needs to either fix a current process if there is one or employ a color matching process as the design I submitted and the dial that is printed are two separate tones of grey. You can compare against my original design in an earlier <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/08/few-watches.html">post</a>, notice that the barrel on the M4 isn't even printed on the final production watch, thanks for <a href="http://iwanttomakeeverything.blogspot.com/2012/06/gearing-up-for-sbr-build.html">SBR</a>'ing it.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWewDVgqimJjsFMq7zZmcukPzLw3fsrhidSpVQednDNoGbzOdERj9OAaE0IM6iAtcdIsM66uBydH8B9VG-fP0hi4Ww2jz00mWhEWyEvWZWbhimUaxaffZK4wbBxY-kFUbxhX5-kBO__Rw/s1600/IMG_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWewDVgqimJjsFMq7zZmcukPzLw3fsrhidSpVQednDNoGbzOdERj9OAaE0IM6iAtcdIsM66uBydH8B9VG-fP0hi4Ww2jz00mWhEWyEvWZWbhimUaxaffZK4wbBxY-kFUbxhX5-kBO__Rw/s320/IMG_0584.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
Few needs to pay attention to simple things that are so basic I have to wonder if the people who assemble them are even qualified to begin with such as the bracelet width being wider than the lug width and as a result the links next to the lugs do not lie flat and are torqued away. Another disappointing detail is the bezel as well, I chose the black bezel with white markers and what I received is a black bezel with steel markers, the website shows as clear as day that the markers are white as you can compare it against the steel color bezel they have on their design site and can see a definite difference between the white and the steel; all of this feels like simple inattention to detail and could have been avoided had they a better quality standard and a quality assurance process, if one exists at all.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v0MKpB03iNfCZt-HopfSjoCUAiWzfsqJoATBaLG1NpLkJ5KVTi4nT_CFJ5Sy9fdOvG7ghLETgiprXhn58OQpXqcJZAMqIyseQpU7gfwwDalcno4CudxevizSycyHe1m2113OJVrTqxU/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v0MKpB03iNfCZt-HopfSjoCUAiWzfsqJoATBaLG1NpLkJ5KVTi4nT_CFJ5Sy9fdOvG7ghLETgiprXhn58OQpXqcJZAMqIyseQpU7gfwwDalcno4CudxevizSycyHe1m2113OJVrTqxU/s320/IMG_0587.JPG" /></a>
<br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGJlMYZWhD6uEFoMwKaixQWt0o36DgcuoGIq_n_x_jpQ_IbiCAHa5WipIJwJOKmpvWQMnMTnFLWeOtersFNx8Ng10etdPJrnzrr5Uw67KlYa_QO4-MPxCtWbOBWZl5EaLPuZoLeFKLxw/s1600/IMG_0586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGJlMYZWhD6uEFoMwKaixQWt0o36DgcuoGIq_n_x_jpQ_IbiCAHa5WipIJwJOKmpvWQMnMTnFLWeOtersFNx8Ng10etdPJrnzrr5Uw67KlYa_QO4-MPxCtWbOBWZl5EaLPuZoLeFKLxw/s320/IMG_0586.JPG" /></a>
<br><p>
You can see in the pictures below where the bracelet is too wide against the lug and as a result is torquing the bracelet away and creating a gap and bad fit.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-mTstqx_rOJgwCxWhHWRmGtuu-aKaVg7jL3RsNWbg0vNgFRQTctiRxIV0zaIzazH7M8KjEir-WVM-yvKF_OwVzghGWeZkMzxi41VW-dYHvYBE_t4QJVyMLndFlFC_lVUvEs9GpoYdnA/s1600/IMG_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-mTstqx_rOJgwCxWhHWRmGtuu-aKaVg7jL3RsNWbg0vNgFRQTctiRxIV0zaIzazH7M8KjEir-WVM-yvKF_OwVzghGWeZkMzxi41VW-dYHvYBE_t4QJVyMLndFlFC_lVUvEs9GpoYdnA/s320/IMG_0592.JPG" /></a>
<br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT-aQuMJI3k9glYUY277XPLX3F0Myk30hZfb8kthskJdzptZBuUQ9e4wIIddLuwoVxhylVSReuklGIOzyeNzeIBLOod97nl70gToX2Do54e7WxXI4cPUOwusftUsMkXSyLyurrAaDudo/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT-aQuMJI3k9glYUY277XPLX3F0Myk30hZfb8kthskJdzptZBuUQ9e4wIIddLuwoVxhylVSReuklGIOzyeNzeIBLOod97nl70gToX2Do54e7WxXI4cPUOwusftUsMkXSyLyurrAaDudo/s320/IMG_0593.JPG" /></a>
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The watch so far is keeping time but only been wearing it for a handful of hours and will have to wait a couple of days before concluding on it's time keeping capabilities. Overall I am disappointed, the slow communication and production time may have biased me but the bad fit and finish on top of the less than quality print of the dial, I contacted Few regarding all of my issues and will see what they have to say about it and what may be done about it. If they decide to try to make it right, I think I would be able to maintain a positive opinion on the company but if not than Few just maybe another company in a long line of retailers of sub-par quality goods.
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Update 9/14/2012:
<br><P>
I've decided to keep the watch since I like most of the parts of the watch and is hard to find a suitable replacement in the price range and besides, I do work on watches and will likely get to re-working the dial myself later versus waiting on Few to get their act together. As for my opinion of Few watches, do not get the steel bracelets as they do not fit their cases; I am not certain if the case is OEM'ed by FEW, outsourced for production, or use an existing case design from a supplier but they need to learn a thing or two on how to test these things out on CAD and then onto rapid prototyping before charging people money for something as simple as a band not fitting which should have been discovered during prototyping if not quality assurance. If FEW is the designer of the case, they are simply terrible at industrial design to let an out of spec lug or bracelet slip by. I would avoid their PVD as well as it is not a good quality PVD and I wouldn't bother with a custom dial unless it is really simple since they screen print and would of been nice to know what resolution screens they use to minimize design detail getting lost. So if you are in the market for a dive style watch where you can swap out some features, it's a good pick but for true customization, leave it to craftsmen who understands what quality is. I also tried contacting FEW to see if I can get a partial refund on the bracelet and the botched dial, I am still waiting to hear back.
<br><p>
update 9/28/2012:
<br><p>
After waiting several weeks for a reply, Few has agreed to refund me $46 USD which is the cost of the bracelet that does not fit and the custom dial that was not executed well. The email process did take a long time but I am glad in the end of them refunding me for the less than stellar quality parts. The partial refund at least does show that Few as a company wishes to make things right with the customer.Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-28244482738623212942012-08-31T12:40:00.001-07:002012-08-31T12:41:06.766-07:00How to export a list of Exchange 2010 Distribution Groups and membership detailsI was asked today to make a document which lists all if the email addresses, distribution groups (DG), and DG memberships. If it was a small organization with a small mail server this wouldn't be a huge issue but when the number of DGs are well past a hundred than the task may seem daunting. I had no time to sit here and look through each and every single DG to see who the members are and enter it all in a spreadsheet so I decided use the Exchange Power Shell to see if I can get all of this information.
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A quick search on the web reveals that this is indeed possible but methods from MS show how to get the membership information from a single DG and is not dynamic enough to read across an entire organization as it requires you to know the name of the DG and enter it each time. After some trial and error, I finally found out which portion of AD, ADSI, and Exchange values that the Exchange Power Shell can read and here is the script that will output a text file that includes User, User Name, and email address associated with a given DG;
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write-output “” > C:\outputDGmembers.txt
get-distributiongroup | Sort -Property DisplayName | foreach {
$name = $_.displayname
$output = ‘Group Name: ‘ + $Name
write-output $output >> C:\outputDGmembers.txt
Get-DistributionGroupMember $name | Sort -Property DisplayName | Select DisplayName, Alias, primarysmtpaddress >> C:\outputDGmembers.txt
write-output “” “” >> C:\outputDGmembers.txt
}
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If you need more information in the output, you can add the appropriate values after the word 'Select'. As for getting the email addresses, an excellent script is available at <a href="http://www.flamingkeys.com/2011/07/how-to-list-or-export-all-email-aliases-in-exchange-20072010-using-powershell/">Flaming Keys</a>' site which simply works like a charm. Below is a re-post from Flaming Keys, please check out the site and read the whole article which explains each step.
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# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Script: Get-AllEmailAddresses.ps1
# Author: Chris Brown http://www.flamingkeys.com/
# Date: 25/07/2011 00:03
# Keywords: Exchange, Email, SMTP
# comments:
#
# Versioning
# 25/07/2011 CJB Initial Script
#
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Import the E2010 modules if available, otherwise import 2007's.
if (Get-PSSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010 -Registered -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
# Found 2010, add it
Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010
} else {
# Add 2007
Add-PSSnapin -Name Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.Admin
}
# Create an object to hold the results
$addresses = @()
# Get every mailbox in the Exchange Organisation
$Mailboxes = Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited
# Recurse through the mailboxes
ForEach ($mbx in $Mailboxes) {
# Recurse through every address assigned to the mailbox
Foreach ($address in $mbx.EmailAddresses) {
# If it starts with "SMTP:" then it's an email address. Record it
if ($address.ToString().ToLower().StartsWith("smtp:")) {
# This is an email address. Add it to the list
$obj = "" | Select-Object Alias,EmailAddress
$obj.Alias = $mbx.Alias
$obj.EmailAddress = $address.ToString().SubString(5)
$addresses += $obj
}
}
}
# Export the final object to a csv in the working directory
$addresses | Export-Csv addresses.csv -NoTypeInformation
# Open the csv with the default handler
Invoke-Item addresses.csv
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Now back to work on something else...
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089139018563775808.post-55343413982941163142012-08-29T20:24:00.001-07:002012-08-30T07:54:07.714-07:00Tattoo machine parts - CoilsAt a simple glance, the tattoo machine coil is a an electromagnet coil, a ferrous steel core with thin gauge enameled copper wire wound around it. You can find coils wrapped at different wrap counts that indicates the amount of copper wire used to wrap around the core which is a base indicator for the relative strength of the coils. There has been various configurations and experiments with the coils over the years and most ideas being novelties and an interesting footnote in tattoo machine history at best. An example of this would be a ghost coil, which was typically an unwrapped coil core in the rear position of the frame which was meant to re-radiate EMF from the adjacent core with a goal of reducing weight but in reality it was a poorly powered, front heavy machine. You will find, just like any industry; the snake oil salesmen that will tell you how awesome ghost coils are and listen; if the likes of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Tuttle">Lyle Tuttle</a> tells me that they ran like hell back then, I'm inclined to agree and I can't imagine them getting much better since they were first tried in the thirties.
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Unlike the vast availability and selection of tattoo machines you see today, they were once upon a time hand made by a very small group of people. You didn't have options to select from and you got what was available to your geographical reach especially considering that the internet wouldn't exist for a few more decades. The only way tattoo machines from foreign destinations arrived in the states are from tattooists travelling and sailors. Port towns had an advantage of seeing things that inland cities never encounter and you see tattooers from back in the day establish shops in port towns as tattoos and sailors were and still are synonymous (when I was tattooing in NYC, I knew I had rent made when the ships were sailing in, this was true for every shop I worked in near a port). The exchange of information was a very small scale and only between tattooers as it was a close kept secret once upon a time and you had tattooers back then that typically did it all, make the parts and machines as they were not mass produced and tattoo. The parts that were used were on the BBS system (Beg, Borrow, Steal) and they all start as raw material. To give you an idea, the now famed <a href="http://www.mickysharpzusa.com/html/machines.htm">Micky Sharpz dial machine</a> were so-called because it used dials from old British payphones when they were upgraded. The British payphones once upon a time used cast iron for the dials and he (Micky) got them for free since the old phones were simply discarded.
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<i>It starts with the parts</i>
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Consider before buying a coil set what the core is made of, ideally you want a ferrous metal core (no stainless, no plated) with good electromagnetic conductivity. Most of the coils you can buy today will work but how well? Lets start with considering which is better, a solid core or a hollow core? If you answered solid, congratulations; density certainly does correlate to the produced strength of the Electromagnetic Field (EMF). Coils are mounted by passing screws through the bottom of the frame and thread into the core of the coil. The type of screw you use here will vary EMF (screw should be unplated steel) as well as how far in the core is tapped. Ideally the core should only be tapped as far as necessary for the screw to secure the coil to the frame to take up the mass of the core from being drilled and tapped to aid in achieving the best core density possible to produce as even of an electromagnetic field as possible. A trick to take up space in a coil core that has been over tapped is to stuff it with metal shavings or steel wool. Short of buying heat treated 1050 cold rolled round stock and tapping it your self, I do realize that finding out what a company uses for the core material let alone how it is tapped maybe difficult to come by; this assuming the company that you are buying from isn't outsourcing the core or the entire coil. This is where contacting reputable companies come in, do your research as it really is worth it. I often encourage people to make their own coils as I mentioned earlier how the machines were made onsite by the old time tattoers, well; the techniques of ye olden days can be applied to day. Methods to make coils can be found with a simple search on the web and they truly aren't that difficult to make, they just take time to make. If anything, do your self a favor and make a coil winding jig before trying. As for buying them pre-made, I recommend coils from <a href="http://www.pulseflash.com/home.php?cat=366">Pulse International</a>, those ladies and gents at Pulse are very much into the craftsmanship from small parts out to completed machines.
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I dug up some of older coils that I've retired as I have since made better coils out of better materials. From left to right they are 10, 8, and 12 wrap coils. <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohv3KQWXAVHn1IMjKBisbQKuQyeHXYwwR2UJ1xTihDjhp7NdCOSiv5kH49NumMKo36QvRFdasSnvMUHfEHGzjml3J8uTBY7Eal6t9DrCCoQXODqnUmM1SifgKPNz_LEKqD6l6MGlgw3w/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohv3KQWXAVHn1IMjKBisbQKuQyeHXYwwR2UJ1xTihDjhp7NdCOSiv5kH49NumMKo36QvRFdasSnvMUHfEHGzjml3J8uTBY7Eal6t9DrCCoQXODqnUmM1SifgKPNz_LEKqD6l6MGlgw3w/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" /></a>
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I tapped the core half way down back then, I figured out later in life that I should measure how far to tap versus marking a drill bit for known workable depths. <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuur8KLlvMJcVi8iqxovcbteP2z05_nIegmc4mrxO4q2SvRJOS926iYIoQ9mXnJA5YCGijxbzyYf8RA5ynlqWOfCwWms0VAPtdW6CP8Gc70KNRFoUTisIcAbA7vMuGn4ZMi6uoxI00E6Y/s1600/IMG_0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuur8KLlvMJcVi8iqxovcbteP2z05_nIegmc4mrxO4q2SvRJOS926iYIoQ9mXnJA5YCGijxbzyYf8RA5ynlqWOfCwWms0VAPtdW6CP8Gc70KNRFoUTisIcAbA7vMuGn4ZMi6uoxI00E6Y/s320/IMG_0554.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLSrTjMoFfx_01FT_OXKDje-yVey-HDu72H9Rq1-8UcU7Hpv9sOJ9whaBb4L360ZrYjsqxQA6YyoFczyV4HSmow_akJHSkt03Z-bU7s4TqGfo45kJP00Ow-22KTsm8vf0d5xuuHUOvCI/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLSrTjMoFfx_01FT_OXKDje-yVey-HDu72H9Rq1-8UcU7Hpv9sOJ9whaBb4L360ZrYjsqxQA6YyoFczyV4HSmow_akJHSkt03Z-bU7s4TqGfo45kJP00Ow-22KTsm8vf0d5xuuHUOvCI/s320/IMG_0555.JPG" /></a>
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A very overlooked step when building a machine is the coil height in relation one another. The height is corrected by employing one or more various thickness steel shims below the coil on the shorter of the two coils. The idea is to get the coils lined up physically to get them to produce the even EMF for the machine to run as smoothly as possible no matter which way it's held or what kind of resistance it encounters. When the coil heights are mismatched, you will experience performance degradation in the machine and also cause the armature bar to prematurely wear down. An easy way to tell if the coils are at the correct height is by mounting them to the frame and depress the armature bar down, if the armature bar touches one coil and not the other, that would be the higher of the two coils and the latter must be shimmed.
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The Pulse Intl. machine (which is my favorite shader to this day) where you can see the shim under the left coil and the resulting height adjustment across the top of the coil.<br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKZ9GRivIXQi7To0H9PNsBADJ3uH7Ywb4R8NsBvfXHvkVVoTHjTQQh0o_Bf2QwcNQMmBc-WhqCGLT1-0_TZbKF2dRntTFih1folYLCJqtSyaCsI-l12Kt78BVrH3P-ZJVF4AEKZu_y1g/s1600/IMG_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKZ9GRivIXQi7To0H9PNsBADJ3uH7Ywb4R8NsBvfXHvkVVoTHjTQQh0o_Bf2QwcNQMmBc-WhqCGLT1-0_TZbKF2dRntTFih1folYLCJqtSyaCsI-l12Kt78BVrH3P-ZJVF4AEKZu_y1g/s320/IMG_0560.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwkZbDy22oQUQqTXuHi5tAnMg1yykKYGzM9CvypEfhjCIEv7CzBlatqz_fTo_p3ym-Q5BlOg_FqaJa4umT3aFPRiarpTVbhKmmOcxU1OwpYOPPpiDGscwAa5ab0mKVr1JykcYmU4CiLU/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwkZbDy22oQUQqTXuHi5tAnMg1yykKYGzM9CvypEfhjCIEv7CzBlatqz_fTo_p3ym-Q5BlOg_FqaJa4umT3aFPRiarpTVbhKmmOcxU1OwpYOPPpiDGscwAa5ab0mKVr1JykcYmU4CiLU/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" /></a>
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Seth Ciferri machine with coils that I've designed to be phase corrected to produce a very even EMF. Since the coils were designed and fitted to the machine, no need for shims. You can see the tool marks on the close up on the bottom of the cores. They don't have to be pretty, they just have to work well. <br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELpI8EvznBUSpH3ebCZzNs63mueYO4MjsTIlpsPRj2Pyj1DxJFctIehjA2fe8Pfs5BS9QcyP9EGlMR6oUwSzWnwx_wOjsM24HddyGtRXF-GYa0GoM3R4DueyOFQO-K0TvmJLfd7mzGvc/s1600/IMG_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELpI8EvznBUSpH3ebCZzNs63mueYO4MjsTIlpsPRj2Pyj1DxJFctIehjA2fe8Pfs5BS9QcyP9EGlMR6oUwSzWnwx_wOjsM24HddyGtRXF-GYa0GoM3R4DueyOFQO-K0TvmJLfd7mzGvc/s320/IMG_0564.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUg6W28RE-nHHQx-t73bgjHrl1P7b5tintefE_RmGxtSAVuWy5jliRv9wZ23ZeuHneX2t4LnyoGW7MyjRZD1ItMNQ-fxEzd68o_QpvQvlgntFAVfiqXQQ0RY8bdqu7ngaKA8y39_X_K8/s1600/IMG_0561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUg6W28RE-nHHQx-t73bgjHrl1P7b5tintefE_RmGxtSAVuWy5jliRv9wZ23ZeuHneX2t4LnyoGW7MyjRZD1ItMNQ-fxEzd68o_QpvQvlgntFAVfiqXQQ0RY8bdqu7ngaKA8y39_X_K8/s320/IMG_0561.JPG" /></a>
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By now you wonder the number of wraps on a coil are and which one should be chosen. This comes down to what type of needle you use and what kind of tattooist you are. If you are novice you should stay away from bug pins and use 8 wrap coils to minimize running the machine hot and causing damage to skin until you get more time with a machine in your hand and learn the nuances in tattooing from skin to machine. If you are experienced, you likely have tried various sizes and come to a decision which size suits your needs best as artists often do when deciding which paint brush is needed. Some cases a large wrap coil is unavoidable when using extremely large group shaders (we're talking breaking the 21+ needle group magnums) to have it reliably and evenly deposit ink. Can you run the monster groups with smaller coils? Sure, but just simply not as well. It's the difference when hitting the gas on a four cylinder and a tuned straight six, they'll both go but one just does it better.
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I've got some tattoos I need to finish on a few people, it maybe time to come out of retirement for select pieces.......
Ken Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549929339069760710noreply@blogger.com0