Guard Dog

Just once I'd like to see a politician accept defeat with grace. Not holding my breath.

I don't think so. The muzzle velocity of a 5.56 mm round is a around 3300 fps give or take. Escape velocity on earth is a little over 11 km/s. So if Mars has 40% of the G as here 5 km/s would be a good estimate of Mars's escape V. 3300 FPS is 1000 m/s, so 1 km/s (ball park, I'm just doing this in my head not a calculator so don't bet on any of this). So if you were on Mars and fired a bullet in the air I suggest you get out of the way. It's coming back down.

I've always found reading Homer to be very tedious. But no idea that works is bad: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/homer-can-help-you-war-veterans-use-ancient-epics-to-cope-1.516636

I can tell you for a fact bullet crimps are not air tight. they are not even water tight. Maybe 95-98% but not 100%. Speaking from experience here. If they are submerged for more than a few minutes they are ruined. The US military buys all of it's small arms munitions from a company called Alliant. The stuff they make MAY be water tight at 1 atm. The stuff I buy from Eagle Arms & Winchester surely is not.

No kidding. There have been 19 attempted landings on Mars, 9 have failed. That's not exactly an inspiring success rate.

Archery would work. But the fletchings would have to be huge to smooth out wobble between the thin atmosphere and the natural kinetic inefficiency of energy transfer . So big their added weight would be a drag on the arrow. Plus the reduced gravity causes the arrow to pick up speed but strike with less force. Isn't physics fun?

A bullet fired on Mars at 40% G and 1% atmosphere would travel a hell of a long way. Edit: actually no it wouldn't. No O2 means all you would hear is "click" Edit Edit: Actually you wouldn't hear "click". Unless it was right next to your head. 1% atmosphere won't carry sound very far.

I can sum that article up in five words: The government f----d it up.

Happy Birthday Tek!

Last week my department head was waiting for me at the office. She told me about an opening in the TN department of natural resources that might interest me. She said if I were to apply my application would be favorably received. It's a management and administration position. It would be even farther removed from my education and experience than I am now. but I've been in this job long enough to know how little that matters. I wrestled with the idea over the weekend but decided not to pursue the opportunity. The job I have isn't glamours or really suited to someone of even modest ambitions of career advancement. I am a glorified number cruncher and stat analyst that sometimes gets to play engineer. But it suits me and I usually get to collect my own data. I guess I've reached the age I don't want to get out of my comfort zone. The way I figure it I'm planning on retiring in ten years or so (other business interests permitting) so the idea of transitioning to administrator/bureaucrat does not appeal. The bump in pay would be nice though. But one day you realize your salary isn't important is you don' like what you do.

This is just wrong: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/opinion/books-prison-packages-new-york.html Kudos to the NY Times for running this because it caused the government of NY to suspend the policy. No book or reference material should be restricted from prison inmates. All education is not directed. Just reading a book in a cell is an educational experience even if the book is fiction. Just introducing someone whose sole perspective is only their own to another persons thoughts expands the mind. If educated inmates are half as likely to re-offend then education should be encouraged. And not just classroom work. There is a lot of that already. Expanding access to reading material is a low cost way to improve the rehabilitation of inmates and they do all the work. To me it's a no brainier. Even porno mags. By restricting them you just create a black market for them and likely increase the instances of rape between inmates. Nothing makes me more leery that restricting access to knowledge. That is not a step towards oppression, it's a quantum leap.

Whose dystopia is this anyway? Interesting read on which author's vision of the future was most prescient. http://reason.com/blog/2018/03/09/whose-dystopia-is-it-anyway

The Phillies signed Jake Arieta. I didn't think the signing made a lot of sense but they got him for just three years. Not too bad then. I read he wanted seven.

For those who don't read it, the Babylon Bee is a site/publication much like the Onion. Satire and humor with news stories that are made up but plausible. I thought this one was worth a chuckle: http://babylonbee.com/news/harvard-now-offering-four-year-degree-in-feeling-oppressed/

I have concluded after extensive research and trials that the best non coffee, non water, non alcohol beverage produced in the world today is this:

We even suck at Rugby. And t has an oval ball AND tackling. Our showing in the 2016 Rugby World Cup was particularly joyless. We are only good at sports we invented. Like Baseball, Basketball and American Football. If there is ever a World Cup for Inner tube Water Polo y'all better watch out! Yeah... it's a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_tube_water_polo

The US boycotts the World Cup every four years anyway by getting eliminated early.

Bruce, here is a Democrat and a Republican The one that wins gets to be in charge of us. Which one would you have us vote for again?

I've been under the impression that Donald Trump, contrary to my expectations, has been having a hell of a good time as President. I really thought he would be miserable because for the first time in his life he would not be able to work on his own terms. He is, after all, a man whose life has allowed him to do pretty much whatever he pleases and separated him from most of the consequences of his actions. Even his failures. Over the past year I'm starting to see I was incorrect on both counts. He's still doing whatever the hell he pleases and seems oblivious to the consequences of what he does. That is not to say he's doing a good job. I would not say that at all. He's done a few things right, a few more wrong, and quite a few that don't make much sense. His whole administration is a hot mess of instability and chaos. But that seems to suit him for some reason, God help us. But until now I thought I was the only one who figured he was enjoying this: https://www.axios.com/trumps-happiest-week-white-house-5184dc62-d425-4286-9b37-d01cf07f7e0d.html

Best thread ever recently

@Gorgon: Volo is correct. Article I of the US Constitution makes that the federal government's job.

Here is a bit of good news. Elizabeth Warren will not run for President in 2020. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/11/warren-no-to-white-house-bid-dna-test-says-heritage-part-who-am.html

It's been over a month since I finished a book without starting a new one. Not a record for me, but unusual. I bought two last night: &

LOL, that last page was pretty personal there Raithe!

So gaming and dating are being combined into one activity? https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/the-myth-of-the-lonely-gamer-playing-in-solitude-is-dead/2018/03/09/052162e8-1cb0-11e8-ae5a-16e60e4605f3_story.html?utm_term=.0bbbad152eb4