Agiel

Reminds me of this conundrum: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2014/05/14/_99_percent_invisible_by_roman_mars_designing_warning_symbols_for_the_nation.html

Today on my way home back from work I passed by a Mobil that yesterday had prices at around $3.75 for a gallon of Unleaded. Today it was at $4.65, and I did a double take and incredulously thought to myself: "Did Iran sink a tanker in the Gulf with a Silkworm while I was at work or something?"

Oldie but goodie. http://on.cc.com/O3Szpb "If only there was an organization that was sworn to defend that free speech." "...we don't have to worry about [the Marines'] rights. It's not an equal relationship." She at least has the second part right about the men and women who voluntarily sign a contract with unlimited liability. One of my former signatures (emphasis mine):

The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal, by David E. Hoffman Non-fiction account of the CKSPHERE case that passed on critical intelligence on Soviet sensors and avionics development to the CIA (partly responsible for the hugely disproportionate kill ratios in Desert Storm and Allied Force), and proof that Russians should never trust a man named "Adolf" ever again.

Trends in Air-to-Air Combat: Implications for Future Air Superiority

Hurl and I were referring to the private dances. In any case, not like you have to head for Vegas for strip clubs. Plenty in any big city no matter what state you're in (save for perhaps Utah).

I know the sentiment. I may be largely single ever since I graduated from college, but I have never, ever been desperate enough to even consider having to spend money on anything resembling "companionship."

Even disregarding the need for an aircraft that corresponds to future threats, the RCAF has to replace its jets sooner or later. Fighter jets are complex machines and the parts and (more importantly) the airframes have limited lifespans. The procurement run for the CF-18s ran from 1982 to 1988, and as the years go by more maintenance hours are needed to keep the aircraft airworthy. For instance, the F-14 was replaced because they took twelve hours of maintenance time for every hour they spent in the air compared to the three hours of maintenance per flight hour of the F/A-18C. As the years go by the Canadians could cut corners on maintenance in order to keep up with their pace of sorties, but recently we've seen the consequences of that (and the prove that they can be potentially lethal). Last month the Russians experienced three crashes in five days, likely because their air planners never envisioned their current tempo of operations until major reforms and modernisation programs were complete (to which they aren't anywhere close to).

Former F/A-18 and F-16 driver writes on "Why the 'F-35 v F-16' Article is Garbage."

I wouldn't be surprised if a doctrine that incorporates "wolfpacks" of drones working in tandem with manned fighters for target acquisition and coordination is being worked on. I remember reading that while kill ratios for Russian missiles were worse than their US counterparts, Russian doctrine simply called for MOAR missiles to be available per engagement. Having a bunch of unmanned missile dispensers flying alongside stealth(ish) fighters would solve that without necessitating a costly redesign of weapons systems or aircraft. Weirdly enough, that's what DARPA is envisaging leveraging F-35's sensor fusion capabilities and the payload capacity of cargo aircraft, and even a proposed interceptor variant of the B-1B Lancer (with the unfortunate name, "B-1R": Going a step further, there has been a proposal for long-endurance turbo-fan powered "suicide interceptors" loitering a given airspace that attack positively ID'ed tracks entering its airspace with a second-stage rocket booster for the intercept stage.

They have said pretty much exactly that sort of thing before though, prior to the Vietnam War when they were making F-4s with no cannon because they'd only need missiles. The end result was the F4 getting a cannon and the F14/15/16/18. Though they could be right, this time. ...which kind of ignores the fact that virtually all air combat kills since the 1982 Lebanon War were done with missiles. The kind of indictment of A/A missiles based on teething problems from their first ever combat usage would be akin to saying tanks had no place in maneuver warfare based on their initial showing at the Somme.

E-M diagrams from tests by Marine Corps test pilots say it compares favourably from the legacy F/A-18Cs they are graduating from. http://archive.defensenews.com/article/20110516/DEFSECT01/105160302/F-35-Tests-Proceed-Revealing-F-18-Like-Performance Note that the legacy Hornets are widely regarded as among the most agile fighters out there short of the super-manueverable Rafales and Typhoons out there. There is a reason the Blue Angels fly them, and why they're used to simulate asymmetric fighter threats by Navy "Aggressor" Squadrons: So "growth" can be defined as "its potential can be unlocked to match the performance of projected, notional threats (if said threats even arrive)". Which may be a bit of a moot point in an age of Helmet Mounted Displays and advanced high-off boresight IR-guided missiles; there is absolutely no aircraft that can ever out-fly an AIM-9X or an ASRAAM flying at Mach 2.5 and pulling 70Gs.

War is Boring is good for its historical and political commentary and bad for its technological and doctrinal analysis. And honestly sounds more like the writer is deliberately twisting the words of said pilot and omitting stuff that's inconvenient . original piece from Aviation Week: http://aviationweek.com/defense/f-35-flies-against-f-16-basic-fighter-maneuvers

"I am your father, Luke. Give in to the Dark Side of the Force, you knob."

I've worked for a company owned by Bain Capital in my college years and after graduating worked at a company in which the difference in atmosphere was night and day, and I have to tell you: People can say what they like about Obama, but if Romney was going to "run the US like it was a business," and if the place I worked at was any indication of how he runs a business (non-constructive management approach, poor treatment of workers, fixation on short-term numbers), then I want absolutely no part in that business.

Going to be heading to Vegas for the weekend with some friends, if only for the sake I have something remotely exciting to do, but find myself at a loss as to what to do when I get there. I swore to myself that while I have my vices, gambling wasn't going to be one of them (my dad had to go to GA over his problem when I was a kid), and that was a promise I held even through college. I suppose I could convince them to go to the firing ranges and fire an assortment of class 3 firearms on "rock and roll."

Never forget: Trail of Tears. I won't have anyone here giving lip to Thomas Paine, though.

Had my fingers crossed for Icewind Dale II In other news: Had basically zero interest in Ghost Recon: Wildlands until the Giant Bombcast put it to me like this: The parts of "Clear and Present Danger" with the illegal special ops teams tear-assing in the jungles of Colombia:

Well there were plenty of WWII assault guns and tank destroyers (most famous of which being the StuG) which could only really engage anything in a ~15 degree arc in front of the vehicle, though that was mostly for cost reasons since a turret would have at minimum increased the cost by 50%. That said, we really don't see those types of vehicles anymore. Infantry fire support has been taken up by turreted lightly armoured, wheeled vehicles like the MGS Stryker and the Centauro for the 105mm class and up or autocannons on the Bradleys, and for anti-tank that's been fulfilled with ATGM launchers on a swivel mounted on Humvees, jeeps, and the like.

Mostly for just casual (not necessarily when on my bike) and for going to bars and shows at the House of Blues. Top aircraft for me: 1.) F-15E Strike Eagle "Mudhen". Black, beefy-looking (thanks to its CFTs), and forboding: Face it, it just looks _MEAN_ 2.) Dassault Rafale: I'm a great lover of all things French and beautiful (a list that includes Nice, French bande dessinée, and Eva Green), so the French multi-service, multi-role is a definite shoe-in. 3.) F/A-18E/F Superhornet. Just like the old PS3 slogan: "It only does everything." Air superiority, strike, close air support, BDA, electronic attack (in the form of the EA-18G Growler), you name it. Honourable mention goes to the Tomcat, thanks to Super Dimension Fortress Macross (of which the Variable Fighters are a dead-ringer for) and of course Top Gun. Postscript: This documentary has one of my favourite tributes to the Eagle: https://youtu.be/gJU5DDh0DEc?t=31m39s

Well this is awkward... A contract gig I was working last year finally got back in touch with me asking if I was still looking for something permanent... just as I was promoted in my current full-time job. I find myself at a crossroad; I imagine I would get paid roughly the same at both gigs, but I fought tooth and nail not only just to get to where I am at the company I'm at now, but just to get hired there in the first place. I'm working at a much bigger company right now, but I still enjoy the atmosphere of where I work nonetheless. On the other hand, the other job was in Calabasas/Woodland Hills area where I could still rent a room from my parents, whereas now I have to commute from a crappy apartment in Downtown LA to Culver City.

When do you think is the best time to buy a leather jacket if I was concerned with saving money? Right now? When we're coming up on the summer when the demand isn't as hot? Or wait 'till after the holiday season when all the retailers are clearancing their stuff?

Ahhh... the Rhino. Proof that in lieu of sound aerodynamic design any problem can be overcome with pure thrust. And the world's leading distributor of MiG parts

http://i.imgur.com/VSXui45.gifv

The Division beta sign-ups are up. If you haven't pre-ordered (like me), you'll have to put yourself on a waiting list. I was signing up when it asked me for my Uplay log-in info and I said to myself: "Oh yeah... this f***ing bulls***." I swear, I go for such long spells without having to deal with it I have to use the "forgot my password" option whenever I get a new Ubisoft game.