Link

How It Should Have Ended takes on the finale of summer 2017’s Marvel blockbuster with an alternative scenario in which things turned out a little more like they would have if Loki had remained true to his character. Seriously, is he supposed to be a good guy now?

via The Awesomer
HISHE: Thor Ragnarok

Opinion

USA – -(Ammoland.com)- Imagine you had a friend who, as a relatively young man, decided to take a shot at the toughest real estate market in America and ended up making billions buying, selling, and building properties.

Imagine this person then mastered branding to the point that people paid to license his name on hotels, resorts, and other buildings across the world.

Imagine that over the next few decades this friend also:

• Bought and developed 19 golf courses;
• Was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1989 and named the magazine’s Person of the Year in 2016;
• Produced and starred in a reality show for 11 years that attracted more than 20 million viewers in its first season; and
• Wrote multiple bestselling books on business.

Then suppose this friend, having never previously held public office, decided to run for president, where he led the Republican field in polls every week but one, beat 16 other Republicans to win the nomination, and took on and defeated the entire elite media, who could not stand him and printed and talked about every negative “fact” they could conjure.

Then imagine he defeated the obvious Democratic heir apparent who had been involved in politics for over 50 years and had served as first lady of Arkansas, first lady of the United States, U.S. Senator from New York, candidate for President in 2008, and Secretary of State prior to becoming the 2016 Democratic nominee for president.

In his first year as president, imagine this friend nominated a conservative to the Supreme Court and got him approved, aggressively cut regulation, established a National Security Strategy that has been widely praised, and successfully helped pass the largest tax cut in more than three decades for the American people.

Imagine as a result of all this, small business confidence, CEO confidence, and consumer confidence are through the roof, which has helped drive one of the quickest 1,000-point stock market gains in history.

Now, consider how you would react if someone tried to convince you to ignore this track record and suggest that your incredibly successful friend had questionable mental capabilities.

Wouldn’t you instead be inclined to be curious about how your friend does so many different things competently – and be puzzled that anyone could reasonably suggest he was anything other than capable?

There is no need to imagine, of course, because the Left and the news media have spent the past week making this scenario a reality, making erroneous, malicious claims that President Donald Trump is somehow mentally unfit to lead our country – despite all evidence that he’s doing a fantastic job.

The media and political elite still haven’t gotten over the fact that Donald J. Trump won and that he has been able to defy them and prove them wrong about virtually everything in American politics since he announced his candidacy for president.

Remember this the next time you hear someone disparage a person he or she could never compete with in business, politics, or even on the golf course.

Your Friend,
Newt

P.S. Copies of Callista’s new children’s book, Hail to the Chief, and my new book Understanding Trump are now available

About Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is well-known as the architect of the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 by capturing the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in forty years. After he was elected Speaker, he disrupted the status quo by moving power out of Washington and back to the American people.

Gingrich Productions is a performance and production company featuring the work of Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich. Visit : http://ift.tt/U5jMI5

This post The Loser Left’s Big Mistake on President Donald Trump appeared first on AmmoLand.com .

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The Loser Left’s Big Mistake on President Donald Trump

An out-of-state venture capital firm is close to investing in more Columbus-area startups after watching its first investment here become one of the fastest-growing in its portfolio.
St. Louis, Missouri-based Lewis and Clark Venture Capital LLC led a $5.5 million round over the summer in Beam Dental, which pairs employer-based dental insurance with data from its smart toothbrushes. (The deal wasn’t announced until October.)
Ron Watson, principal with the $104 million fund who managed the investment,…

via Columbus Business News – Local Columbus News | Business First of Columbus
St. Louis VC firm seeking more Columbus investments as first company speeds growth

via AppleInsider
Video: First look at the next-generation SimpliSafe security system with incoming HomeKit integration

In this short blogpost, we’ll show you how to use the mysql_random_data_load tool to insert random data into tables. This is a great aide in testing when you have empty tables and need them to be populated with data. We’ve all done it manually (the INSERT INTO … VALUES … way), but that is surely a waste of time. It can add up to a lot if you need to test tables with many columns, or even worse, with foreign keys.

Before saying anything else, we would like to mention that this tool is still under development, and that it will insert random data into tables. Be aware if running it in a production environment!

mysql_random_data_load is a tool created by PerconLabs.

Note: PerconaLabs and Percona-QA are open source GitHub repositories for unofficial scripts and tools created by Percona staff. While not covered by Percona support or services agreements, these handy utilities can help you save time and effort.

Now, back to the disclaimer-free zone, the tool in question is named mysql_random_data_load, and can be currently found in the Percona Lab GitHub repository:

http://ift.tt/2CWxXtH

The README.md file has a lot of information on it already, so feel free to pause this reading and come back after you’ve skimmed through it. If you are eager to start using it, though, we give you the crash course below.

We offer two binaries in the releases tab, one for Darwin and another one for Linux. We will show examples of the linux_amd64 build here, but they are the same for the darwin_amd64 one.

First, get the latest build (0.1.6 as of this writing):

shell> cd ~/bin/
shell> wget http://ift.tt/2Dnxl15
shell> tar xzf mysql_random_data_loader_linux_amd64.tar.gz
shell> chmod +x mysql_random_data_loader

We will use the sakila database schema for the tests, so the second and final step is to download and install it.

shell> wget http://ift.tt/15xYnRs
shell> tar xzf sakila-db.tar.gz && rm -f sakila-db.tar.gz
shell> mysql < sakila-db/sakila-schema.sql

Ok, we are now ready to test inserting some rows with random data! Let’s try populating the actor table first. Since its primary key is a SMALLINT, we have a maximum of 65535 rows.

shell> mysql_random_data_load sakila actor 65535 --host=127.0.0.1 --port=3306 --user=my_user --password=my_password
2017/12/22 00:17:32 Starting
  4s [===============================================] 100%
Total rows inserted: 65535

Let’s see what the data looks like:

mysql> SELECT * FROM sakila.actor LIMIT 2G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
  actor_id: 1
first_name: dolores nulla sunt velit placeat minima adipi
 last_name: quo non similique enim inventore cupiditate.
last_update: 2017-01-08 13:06:44
*************************** 2. row ***************************
  actor_id: 2
first_name: at commodi tenetur est maiores nobis accusamu
 last_name: quod suscipit provident est voluptatem quis t
last_update: 2017-03-07 00:05:01
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

Adding data to tables with Foreign Keys

Now that we have the actor table filled with data, let’s try the foreign key functionality, which is one of the tool’s biggest strengths (since coming up with data that makes sense in this context is even more laborious).

If we look at the sakila structure, a good candidate for trying this is film_actor. Apart from the actor table, it also needs the film table to have data (due to FK constraints), which in turn needs the language table to have data. Easy enough!

shell> mysql_random_data_load sakila language 15 --host=127.0.0.1 --port=3306 --user=my_user --password=my_password
2017/12/22 00:48:30 Starting
  0s [===============================================] 100%
Total rows inserted: 15
shell>  mysql_random_data_load sakila film 10000
--host=127.0.0.1 --port=3306 --user=my_user --password=my_password
2017/12/22 00:51:18 There are triggers on the film table that might affect this process:
2017/12/22 00:51:18 Trigger "ins_film", AFTER INSERT
[...output trimmed...]
2017/12/22 00:51:18 Trigger "upd_film", AFTER UPDATE
[...output trimmed...]
2017/12/22 00:51:18 Trigger "del_film", AFTER DELETE
[...output trimmed...]
2017/12/22 00:51:18 Starting
  1s [===============================================] 100%
Total rows inserted: 10000

In this last example, we already used the foreign key functionality without even modifying the command we used for “regular” tables. You can disregard the notes about the triggers in this case.

We are now ready to fill the film_actor table. Let’s see two new variables: –bulk-size and –max-fk-samples. The former can help us with creating INSERTs with as many rows as we want, which helps expedite the process if many are needed. The latter chooses the number of samples from the film and actor tables, to use for the FK constraints. Note that these two variables already have defaults, so we can choose not to include them and the tool will still work.

shell> mysql_random_data_load sakila film_actor 20000 --bulk-size=5000 --max-fk-samples=8000 --host=127.0.0.1 --port=3306 --user=my_user --password=my_password
2017/12/22 01:05:28 Starting
  1s [===============================================] 100%
Total rows inserted: 20000

A quick test shows that things went well:

mysql> SELECT a.last_name, f.title, f.special_features, f.rental_rate
FROM film_actor fa
JOIN actor a
 USING (actor_id)
JOIN film f
 USING (film_id)
LIMIT 1G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
      last_name: enim sequi recusandae dolores voluptatem!
          title: quia provident nemo labore architecto totam.
special_features: Behind the Scenes
    rental_rate: 3.15
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

Specifying queries per second

Starting from version 0.1.6, there is a new experimental feature to insert rows at a specific rate: –qps <queries per second>. This option could be used when you need not only data but also at a specific rate (for example, to test a monitoring system like PMM). Since the total number of rows to be inserted is still in effect, this option makes more sense when –bulk-size=1 is used.

Summary

As we have seen, it is really easy to insert random data into tables so you can later use them in your tests. There is still more work to do on the tool, but we have found that it is already of great help. We would love to hear back from you on it either here or, even better, via the issues GitHub page directly. If there are any use-cases or functionality you can think of, let us know!

via Planet MySQL
Insert Random Data into Tables Using mysql_random_data_load

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of deals to share. Today the Dealmaster is looking out for those who need a decent laptop but can’t spend the big bucks, as we’ve got Dell’s 14-inch Inspiron 14 7000 marked down to $600. That’s about $100 off its current going rate, and it’s a solid price for a notebook with an aluminum chassis, 1080p IPS display, 256GB solid state drive, and Core i7-7500U processor. While that Intel chip is a generation old at this point, it’s still likely to be plenty strong enough for people shopping in the budget range.

If that doesn’t interest you, the rest of the rundown includes deals on several other laptops, 4K TVs, and Seagate’s popular portable hard drives, among other items. Take a look for yourself below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured Deals

Laptop & Desktop Computers

More Laptops & Desktop PC Deals here.

HDTVs & Home Entertainment

More TV Deals here.

Electronics & Components

More Electronics & Tech Deals here.

Tools & Home Improvement, Kitchen Gadgets, and more

For more great deals go to TechBargains.

Listing image by TechBargains

via Ars Technica
Dealmaster: Get a Dell Core i7 laptop with a 256GB SSD for $600

Earlier today, I wrote about a Newsweek story blasting Spike’s Tactical and Pipe Hitters Union regarding an ad featuring a handful of armed Americans facing a horde of Antifa rioters. It featured text saying, “Not today, Antifa.”

You’d have thought the two companies were offering a bounty on leftists or something.

Well, it seems that both companies have responded. A copy of the press release issued by the two:

APOPKA, Fla. – Spike’s Tactical, a national AR-15 parts and weapons manufacturer based near Orlando, Florida, and Pipe Hitters Union, an international apparel manufacturer based in Austin, Texas, were attacked by Newsweek on Monday for an advertisement the companies recently ran in SKILLSET Magazine and posted on Facebook earlier this week.

“Our advertisement, NOT TODAY ANTIFA, is meant to be pro-American and against those who would suppress freedom of speech and the rest of our constitutionally protected rights, including the right to bear arms,” said Kit Cope, spokesman for Spike’s Tactical. “We offer zero apologies to anyone that is offended by this advertisement that depicts armed, but peaceful, patriotic Americans standing up against socialist, anarchist and communist rioters.”

The dual-page ad, which was designed for and is scheduled to run in RECOIL Magazine for the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, was commissioned as a joint advertisement between Spike’s Tactical and Pipe Hitters Union.

“We had no idea this ad would become so controversial, but let me be very clear about one point – We are not and do not support Nazis or any white supremacist movement in any shape or form,” said Lincoln A. Osiris, president of Pipe Hitters Union. “Every year we do a centerfold ad together with Spike’s Tactical for SHOT Show, and this year, after the rioting in several cities throughout the U.S., we decided to address those who are anti-American, anti-government and anti-democracy in our advertisement. We believe that anyone who supports this great nation, the Constitution and our democratic republic supports our stance.”

According to Osiris, that stance is that the people who are behind the Antifa movement are anti-American.

“They often incite violence, cause property damage and commit crimes, while hiding behind a veil of anti-fascism, but in reality they are no more than an unorganized group of domestic terrorists.” Osiris said.

According to representatives from both companies, the Newsweek article contains several errors, one of which is the claim that the group of masked protestors in the advertisement are unarmed. The image clearly depicts the protestors holding weapons. Additionally, the article insinuates that Spike’s Tactical and Pipe Hitters Union support neo-Nazis and white supremacists, which is categorically false.

“Neither of our brands support anything other than America, our military and members of law enforcement,” said Osiris. “Many of us at both companies wore the uniform and swore an oath to defend this country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and that oath doesn’t have an expiration date.”

Additionally, Newsweek accuses Spike’s Tactical of using anger over Antifa to sell, “dangerous assault rifles to only one side,” and says anti-fascists are worried that it fuels a desire to kill leftists.

“We would never advocate violence, unless it is in the form of self-defense,” said Cope. “And for the record, our rifles are available for sale to any responsible person who is legally allowed to own a firearm, regardless of how they register to vote,” said Cope.

Furthermore, the writer for Newsweek says that neither company responded for requests to comment, however, he attempted to contact the companies after business hours and published his article that evening.

About Spike’s Tactical
Spike’s Tactical was founded the day before 9/11 by Mike and Angela Register and is headquartered in Apopka, Florida. The family-owned business employs around 40 people and all products are made exclusively in the USA and assembled in Florida. Spike’s Tactical is regarded as one of the premier AR-15 manufacturers in the world. Their mission is to build the highest quality products and offer them at the best possible price to the consumer. Spike’s Tactical weapons are designed to military specifications for civilian, law enforcement and military use. All products manufactured by Spike’s Tactical feature a manufacturer’s lifetime warranty.

About Pipe Hitters Union
Pipe Hitters Union is a disabled combat veteran-owned and operated small business, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. PHU was founded by a small group of special operations combat veterans that shared a common belief in the unity of cause, the willingness to face extreme obstacles head on and the absolute refusal to backdown in the face of adversity. Since then, the message has spread to like-minded individuals from all professions and walks of life. Whether military, law enforcement or civilian, Pipe Hitters throughout the world are pushing their limits daily and making their mark. The PHU brand is a mark of distinction and a call for others to join us.

First, let’s address that last line.

Furthermore, the writer for Newsweek says that neither company responded for requests to comment, however, he attempted to contact the companies after business hours and published his article that evening.

This is not an all too uncommon tactic. By reaching out after normal work hours, the unscrupulous journalist knows that it’s unlikely the company or companies will respond. It’s very unlikely anyone will even get the request for comment until after the story is published, thus making sure only one side of the story is presented. But the reaching out takes place so it cannot be said they didn’t make even a token effort.

I’ve seen it done before.

Now, let’s take a look at this ad in question. In addition to the press release, I was given a copy of the ad to take a look at. Let’s take a look see and find out what the problem is.

Well, isn’t this something? Remember how Newsweek claimed the Antifa in the ad were unarmed? I see at least two weapons plain as day. On the left, there’s a rioter with some kind of stick in his hand (read: club) rared back to hit someone. On the right, someone has a Maglight-style flashlight. Both of those can be weapons.

Further, the numbers alone constitute a viable threat to human life.

Frankly, the ad looks to be the kind of thing that would only outrage Antifa, which it did.

Both companies made it clear that they do not support racism or Nazis, but would it have mattered? There’s nothing in this ad that should suggest a fondness for Nazis…unless you have bought into the narrative that Antifa only takes issue with fascists. The problem is, anyone to the right of Mao is a fascist in their minds.

The fact is, this ad speaks to the exact people Pipe Hitters Union and Spike’s Tactical tend to market to. You know, Americans who will stand in the face of tyranny. In this case, it’s the tyranny of a mob who will use violence to intimidate political opponents.

It’s enough to make me want to spend some money with both of these companies.

The post Spike’s Tactical And Pipe Hitters Union Responds To Newsweek appeared first on Bearing Arms.

via Bearing Arms
Spike’s Tactical And Pipe Hitters Union Responds To Newsweek

GIF

The news can be pretty depressing these days. Sometimes it feels like you need to just wash your brain out with soap. And have I got the brain soap for you: There’s a guy in Regina, Saskatchewan who’s really good at making outdoor snow globes out of bubbles. I could watch him make these all day.

It was pretty damn cold in Canada over New Year’s, just like it was in most of the continental US. And Craig Boehm took the opportunity to make some amazing natural snow globes using nothing but soap, water, a straw, and the excruciatingly cold weather.

As the people of Canada rang in 2018, the temperature dropped to -40 degrees. And as one natural snow globe enthusiast points out, the cool thing about -40 degrees is that it’s the same in Celsius as it is in Fahrenheit. Or, I guess, that’s “cool” if you don’t have to be outside for more than 10 minutes at a time.

But Boehm didn’t invent the creation of natural snow globes, obviously. There are other snow globe videos on YouTube and I really can’t recommend them highly enough. Like this one from Slim Potatohead.

Let the soothing snow globes wash over your brain. That’s it. Doesn’t that feel better?

via Gizmodo
I Can’t Stop Watching These Soap Bubble Snow Globes Get Made

There is a freedom in driving a car for a long time after it’s been paid off. But not every vehicle can go the distance. If you’re the type to keep your car for a long time, have a look at this survey breaking down the most popular models that owners tend to keep for 15 years.

According to a study conducted by iSeeCars.com, Toyota tops the list of cars that people keep into their automotive teenage years, with Honda/Acura in second place. This is probably not surprising, as both brands have reputations for build quality and general survivability. The entire list is dominated by Japanese brands, with the VW Golf being the one German car that folks apparently don’t give up on easy. There are no U.S. brands here, though of course some of these models are made in America.

For those of you who don’t want to bother doing math, 15 years ago takes us back to 2003. That means there are a whole bunch of first-generation Highlanders, Siennas and Tundras still running around with the person who bought them new. Neat.

As for how iSeeCars determined which vehicles made the list, they used the following methodology:

iSeeCars.com analyzed over 650,000 used cars from model years 1981-2002, sold between January through November 2017. For each model, the number of cars sold by the original owner was expressed as a percentage of the total number of cars sold. “Original-owner” cars were bought as new by the owner. The models were then ranked by the original-owner percentage. Models with fewer than 100 cars sold or which were no longer in production as of the 2017 model year were excluded from the analysis.

So, I guess it’s somewhat relevant to note that iSeeCars was subtracting 15 from 2017, not ’18.

If you’re the type of car buyer who plans on keeping something for more than a decade, remember that the upfront price isn’t everything. You might not get as big of a discount on a new Honda or Toyota as you would from another automaker, but you may get a much longer life out of those models.

You can read the full details of the study here at iSeeCars.com

via Lifehacker
These Are The Cars People Keep For 15 Years

In the game of adulting, a herd accompanies you past the milestones. When you’re young, everyone you know is graduating college, landing a first job, getting married, having kids. As you approach middle age, the milestones become less celebratory. Everyone you know is loosening their belt, losing their hair, losing their T. And then comes the most disorienting loss of all: their parents.

For this milestone, I was a reluctant advance scout, far ahead of the herd. My mom died seven years ago, when I was 32. I’ve written about the peculiar feeling of becoming a newly orphaned adult. Here, I’ll share some thoughts about how to be a good parent as you’re losing yours.

Be Direct

This is no time for euphemism. If your father is in hospice care, he’s not “feeling a little sick.” When your mom flatlines, she is not “sleeping.” Your dad is dying. Your mom is dead. It’s brutal, but it’s the truth. Your kids need the opportunity to say goodbye, just as you do. If you hedge reality, the gravity of the situation will escape them.

Kids learn the reality you define, and you’ll only blur it if you speak in clumsy metaphors. A side effect of euphemism is anxiety. The kiddos may become scared of going to bed or getting a cold. After all, PawPaw was feeling a little sick, and now he lives underground in the big flower garden.

Show What You Feel

Cry. Moan. Mope. Stare into space. Your mother will never kiss your cheek again. Your father’s quest for the cheapest gasoline has ceased. He’ll never share another update on that subject.

Your feelings will be messy and contradictory. Don’t try to make sense of things right away. And don’t hide the mess from your kids. If they’re young, they won’t understand what happened to Grandma. Do not compound this confusion by wearing a brave face that creates the question: Why isn’t Mom sad that Grandma is dead? Mourning openly shows children another way to express love. It’s more than hugs and smiles—it’s also wailing and tears.

But. Your kids don’t need to see you drunk or punching the drywall. There’s a difference between being vulnerable and being scary. Go ahead and climb all the way into despair. Devour an entire Ben &amp; Jerry’s store, puke whiskey and Taco Bell, sleep for 20 hours—whatever. Just make sure your kids are enjoying a sleepover with their cousins while you come unglued.

Tell Stories

There’s research that indicates your boring stories about the way things used to be actually do stick with your kids. Telling family stories provides a sense of connection to the past. More than that, it signals that the subject of your dead mother is not off limits—that you want to keep thinking about her.

I didn’t do so well with this, initially. I kept a lot of memories about my mom to myself, and my daughter’s empathy told her to shy away from asking. Eventually, it became easy for me to think of my mom without feeling sad, and the stories spilled out.

That encouraged my daughter to tell her own stories. Remember, you and your children are mourning two versions of the same person. They’ll want to talk about the times Grandma snuck extra cookies to them at the dinner table much as you’ll want to reminisce about the time Mom did the boot scootin boogie at your 12th birthday party.

Keep the Routine

You’ll want to sit very still in a dark house. But soccer practice will beckon and a Girl Scout meeting will loom. The pantry will empty and Target will stand ready and eager to welcome you. A life has stopped. Your life is on pause. But life in general goes on. As much as you can, do what you would have done anyway, if your dad’s ashes weren’t sitting in an urn on your dresser.

My mom died early in the morning on October 29th. I was with her in the hospital room. Two days later, I was with my wife and daughter as we walked around the neighborhood trick or treating. My daughter was only three, and she wanted to dress up and see her friends’ costumes. She was sad, but she was also as candy crazy as Garfield.

I don’t remember much about that evening. I was still in shock. But it was nice to take a break from crying. It was nice to watch my kid squeal with delight at spooky decorations. It was nice to eat my feelings in the form of fun-sized Snickers.

Look Outside Yourself

It’s likely that you won’t be able to navigate this alone. You may be capable, ambitious, resilient and still entirely unmoored. Look for the helpers, as Mr. Rogers used to say.

There are dozens of kids’ books about death. I bought The Fall of Freddie the Leaf when my mom was dying, but it turned out to be beyond the understanding of my daughter. It remains on a bookshelf across the room, waiting for the next unlucky grandparent to die.

A support group or a good therapist can be miraculous, leading your family through the hurricane of emotions each one of you is feeling. Your child might have no words to express his grief. But maybe he can draw pictures or create videos on your phone. A professional will have the instincts to explore those alternative methods of communication.

Say What You Believe

No one knows what happens after the final heartbeat. Though current events make a strong case that humanity experienced a sudden mass extinction and Hell is real, the afterlife remains unconfirmed. If you’re not down with angels or ghosts don’t pretend otherwise. Older kids will see right through such hypocrisy, and they’ll judge you harshly for it. It’s okay to say you don’t know what happens after we die.

It’s also okay to create your own mythology. I think of it this way: a little fluttering of the air, just above my right shoulder, like the wings of a butterfly almost touching my ear. I turn my head and feel a warmth like the sun pulled through my body into my toes by the gravity of the Earth. That’s what it’s like when I feel my mom with me. Is it a trick of my creative nature? Is it a touch from an astral being? I don’t need an answer. Either way, I know there’s some part of her that’s still around.

via Lifehacker
How to Parent When Your Parent Is Dying