August 2016 – Page 3

August 17, 2016

Review: Magnum Research 22LR MLR-22ATU Rimfire Rifle

The graphite-barreled MLR22AT rifle I tested about a year before I wrote this review was about half the price of the rifles I tested in my Ultimate 10/22 shootout. It was not only nipping at the heels of high-dollar competition 10/22s, but full on leg-biting competition brands like Kidd and Volquartsen from a performance perspective.

The Magnum Research 10/22 clone rifles are kinda like the guy in the tweaked Nissan 300Z who can keep up and occasionally beat the guys in million-dollar sports cars. These guns offer a lot at a $599+optic MSRP instead of $1000+optic MSRP.

Magnum Research now also offers the MLR22ATU, which has the same specs as the original model but with a lightweight, tensioned 18” aluminum-sleeved barrel instead of the graphite barrel.

For the price, the Magnum Research MLR-22 line is one hell of a head-turner on the bench and downrange when inspecting the tiny groups. The same buddy who had previously shared a similar comment on the graphite model again asked “why would I buy anything else when this is under $600?” The Magnum Research line is a phenomenal deal when it comes to performance and all the extras included.

My rifle included a stock Magnum Research MLR22ATU rifle which comes with CNC billet upper receiver, billet machined match bolt, custom charging handle, lightweight stock, proprietary aluminum-sleeved tensioned barrel with Benz target chamber, and the remainder of the parts are mostly stock Ruger spec.

For testing, I added a $420 Lucid 4x-16xx44mm Crossover scope, which allowed me to make accurate shots out to 200 yards, making it well worth the price to me.

Fit, Finish, Feel, and Features

The MLR22AT with 16” graphite barrel and this MLR22ATU with 18″ aluminum sleeve barrel feature roughly the same components with the exception of the barrels. I was impressed with the capabilities of this rifle considering its price and weight, even with the stock Ruger trigger assembly. The rifle is amazingly lightweight, and the 18″ barrel is only about a quarter-pound heavier than the graphite model.

The MLR22ATU is by far one of the lightest production 10/22 rifles made, at an insanely light 4.5 pounds. It’s also a bit showier than the graphite model due to the beautiful aluminum-sleeved barrel. The billet machined receiver is every bit as nice as the custom receivers I have tested.

The trigger is a stock Ruger 10/22 unit, which means it is far from a premium match trigger, but the “new version” Ruger 10/22 stock trigger is “not bad.” Even in stock form, this rig can get shooters consistently into the high .1xx” and low .2xx” sized groups out to 50 yards with a clear optic.

Magnum Research upgraded to a stock Ruger extended magazine release from the earlier model I tested and also added a pair of sling studs. I also noticed that they now include turned and hardened receiver pins instead of stock Ruger pins. A threaded barrel option is available for a $40 upcharge.

The bolt is not showy, but is an in-house machined part with extra tuning features such as pinned firing pin and correctly-dimensioned face. It is a well-finished part, but it does not include the extra little decorative cuts like you see on some other custom 10/22 bolts.

The charging handle is big, but perfect for a working man’s rifle; I love it. You can even work the bolt with big heavy mittens in the bitter cold — or in my case while wearing welding gloves in the garage.

The stock is light and sturdy and an excellent interpretation of a Boyd’s Evolution stock, but far lighter. Because of that light weight, I like it better on this rifle although it is designed around a shorter length of pull.

The Magnum Research MLR22AT packs a lot of great components an affordable, ready-to-go rifle. This is an efficient build that puts the upgrades where they matter.

Accuracy

I am fortunate that I can test both the graphite and tensioned barreled models side by side. The graphite model has the edge on accuracy, but not by much. It may be that my older MLR22AT just has a more worn-in trigger, but I consistently see groups several hundredths of an inch smaller with the older graphite barrel. Of course, when you are talking hundredths of an inch it could just be an difference in ammo preference or optic clarity.

Like the older model, this one prefers CCI Standard Velocity, but I also found that the aluminum sleeved version seemed to be more consistent with a variety of ammo than the older graphite barrel.

The barrel is not just an aluminum sleeve over a stainless steel barrel; it is a tensioned stainless barrel. Tensioned barrels basically apply tension at each end of the barrel “stretch it,” to increase barrel strength, reduce harmonics, and increase accuracy. In theory, the tensioned barrel will deliver better accuracy while the aluminum sleeve helps dissipate heat.

This barrel is pre-tensioned and non-adjustable, so you cannot “tune” the barrel yourself.

Magnum Research again used a 22LR Benz match chamber for this model. The Benz match chamber is known to allow exceptional accuracy without having the finicky nature usually associated with tight match chambers.

The widely-available CCI Standard Velocity rounds have become my favorite everyday round, as they consistently give me 10-20 shot groups of only .5” at 50 yards, but Lapua Center X, Xact, and SK Standard also delivered exceptional results with some impressive .124” 5-shot 50-yard groups.

I find Magnum Research 10/22 rifles to be extremely reliable, and I had no ammo-related malfunctions with this rifle.

The question you have to ask yourself is whether you want a custom $1200 showy match rifle that shoots match ammo really well, or for half the price a Magnum Research rifle that’s light, includes the most popular features, shoots Mini-Mags and CCI Standard Velocity ammo well, and is ready for the next-level trigger upgrade whenever you are.

Even when adding a top end optic such as this LUCID and a Timney trigger, you’ll still drop less than $1000 for a 10/22 rig which almost matches up to rigs that cost $500 more.

Final Thoughts

This is an accurate and reliable setup, but it does not have the finish quality and refinement of a Force or Kidd custom 10/22. It is clear to me that Magnum Research wanted to produce a good rifle at a competitive price, and they did. It makes you wonder why anyone would buy a heavy, cumbersome, more-expensive rifle.

The MLR22ATU is far from a beginners gun and will hang with top-end rigs almost shot-for-shot — even with less-expensive ammo. It packs in everything on an ultimate 10/22 wishlist (with the exception of a match trigger) into a $599 rifle (street price hovers around $500).

I believe Magnum Research has chosen a sweet spot in creating a rifle to be used, scratched, scraped, bumped, and flogged in the field and on the range, and even serve as a light training rifle for youngsters.

Manufacturer Specs

Model: MLR22ATU
Caliber: 22LR
Barrel: 18″ stainless steel, tensioned, aluminum sleeve, with 1:16 twist
Weight: 4 lbs 8 oz
Length: 36 1/8” overall
Length of Pull: 13-⅝”
Sights: None (Integral Scope Base)
Stock: Ambidextrous Thumbhole Stock
Magazine: One 10-Round Ruger Rotary 10/22 Magazine

The post Review: Magnum Research 22LR MLR-22ATU Rimfire Rifle appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.

via All Outdoor
Review: Magnum Research 22LR MLR-22ATU Rimfire Rifle

August 16, 2016

TiVo is pulling the plug on Series 1 DVRs September 29th

Whenever you buy something with a promise of "Lifetime" service, the question is exactly how long that will last. For owners of the very first TiVo DVRs who shelled out for promised Lifetime service, the answer is about 17 years. Dave Zatz let us know the company is notifying owners that after September 29th, their boxes will no longer be able to create recordings or pull down guide data. The Series1 boxes won’t be able to handle guide data provided by TiVo’s new owner Rovi, which is why it’s ending service.

TiVo:

TiVo is upgrading the data associated with content from a user’s cable package. The original TiVo Series1 DVR released more than a decade ago, will not operate with current software versions and will no longer be supported by the TiVo service.

TiVo Series 1 "Lifetime" Service lasted about 16 years. http://pic.twitter.com/zjToqMsXvv

— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) August 16, 2016

For its part, TiVo says there are about 3,500 active Series1 DVRs still going, and it’s offering owners a $75 prepaid Visa card. If that’s not enough to make them happy, then they may not have much in the way of legal recourse, because, as ZatzNotFunny pointed out in 2013, the company changed its Terms of Service to include a class action/jury trial waiver and mandating arbitration, unless owners opted out within 90 days.

Once upon a time, owners could transfer their lifetime service to a newer box, but those days have passed. Series1 service in the US lasted about five years longer than it did in the UK, where service shut down in early 2011. Once September is over the box won’t quite turn into a paperweight — it will function but only in very basic ways for watching live TV or existing recordings, and navigating with just the channel up/down buttons. To create a new recording without guide data, owners would need to manually program the date, channel number and start/end time.

All of TiVo’s newer hardware will be upgraded to work with the new data streams, although it is a reminder that any cloud-connected devices you own could be on the chopping block someday.

Source: TiVo Community

via Engadget
TiVo is pulling the plug on Series 1 DVRs September 29th

August 16, 2016

Defensive Gun Use of the Day: AZ Open Carrier Shoots, Kills Armed Felon

VIDEO

Carolann Miracle was open carrying in the early morning hours of August 1. The 4-feet, 11-inch, 85-pound Arizonan was leaving a gas station with a drink in her hand and a GLOCK on her hip.

From abc15.com:

Miracle said she was leaving the Circle K near 59th Avenue and Camelback Road with her family early Monday morning when the suspect, Frank Taylor, tried to bum a cigarette. She told him that she didn’t have one, and then seconds later, Miracle said, she could feel the barrel of the gun against her skin.

“He put the gun up to my neck and said, ‘It’s loaded, don’t move,’” Miracle said. ”I think he thought, ‘She’s a little girl. Maybe she doesn’t know how to use her weapon.’”

Miracle said, “I dropped my soda, released my gun from my holster and cocked it. I shot him and ran in the opposite direction.”

Miracle’s father was a Marine. He apparently taught her well. The pistol appears to be a GLOCK model 17 or 22, with night sights.

There are several things to note about this encounter; elements of her story are often found in accounts of armed robberies/muggings.

The Approach

Robbers/muggers use a pretext to close the distance and distract their victim. Asking for a cigarette is a common pretext. So is asking for the time. Even if you choose to answer a question from a stranger, it’s always best to maintain distance. Answer while walking away.

Targeting weak prey

Like their animal cousins, human predators tend to pick on weaker prey. Perhaps the perp didn’t see the GLOCK on Ms. Miracle’s hip. It was dark. She was holding a drink from the gas station, possibly in her right hand. If she was wearing a dark top, as she was in the video, the GLOCK wouldn’t have presented much contrast. While open carriers tend to be more aware of their defensive firearm, many people never notice it.

Recognize the threat

Ms. Miracle did many things right. She instantly recognized the threat. Many people become mired in the thought that “this cannot be happening” and “this isn’t real.” People who carry are much less likely to remain in “condition white.” They have considered the possibility of attack and tend to be prepared for it.

Ms. Miracle dropped her drink. Dropping things to access your weapon or to fight better is not an instinctive reaction. Many people instinctively hang on to useless things even if they impede their ability to fight. I taught my students to practice dropping things at the beginning of a fight so that they could draw their firearm and fight more effectively.

Ms. Miracle fled the area in the opposite direction from her attacker. Many attacks, perhaps as many as 50 percent, involve an accomplice. She purposefully made the decision, moved to safety, then called the police.

Prepare to fight

Miracle says she “cocked it,” referring to her GLOCK. We can only conclude she was carrying “Israeli style,” with an empty chamber. While that’s not ideal, if you practice pulling and releasing the slide as you draw, preparing your firearm can be done fairly quickly.

Open carry

Miracle was openly carrying when she was accosted by a violent, armed felon. He didn’t simply “shoot her first” — as many who oppose open carry claim will happen. Even though the bad guy “had the drop” on her, she won the gun fight.

Action beats reaction. Dropping the drink likely gave her another second, as the felon probably thought “dropping drink” not “drawing a gun.” Not having to remove her cover garment gave her an additional advantage.

Carolann Miracle; small woman, Marine’s daughter, open carrier, mother, and now undesired gunfighter. She survived and lived to see her daughter’s third birthday. Result.

Gun Watch

via The Truth About Guns
Defensive Gun Use of the Day: AZ Open Carrier Shoots, Kills Armed Felon

August 16, 2016

New To Concealed Carry? Read This First! Guns for Beginners

Congratulations. You’ve decided to take proactive action to keep your family safer in getting a carry license. At the same time you’re a little uncomfortable about carrying a gun. It’s okay. You’re not the Lone Ranger.

According to John Lott’s research, about 1.73 million other Americans were just like you in 2015, deciding to get their carry license. If you’re like many, you’ve been mentally conditioned for decades that carrying a gun is unlawful. You may well think everyone will spot that subtle lump under your clothes and instantly know you’re packing heat and it’s going to be a big headache.

You’re not alone. I carried a gun lawfully in Illinois, via fanny pack, for fifteen years before I got my Illinois license. Lord, what a fashion faux pax that was. Yet even with all those years of carrying in that fanny pack – and risking arrest by cops at the behest of prosecutors who said they would prosecute me for following Illinois’ law to the letter on transporting firearms – I still wasn’t completely at ease carrying a loaded gun in my home state.

The first time a Bloomington, Illinois city cop stood not an arm’s length behind me in line at a fast food joint – well it just felt a tad uncomfortable. I figured the cop would see my gat marginally concealed under my white polo and I’d have some splainin’ to do. He never noticed.

You’ll discover people – or “sheeple” – are terribly oblivious to the clues that people are carrying guns. “Example?” you ask. I saw a guy walking through a restaurant with his shirt tail hung up over his gun and nobody noticed. Another time it was someone I saw shopping at a Wal-mart.

“Psst. Your XD is showing,” I said softly.

He quickly covered it up and chuckled nervously. “Thanks man.”

There’s no need to be nervous that someone’s going to pay attention to a slight bulge under your shirt or in your pocket, much less know what it is – unless, of course, you’re a fetching female wearing skin-tight jeans or yoga pants. In that instance, some might notice a strange bulge under your pants and recognize it as a gun.

Having said that, if you find yourself in a location where concealed carry isn’t allowed by an honest mistake, you’ll want to be extra diligent about making sure you are well concealed — as you’re heading back out to put it in your car, of course.

Other than that, concealment need not be perfect, either here in Illinois or many other states. Visit Handgunlaw.us for more information on your state’s rules if you’re not familiar with just how concealed (or not) you need to be in your state. In short, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.

Other tips: wear quality gear on a quality belt. You’re going to spend a $50 bill on a high-quality leather or nylon belt with stiffeners built in. If it’s made in America it might be twice that. The good news is that it is a buy once, cry once affair. It’ll keep all your gear discretely against your body while you go about your business and it’ll last for years unless it shrinks – if you know what I mean.

Make sure your gun will stay in your holster and your holster will stay on your belt. Why? Because you don’t want to have your heater come out of your holster while you’re running into a store in the rain, or rolling around on the floor playing with your kid or grandkid. Or, heaven forbid, have to fish it (gun, holster, magazine, or all of the above) out of a toilet.

If stuff is prone to falling off your belt, Mr. Murphy will show up when you’re trying to pull up (or take down) your pants in the cramped 120 degree cramped port-john at the range. Your piece will go ker-plunk and you’ll have a very sinking feeling. Trust me, there won’t ever be enough toilet paper to keep it from sinking to the bottom.

Even if your mag pouch falls off your belt at a relatively innocuous place such as the fitness center locker room, it will invariably skitter under the 75-year-old man standing there naked, dripping with sweat. Don’t ask me how I know. It’s terribly embarrassing on several levels. “It sure is cold in here, isn’t it? Could you pass that back over to me, pretty please?”

“What’s that sonny? I can’t hear you!”

Speaking of potty techniques….

If you’re in a public restroom, you may find it necessary to unholster your firearm. Why? A host of reasons, including the dividers being high enough that your neighbor can see more than your shoe as you’re doing your business. If you have do this, it goes in your underwear after you’ve dropped your drawers, not on the back of the toilet or on the hook on the backside of the door. Your hands are an equally prohibited location. This isn’t the time or place to fondle your (loaded) gun or look for dust bunnies. When you’re done with your business, put your gun in your holster and carefully pull up your pants.

Keep your gear maintained. It’s not something you need to do on a daily basis, but it’s something you should do monthly. Your holster is probably going to have screws in it for tension adjustments or attaching belt clips or loops. If you’re pro-active, you’ll Lock-tite those suckers (thank you, Tim Giblin). If you’re more reactive (like me), you’ll need to check to make sure the screws aren’t backing out/working loose from time to time. No big deal, so long as you check and tighten as necessary. Ditto for your everyday carry blade.

Clean your gun now and then as well, slaying those aforementioned dust bunnies and ensuring you have fresh ammo at least once each year. I carry two spare magazines and I rotate the ammunition in those once a year – as well as what’s in the gun, just to be on the safe side. After jiggling around for 16+ hours of daily life for 365 days, I don’t want to risk the powder breaking down into smaller pieces and increasing chamber pressures when firing.

Remember, ammo is cheap. Life is precious.

If you’re one of those people who think it’s safer to carry with an empty chamber and train yourself to rack the slide upon drawing, I’m telling you to STOP. You’re training to fail. The average deadly force encounter takes place at about six feet or less — patty-cake distance (and often in low light).

How long does it take a bad guy to close from six feet? The technical answer is not very frickin’ long.

How long will it take you to run the action on your pistol – assuming you’ve got both hands available to do so and you aren’t guiding a loved one away, or fighting off an attacker with your support hand?

Watch some surveillance, dashcam and bodycam gun battle videos on YouTube and see just how fast gunfights unfold.

Don’t train to fail and die. Train to survive and win. Carry your gun with a round in the chamber.

Concealed carry badges? Save your money and aggravation: don’t do it.

Yes, your CCW badge might cause a cop to hesitate before shooting you. Here’s a better idea: drop your gun and put your hands up if challenged by a cop. If you reach for your belt to show him your piece of tin, or turn suddenly to face that voice issuing commands with your hands anywhere but up and open, your body may become rich in lead supplements.

Even worse, every day you carry a CCW badge, you risk catching an “impersonating an officer” charge – a felony here in Illinois and many other states. Don’t set yourself up for trouble. You don’t need no stinkin’ badge!

Practicing off-body carry, such as in a jacket? Don’t forget and leave it behind somewhere. Doing so may cost you your license…if you’re lucky. If some kid or a criminal finds it, you may lose more than that.

For the ladies, purses are popular over more traditional carry methods favored by guys. Clothing styles for women, especially “cute” clothes, often provide fewer locations to secret a sidearm.

There are options, though, such as the Nickel and Lace “Spanx with holsters” undergarment or the “Can Can Concealment” rigs which are basically belly-band holsters made for ladies.

As women are pretty much inseparable from their purses, the risk for “forgetting” a packing purse somewhere is almost non-existent, but at the same time ladies must be sure unauthorized people – such as kids or grandchildren – don’t have access to the purse at home or at relatives’ homes. Ditto for kiddos riding in a shopping cart.

Don’t just toss your heater in your shoulder-bag to roll around among your lip gloss and keys. If you’re going to carry that way, get a purse built for concealed carry with a dedicated compartment for the gun. And ladies, revolvers can be fired from inside a purse pretty reliably. Semi-autos? You get one shot from inside the purse, then you’ll be feeling the burn (not the Bern) of a hot, spent shell on the web of your hand and have to clear a malfunction before you shoot again. Practice it sometime with a $5 purse from the local Goodwill store.

Oops — *Your author practicing his purse shooting. Practice with a Goodwill purse, not your Coach.*

Hitting your target when firing from a purse isn’t at all difficult out to six-plus feet with a little practice. The great thing about not pulling the gun out of the purse (or pocket of a jacket) is that nobody knows you’ve got a gun in your hand until it goes bang. If it’s a false alarm, you can withdraw your hand and go about your business and nobody is the wiser.

We all know that carrying a gun can protect us from violent attack and potentially even save our lives and those of our family members. With some thought and practice, carrying your safety rescue tool will become an everyday, routine, non-event for you as it is for the other roughly 15 million People of the Gun with carry licenses. And unless you tell someone that you’re carrying, odds are 99.44% of the time they’ll never know.

via The Truth About Guns
New To Concealed Carry? Read This First! Guns for Beginners

August 16, 2016

Trump, Brexit and ISIS are the symptoms, and technology is the problem

The world seems to be going mad with division. Religious fundamentalism versus the modern world. Nationalism versus openness. Old versus young. Us versus them. In each case, a group that used to have the upper hand is now angrily despondent at its place in society and future prospects.

In the Middle East, cynical leaders are taking advantage of the desperation and deep sense of insecurity in unemployed young men who are struggling to find a place of belonging and a source of pride. In Britain, racism and bigotry are flourishing spectacularly as the older generation seeks a scapegoat for their growing irrelevance in the modern, globalized economy. In the U.S., what was once a great political party has become an unrecognizable collection of resentments and prejudices.

This has been a steaming kettle for years, but is now peaking with the rise of political phenomenon that threaten to upend the progress of our civilization. If we dig a layer deeper to try to understand the real cause, it becomes clear that technology advancement is the real culprit.

The Agricultural Revolutions swept through different regions at different times and took hundreds of years to fully transform society. The First and Second Industrial Revolutions truly changed the standard of living in a period spanning more than 150 years. The Digital Revolution has been enriching our lives for the past three generations, while at the same time boiling the metaphorical frogs of our economic system.

While many blame the decline of U.S. manufacturing on trade agreements, in reality, a major cause is the gain in productivity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, productivity for the manufacturing sector almost tripled from 1990-2007 compared to 1973-1990, with the great recession slowing things back down.

The jobs that left the U.S. and Europe to lower-cost areas in China and Southeast Asia are never coming back. Instead, they are going to continue the natural progression and move on to the next cheaper stop, except it won’t be another less-developed region, but rather robotics and AI.

All of these changes are culminating in what’s coming next: the Third Industrial Revolution. It promises unimaginable advances in technology and quality of life, and at once an economy that will seem unrecognizable to anyone today — a many-orders-of-magnitude jump compared to the slow buzz of the Digital Revolution… and all within the span of one generation.

Society is busy playing tug of war with the world of the past, yet the future is going to change our reality as we know it.

As a venture investor, I have the duty and the exceptional privilege of living in the future. Along with the innovation in the way we generate, store and use energy, as I see it, these are the four transformational technology categories that will change our near-future world beyond recognition.

3D printing

There was a lot of hype around 3D printing when the technology was commercialized for crude, home-based printers that could make simple, polymer figurines. Public interest has largely moved on to other buzzwords momentarily, but the technology has continued to evolve into much more impactful and interesting areas. Commercial 3D printers (like the HP Jet Fusion family) are production-grade digital furnaces that sit next to CNC machines. The technology has surpassed the rudimentary prototype use case and is now competitive with other forms of small-batch manufacturing.

What’s coming next is a rapid increase in speed and resolution (measured in voxels), and massive leaps in material science, allowing for seamless “printing” of complete, functioning products. In a few years, you will order tennis shoes online and print them. A few years after that, you will be able to print complete electro-mechanical devices, including the batteries.

This will completely transform manufacturing and logistics to a just-in-time, just-in-place paradigm. The effect on all of the related industries will be absolutely profound.

Internet of everything

During the dot-com wave, the letter “e” was attached to everything as the internet made itself felt on most business models. In the 15 years since, we have largely accepted that electronic communication and procurement have become the standard.

Today, “IoT” is a buzzword used to describe connecting devices to the cloud. There is a certain novelty to lifestyle peripherals and personal electronics that take advantage of having instant access to all of the world’s information. In the next several years, every product will be connected to the internet and be data-driven in some way.

This will be a generational transition in all devices and drive substantial efficiency in the way many things’ problems get solved. As one example, it will largely reduce the need for human intervention in the service sector.

Immersive

After decades of hype, virtual reality has finally captured the world’s imagination. Immersive content and a new generation of games is just the beginning. Soon, VR headsets will replace computer displays and TVs as we know them. Once the display technology matures, sensors, optics and compute power catch up; AR will pick up the baton. All while new forms of human-computer interface, such as Leap Motion and a slew of voice recognition technologies, are already enhancing and will eventually replace the keyboard and mouse we’ve used for the past 50 years.

Not only does this mean that our computing devices will be more naturally integrated into our lives than carrying the pocket-size glass slabs we have adopted in the past decade, but they will quickly become our brain prosthetics. At first figuratively, but soon enough quite literally. This will certainly change the way we consume information, including how and what we learn.

Artificial intelligence

The field of artificial intelligence has been a scientific focus area since the 1950s. For decades, the approach has been one of brute force and insatiable appetite for computing power. This hasn’t yielded results and researchers have turned their focus toward whole brain emulation. In recent years, combined with the labeled data from the internet, this has given us breakthrough techniques in componentizing the proverbial brain into specialized areas — computer vision for sight, natural language processing for communication, robotics for motion and manipulation, learning for deduction, reasoning and problem solving and emotional intelligence for social interaction.

Society must realign its mission statement to the reality of what the future will bring.

Learning from nature while bypassing the physical limitations of size and speed of the human brain is bound to trigger an intelligence explosion that will transform every aspect of the world. The ultimate goal of AI is to create a machine that can emulate and surpass human cognitive and physical capabilities. Once these combined technologies fuse and reach parity with human intelligence (aka singularity), there will be a “take-off” period that may be slow (decades), medium (months) or fast (hours) until superintelligence is reached.

Where do we go from here?

Many philosophize that AI will be the last human invention. Though it is impossible to project what this will truly mean for our society, Gartner is predicting that one-third of current jobs will be taken over by software, robots and smart machines as soon as 2025.

There are more than three million Americans who today work in delivery and other driving or related jobs. With the recent advances in autonomous vehicles, it would be naïve to think that they will still be employed in 10 years. There are also more than four million retail sales people, three million cashiers and one million security guards. These, and many other professions, will all but disappear. Considering the entire U.S. labor force is fewer than 160 million people, these changes in labor demand will make the unemployment woes of 2009 feel insignificant in comparison. Now consider the effects worldwide.

While technology marches on at the pace of Moore’s Law, our governments and political systems at large are completely unprepared for these drastic changes already on the horizon. Society is busy playing tug of war with the world of the past, yet the future is going to change our reality as we know it.

The minimum education level needed to get any job not taken by a smart machine will quickly skyrocket. This has already been felt for decades in the decline of the American middle class relative incomes, all while the cost of basic needs in education, healthcare, housing and food has gone up. At the same time, companies — and the individuals at the top controlling them — are making more profit with fewer employees.

The Third Industrial Revolution is already happening. We now have a choice: Do we take advantage of technology and create an incredibly better world for the entire human race, or do we let all of the gains continue to consolidate and grow societal conflict to the breaking point? We’ve already gotten a preview of how society is responding to the growing inequities with the rise of Trump, Brexit and ISIS.

If we choose to take the collective red pill, society must realign its mission statement to the reality of what the future will bring. Beside protecting our environment and accelerating the shift to clean fuels, we need to prioritize access to education, make healthcare a human right and, yes, even seriously consider guaranteed basic income. No matter your political leanings, you can’t build a business without having customers to sell to. So if AI is going to replace an increasing number of professions, we must provide families the resources to sustain themselves in this brave new world.

While our overall social progress is encouraging, we must think about the reasons our divisions are getting more pronounced with each passing day. If we are to survive and thrive, we must be purposeful about how we prepare for a tomorrow ruled by the technology we are inventing today.

Featured Image: Westend61/Donald Iain Smith (composite)/Getty Images

via TechCrunch
Trump, Brexit and ISIS are the symptoms, and technology is the problem

August 16, 2016

Timeless tips for “simple sabotage” from the CIA

Simple Sabotage Field Manual

In 1944, the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) produced a document called the Simple Sabotage Field Manual. It was designed to be used by agents in the field to hinder our WWII adversaries. The CIA recently highlighted five tips from the manual as timelessly relevant:

1. Managers and Supervisors: To lower morale and production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. Discriminate against efficient workers; complain unjustly about their work.

2. Employees: Work slowly. Think of ways to increase the number of movements needed to do your job: use a light hammer instead of a heavy one; try to make a small wrench do instead of a big one.

3. Organizations and Conferences: When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large and bureaucratic as possible. Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done.

4. Telephone: At office, hotel and local telephone switchboards, delay putting calls through, give out wrong numbers, cut people off "accidentally," or forget to disconnect them so that the line cannot be used again.

5. Transportation: Make train travel as inconvenient as possible for enemy personnel. Issue two tickets for the same seat on a train in order to set up an "interesting" argument.

Ha, some of these things are practically best practices in American business, not against enemies but against their employees, customers, and themselves. You can also find the manual in book or ebook format. (via @craigmod)

Tags: books CIA war WWII
via kottke.org
Timeless tips for “simple sabotage” from the CIA

August 16, 2016

6 Fun iPhone Party Games for Your Next Gathering

Few things are better than playing a fun game with your friends. But a lot of party games require that you either have a console and the game or that you’ve purchased a board or card game, which you’ll need to do in advance. Fortunately, there are a number of fun party games that you can download directly to your iPhone, and many of them are free. These six will get you started; be sure to share your favorites in the comments below! Heads Up! ($0.99) If you’ve played any iPhone party game, it’s likely to have been Ellen DeGeneres’ Heads…

Read the full article: 6 Fun iPhone Party Games for Your Next Gathering

via MakeUseOf.com
6 Fun iPhone Party Games for Your Next Gathering

August 16, 2016

The best electric and gas ranges

By Tyler Wells Lynch

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After 35 hours of research, we think that the Samsung NE59J7630SS is the best electric freestanding cooking range for most people. It’s a sturdy, easy-to-clean machine with true, heated-fan convection to help baked goods cook more evenly. If you’re fortunate enough to have a gas line in your home, the Frigidaire Gallery Series FGGF3058RF is probably your best bet. It’s a classic-looking range with super-solid parts and an intuitive knob-and-control-panel interface. Both ranges are solidly built—without too many extra bells and whistles—and that simplicity should help them keep running reliably for 10 to 15 years.

How we picked

After comparing specs, reading reviews, and interviewing appliance experts, we learned that the best ranges stick to a simple set of features because they’re more reliable that way. A sturdy build, an uncluttered interface, and easy-to-clean surfaces will make a range more satisfying to live with for the 10 to 15 years that you’ll have it. The only super-important cooking features you’ll need are a strong power burner for boiling big pots of water, a sensitive warming element for simmering sauces, and a convection fan for better baking.

In terms of capacity, we think an oven should have at least 5 cubic feet of space, enough room to roast a large turkey. The best cooktops have a fifth, low-heat burner that makes it easier to simmer or warm food without accidentally scorching it. These features are standard in ranges that cost more than $600, and we considered only models with those specs.

Though all ranges essentially perform the same basic job—cooking food—certain baseline specs will make that job a little easier. The stovetop should have a power burner with at least 17,000 British thermal units (gas) or 3,000 watts (electric), and a simmer element (or "warm zone") that dips down to 5,000 Btu or less (gas) or 100 watts (electric).

We were unable to test any range’s performance to gauge the real-world value of extra cooktop power. But we did consider performance data from review sites, including Reviewed.com, Consumer Reports, and CNET. Based on their findings and what we learned from experts, we don’t think performance discrepancies will make a huge difference for most cooks. That said, an extra 1,000 Btu or 300 watts will help your water boil faster, so we slightly favored models with stronger-on-paper power burners.

Our pick for an electric range

The Samsung NE59J7630SS is the best freestanding radiant electric range for most people because it has all of the important cooking and cleaning features, with relatively few bells and whistles that might cause reliability problems down the line. Its cooktop is more versatile than those of other ranges at this price, and includes a stronger power burner, a warm zone as sensitive as any other range’s, and a unique three-element burner. The oven cavity is larger than that of most other models and has a true-convection cooking mode. This range is also one of the few that offers two self-cleaning modes. This Samsung’s build is sturdy, its design looks sharp, and its control scheme is more intuitive than that of its closest competitors.

If you need a less expensive electric range, the Amana AER5630BAS is simple, effective, and affordable, with an elegant stainless steel design. The smooth cooktop includes one of the strongest power burners at a budget-friendly price (though it’s not as nuanced as that of our main electric pick).

Our pick for a gas range

If we were buying a freestanding gas range, our choice would be the Frigidaire Gallery Series FGGF3058RF. It looks great and feels sturdier than other gas ranges at this price, and it has a simpler interface and more durable components. All of the most important specs and features you should expect from a gas range are here. The 18,000-Btu power burner is as strong as any you’ll find without moving up to a pro range. The continuous, five-burner cooktop has cast iron grates that stay in place when you slide pots and pans around. And like any good range at this price, it has a convection fan.

If you need a more affordable gas range, we like the Whirlpool WFG505M0BS. It’s one of the few budget-friendly gas ranges with a five-burner cooktop and an oven larger than 5 cubic feet. The cast iron continuous grates are a nice touch, too. Unlike our main gas pick’s oven, this range’s oven doesn’t have convection or self-cleaning modes.

The best freestanding induction range

A great freestanding electric induction range for most people who want one is the Electrolux EI30IF40LS. We like its specs better than those of other models, and test labs and owners alike have given it great reviews. Ranges with induction cooktops cost more but offer performance, safety, and efficiency advantages over both gas and radiant electric models. Overall, we think the Electrolux EI30IF40LS is the best value for an induction range, thanks to its powerful and versatile cooktop, huge oven, and relatively reasonable price.

This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

via Engadget
The best electric and gas ranges

August 16, 2016

How To Build A Basic AR-15

Like Legos, but for adults.

The post How To Build A Basic AR-15 appeared first on Bearing Arms.

via Bearing Arms
How To Build A Basic AR-15

August 15, 2016

‘Original Bug Shirt’ Still Rules The Insect Battle

Dave and Amy Freeman are spending a year in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in an effort to protect it from a series of sulfide-ore copper mines. This summer they had the opportunity to put the Original Bug Shirt through the ultimate North Woods test.

original bug shirt review

After more than eight bug-free months in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (winter), summer arrived and so did the bugs. In the North Woods spring and summer are synonymous with black flies and mosquitoes, and when they’re bad the Original Bug Shirt is the ultimate defense.

I purchased my stained, tattered bug shirt many years ago for an expedition in the Amazon where the mosquitoes transmit malaria, dengue fever, and other nasty diseases. Since then, I keep the shirt in the top of my pack anywhere bugs are likely to be bad, from the Amazon to the Arctic.

Bug Shirt In The North Woods

My wife, Amy, and I donned our Original Bug Shirts for the first time in early June when the mosquitoes started to swarm.

bug shirt

We’d kept our bug shirts ready as the ice thawed. When we landed at the portage between Kiskadinna and Muskeg Lakes in spring, we were greeted by a thick wall of black flies and mosquitoes. Swatting and waving our arms, we dug into our day pack and slipped the bug shirts over our heads.

bug shirt mesh

For June, July, and August, we kept our bug shirts at the ready while exploring more than 300 lakes and streams. They have become our go-to defense when bugs get thick.

BWCA: An Ultimate Bug Shirt Test

The Original Bug Shirts stand out from the competition. They are made of a mixture of mosquito netting along the torso and under arms, and a lightweight yet bug-proof material everywhere else.

A bug shirt like this is a mechanical barrier to biting insects. It’s another tool in the box, and is a nice alternative to chemical deterrents when bugs get really bad.

10 Facts: Mosquitos

You know they are annoying. But did you know the mosquito is among the most deadly of all animals on Earth? We pulled together 10 facts on the blood-sucking bugs. Read more…

The beauty of this design is that where the shirt is likely to press tightly against skin is made of nylon material that bugs can’t bite through. Areas that normally are not pressed against the skin are mesh to keep you cool.

bug shirt test

A large hood with mosquito netting can zip closed to fully protect the face, or remain open when the bugs aren’t too bad. Elastic draw cords at the waist and wrists keep bugs from crawling under your shirt.

bug shirt cuff

If the bugs are really bad at meal time, we like to pull our arms into the main body of the bug shirt so that we can hold our bowl inside the shirt and eat in a totally bug free environment.

Shirt For A Buggy World

Ideally you’d never need a shirt like this, but bugs are everywhere. If you are headed into an especially buggy corner of the world, do yourself a favor and bring an Original Bug Shirt.

The only downside is that both Amy and I have ripped the mosquito netting close to our waists either by carrying portage packs with hip belts, or by wearing PFDs over the Bug Shirts. It wasn’t a big deal to repair them, but I’d love to see a version with the nylon material five inches up from the base shirt instead of the bug mesh on the sides.

bug shirt hood

—Dave and Amy Freeman are spending a year in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in an effort to protect the Boundary Waters from a series of sulfide-ore copper mines that are proposed along the edge of our nation’s most popular Wilderness. Throughout their Year in the Wilderness they are sharing regular reviews on GearJunkie.com. Amy and Dave were named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2014.

The post ‘Original Bug Shirt’ Still Rules The Insect Battle appeared first on GearJunkie.

via GearJunkie
‘Original Bug Shirt’ Still Rules The Insect Battle