The FCC may be bent on killing net neutrality, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay silent or offer mostly symbolic protests. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has created a web tool that makes it easy to ask your members of Congress to fight for an open internet. All you have to do us plug in your address, personalize your message (if you like) and hit "submit" — your representatives and senators will receive your concerns and hopefully do something about it.
The FCC is likely to vote in favor of gutting protections on December 14th given its current composition and refusal to investigate anti-neutrality spam, but there’s a hope that Congress might raise the issue of defending net neutrality and even implement some safeguards. If nothing else, this puts your opposition to the FCC’s moves on the record. Politicians need to know how you feel if they’re going to act on your behalf, after all.
Doctor: The MRI shows unusual activity in the laziness region of your brain. Normally, I would recommend brain surgery, but your brain also registers an unusually high level of happiness. Wally: So… how do we handle this? Doctor: I’m going to operate on myself to make me more like you.
In some cities, the most common electric vehicles are likely to be two-wheelers like bikes and motorcycles. But cities aren’t really designed for them — you have to compete with cars on the road and at charging stations. BMW and Tongji University think they can do better: they’ve developed a concept, Vision E3 Way, that gives e-bike riders their own roads. The paths would be safer and reduce traffic congestion, as you might expect, but they’d also take advantage of the electric nature of the vehicles to make two-wheel riding more accessible.
The routes would typically sit above regular roads, and would be decidedly cozier thanks to covering and a cooling system driven by purified rainwater. An automatic speed limit (in the concept, about 15.5MPH) and AI-driven traffic management would prevent the faster vehicles from crashing into scooters. And you might not even need to own a machine to use it — BMW envisions a rental system where you’d pick up a bike at an access point if you need to get across town in a hurry.
You won’t necessarily see something like this in markets where cars dominate, like North America. A system like Vision E3 Way could be very useful in countries like China, however. It’s not just that many more people ride bikes in these areas — it’s that high population densities could necessitate separate, automated roads to keep traffic flowing. The challenge is getting cities to take up the idea. Even if these roadways don’t cost much to build, it’s no mean feat to significantly alter the urban landscape.
Every day we get closer to The Last Jedi, more and more snippets of footage come out. But today, dear reader, instead of delightful shots of Poe Dameron drifting in an X-Wing or Luke Skywalker emotionally entering the Millennium Falcon, we have something sinister. Something cruel.
DON’T HIT THE PORG, CHEWIE! Ever since the fluffly little darlings wormed their way into hearts, we’ve been excited for the Chewbacca/Porg relationship. This little guy’s feathers were even designed to make him look a little like Chewie! And yet, the poor porg is swept aside, all so Chewbacca can do something like not make the spaceship they’re in crash or save the day or whatever Wookiee co-pilots do.
So rude. I thought better of you, Chewbacca, I really did.
If you are an avid reader and are always looking for a new ebook to check out, the online options can feel limited. But, if you know where to look, you can snag free ebooks to read online, download to your computer, or transfer to your Kindle.
from the most well-known authors, these four websites have you covered. Plus, you can take a look at other genres besides the classics like humor, thriller, science fiction, or romance. So, take a seat in your favorite chair, grab your laptop, and prepare to immerse yourself in a wonderful story.
Planet eBook is an attractive site that offers classic literature for free. Some books are out of copyright and are offered to you in an entirely legal fashion. But, be sure to click the Copyright Notice link on the ebook details page for any restrictions on that particular book.
Right now, Planet eBook offers just over 80 books to their readers, all of which have been carefully selected. True, you will not have the buffet of thousands that you may find on other sites, but you can rest assured that each and every piece of writing on Planet eBook is of outstanding quality.
All books on the site can be downloaded as a PDF for reading at any time. So, you can enjoy titles like Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, or Great Expectations without distractions. Again, the selection may not be enormous on Planet eBook; however, if you want a quick and easy way to find the best of best when it comes to the classics, this site delivers.
ManyBooks works in the same way as Planet eBook, offering classic literature for free. However, where Planet eBook presents a carefully selected array of literature, ManyBooks handles everything in bulk (as the name truthfully implies).
The Best Ebook Reader: 7 Models Compared An ebook reader is a must-have item for book lovers. You can carry thousands of books in your pocket and recharge once a month. But what’s the best ebook reader out there? Read More
. Plus, you can read online or download your pick as a PDF.
To find a book, you can browse by genre, author, title, category, or language. You can also look through the popular selections, the site’s recommendations, and featured authors.
There is also a User’s Public Bookshelves area where you can look at books collected by others, which is a great way to see what ManyBooks readers like. Just click Recommendations on the left and then scroll down to User’s Public Bookshelves.
As a bonus, ManyBooks provides discounted ebooks and you can subscribe to their email newsletter for deals right to your inbox. Or, you can subscribe to the site’s RSS feed for updates on new titles. ManyBooks is a solid way to find an entertaining classic or author you want to explore.
Classic Reader resides somewhere between Planet eBook and ManyBooks. It offers a large selection of fiction, non-fiction, drama, and young reader options. You can also browse through the poetry and short story sections for some light reading.
Once you choose a book, you can read it online. Since the site offers a basic appearance, this makes reading those books you choose a nice, unobtrusive experience. Each book’s table of contents makes it easy to pick up on the chapter you left off when reading online.
And, if you prefer to download a book, you have that option, but only if you sign up for a free account.
Classic Reader may not have as many titles as some other sites, with just under 4,000 at the time of writing. However, you can still enjoy a classic from Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, or H.G. Wells. And, if you have a favorite author, you can view all ebooks available from that author as well as read their biography. Overall, Classic Reader may not be the prettiest of this bunch, but it is definitely worth your time.
With over 54,000 free ebooks, you will definitely find a good read on the Project Gutenberg site. You can search for a specific title, look at recently added books, or check out the Top 100. If you want to browse through offline options, for example, if you have a slow internet connection, the site offers a catalog specific to those types of books.
There are a few things that make Project Gutenberg stand out from other free ebook sites. First, you can either read the books online, with a reader like Kindle, or download them to read later. Second, you can send the books to Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive with the click of a button.
Third, you can access the mobile site using the link or QR code provided on the main page. So, reading on your mobile device is perfect for work breaks or bus rides. Finally, if you sign up for a free membership, you can bookmark those ebooks you are reading online, which is handy for picking up right where you leave off.
Project Gutenberg provides select books in a variety of languages from Chinese to Yiddish and categories from animals to technology. For a huge collection, a number of reading avenues, and a few little extras, check out Project Gutenberg.
How to Find Infinite Free Kindle Books to Read Here are 10 awesome websites that will point you towards infinite free Kindle books. If you are ready to curl up with a new book, bookmark these sites to save yourself some money. Read More
What is your personal preference when it comes to ebooks? Are you in love with romance, always up for an adventure, or like to go back in time with a classic? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below and let us know your most favorite book of all time!
The Philips Norelco OneBlade is the shaver of choice for every guy on our staff, and Amazon’s offering an unprecedented 50% discount on it for Black Friday.
If you aren’t familiar with this thing yet, Shane shared his thoughts about it on Lifehacker Gear:
I’m pretty blown away by the Philips OneBlade. I was expecting a deconstructed electric razor or a souped up Gillette Power-style situation, but the OneBlade is more like the next evolution of beard trimmers.
The OneBlade can be used to get a close shave, edge, or trim down to your preferred length. It’s also washable and rechargeable, and the replaceable blades that last an estimated four months are already available on Subscribe and Save.
The OneBlade can be used in the shower or over the sink, with or without shaving cream or oil. To be clear, this is not going to give you a straight razor-close shave, but it’s going to get you 99.5% of the way there in no time and with no irritation.
The OneBlade usually sells for $35, and occasionally sees modest discounts to $25-$35, but $17 blows away every previous promotion. I paid full price for it back in March of this year (I’m still on my original blade, for the record), and have zero regrets.
We’ve talked before about what exactly an 80% lower is, and even talked about finishing an 80% lower. Today, we’re going to go over the best AR-15 80% or unfinished lowers out there, at least in my humble opinion.
We’re also going to look at some of the things to be on the lookout for when it comes to choosing an 80% lower so that you can be better prepared to evaluate these lowers when you come across them.
Note: an 80% lower requires some pretty advanced machining, so the quality, fit, and finish of the final product is going to depend entirely on you, or the person who’s working on it and their skill level. There are a number of machining jigs available to make your job easier.
Brief Overview of 80% Lowers
First, should really, really, really, really check out our other article on what exactly an 80% lower is. If you’re one of those people too lazy to click links in articles (don’t worry, we’ve all been there) you really just need to know that an 80% is an unfinished lower that is nominally sold as a “paperweight” or other novelty, and not a firearm.
If you’re buying a finished AR lower, you’re technically buying a firearm in the eyes of the ATF.
AR-15 80% Lower. Notice the solid area where the trigger would go, making it a paperweight, not a firearm. Technically.
Meanwhile, an 80% lower is technically not a firearm until you finish machining it, so you can get them delivered straight to your house without paying FFL fees. As long as you’re manufacturing the firearm for personal use, and are otherwise allowed to own said firearm in your state, you’re good to go.
Be sure to check out our Gun Laws pages to see if such things are legal where you are.
Note: California compliance requires a serial number and other changes to your lower, so be super duper sure to check the laws there and in other less-than-gun-friendly states.
To finish your upper, you’ll need an end mill, and a drill or drill press, and a jig or other guide to get you as you mill out the lower. Each lower is going to require a slightly different procedure so be sure to check with your manufacturer on what you’ll need.
Drill Press
Most of them will have a free pdf or video that’ll show you how to do things.
One thing to keep in mind, even if a company advertises a 90% or 95% finished lower…they still aren’t allowed to get the lower and closer to completion than any other company.
Measuring the completeness of a part like this is fairly subjective, so just makes sure you don’t pay extra for that ten or fifteen percent and think you’re lessening the amount of work you’ll have to do later.
This is just a marketing tactic, and isn’t worth paying more for. I choose not to buy from companies that advertise that way cause it’s kinda shady…in my opinion. You’re a responsible (probably) adult. You’ll have to make that decision for yourself.
What Makes a Good 80% Lower
There are a few things to consider when choosing your first AR-15 80% lower. First, tempting as it may be, don’t buy from Uncle Leroy’s Backwoods Firearms. Small manufacturers are extremely hit or miss, and often lack the precision of a larger, well-known manufacturer.
If at all possible, try to find someone that you know already makes good lowers, like Aero Precision.
If you’re on your sixth unfinished lower, or have the machining background to spot a lower machined to tight tolerances vs one that isn’t, maybe give the small-time outfit a try. Or maybe you know a competent machinist that can make you one. Then you’re probably okay, just make sure they have a letter of determination that says they can sell you the thing they’re selling you.
In firearms, as with most things, the “cover your ass” rule is firmly in place.
Second, for your first build make sure you’re getting one that has the appropriate jigs you can purchase, or at least one they recommend you use. The jig is going to be what lets you finish milling out the lower and making it usable without needing a full-bore CNC machine.
With the right tools, you can make all kinds of things though.
Finally, take a look at the materials used. Polymer lowers are easier to machine, but are more prone to scratching and gouging as well as full-on breakage if you aren’t careful. Aluminum comes in two flavors, forged and billet. Basically the only thing you need to know is that forged aluminum is generally considered to be stronger, but for most people it isn’t going to matter unless you’re going into combat, and even then it’s not that big of a difference, strength-wise.
Anodized vs Non-Anodized 80% Lowers
One final consideration is the choice between anodized and non-anodized 80% lowers, assuming you’re working with an aluminum lower. Personally, I would go with a non-anodized lower because you’re going to be milling out large portions of it and exposing non-anodized metal anyway.
Completed AR15 80% lower, anodized
Usually, that means you’re just going to have the thing re-anodized anyway so I’d just go with the cheaper option of the raw aluminum.
Of course, you don’t have to worry about that with polymer as you’re just exposing more of the same polymer as you’re doing your machining
Best 80% Lowers
So, here’s our favorite 80% lowers, in no particular order. These are companies that either we’ve tested, our that have a strong reputation online with other outlets that we also trust.
Tactical Machining
Tactical Machining is one of the big dogs when it comes to 80% lowers. They make awesome AR-15 80%ers, as well as 1911 80% lowers, plus 10/22 80% lowers and even some .308 lowers.
They also make regular finished lowers that require an FFL like a normal firearm purchase. These guys are on the shortlist for my first 80% build, and I’m excited to give them a try because I’ve heard good things about them from actual machinists who’ve made their own lowers.
Tactical machining 80% lower
Unlike a lot of places, they also seem to have an easier time actually keeping products in stock, and you will probably have an easier time getting a hold of what you want.
What’s more, they also have a number of 80% lower jigs that are perfect for putting together your build. Trying to drill these things freehand is going to result in scratched and damaged uppers, and probably a great deal of swearing.
I also suspect, but have been unable to confirm, that they make some of the AR parts kits that get branded and sold with other brand names. That said, you can also get parts kits from them.
But, we’re here to talk about their lowers.
Personally, I’m not a fan of polymer lowers. It’s a really stupid hangup I have that’s in no way founded off anything rational. I own Glocks and other polymer-framed guns…but no polymer framed ARs. Maybe one day I’ll change that.
If I do, it’ll almost definitely be a James Madison Tactical lower. I’ve heard nothing but good things from these guys, and I know several 3-Gun and Precision AR shooters that use these lowers. I’ve shot some of those guns, and even competed with one, and I have nothing but nice things to say about it.
Their manufacturing process is also really cool. They use their own polymer-fiber blend with special care taken at common stress points to build a really cool, lightweight lower that is corrosion resistant far beyond what you’ll get with a metal lower.
With a metal lower, you scratch your finish, you immediately have to start worrying about moisture on those parts because you’ll get rust if you’re not careful.
Not so with a polymer lower. You’ll also not have super visible scratch marks on your lower if you beat it up going through the woods or knocking it around at competition.
Anderson Manufacturing
Anderson Manufacturing is one of the big juggernauts of AR part manufacturers, and they bring that wealth of experience to their lowers. With these lowers, you’re buying from people who’ve been making AR parts of years, and who sell ridiculous numbers of the things.
Anderson Arms AR Lower
There’s a certain comfort in buying from an established, reliable company. You also get the advantage of availability that smaller shops just can’t give you. Anderson lowers are available all over the place, and chances are you can find them at a local gun shop, though “local” may be a relative term.
Personally, I’ve built two ARs off Anderson completed lowers, so I can attest to the quality. These things are rock solid, and in the case of my first competition gun, have been through hell and back with no issues.
If you get one of their 80%ers, and you do your part with the machining, I have no doubt that you’ll end up with a reliable, well-done product.
Anderson also has a variety of finishes and designs available so you can be sure you’re getting exactly what you want, which is again something you might not be able to find at a smaller outfit.
All in all, if you want a straightforward experience with a manufacturer that has a wealth of resources and a large market presence, Anderson might very well be the best option for you.
Polymer80
Polymer80 is the other contender for my first polymer lower, especially if I decide to go the 80% route. These guys and gals specialize in polymer 80% lowers…hence the name.
They also have a freakin’ ton of cool colors available which is perfect if you like to personalize your builds a bit more.
For me, I like building AR’s not just to shoot, but also for the mechanical challenge that comes with this type of thing. Its really fun to take a box of parts and turn it into a working rifle that you can hunt, compete, and even defend yourself with if need be.
The cool thing about Polymer80 lowers, beside the awesome colors, is the jig sets you can get with them.
Pretty colors!
For $80, you can get a lower, the bits you need, and the jig to guide you…basically everything but you need except for the drill.
That, plus a solid afternoon of work will give you a finished AR lower of your very own. I particularly like the idea of putting together a lower of my very own with this setup.
So much so, that I think I’m going to get one for myself. Now I just have to decide what color I want.
Parting Shots
There you have it folks. These are our favorite 80% lower manufacturers. If you are looking for a truly rewarding AR build experience without having to pay FFL fees, these are the ones to go with as far as I’m concerned.
Ohio State University made a record $3.2 million in royalties and other income in fiscal 2017 from licensing technology developed by its researchers and staff.
That represents a nearly 50 percent increase from five years ago and the largest one-year jump since then.
But unless something drastic changes at other Big Ten schools, Ohio State won’t move up very far in the ranks of the conference’s tech commercialization champs.
In the prior year that ended June 30, 2016, Ohio State’s $2.66 million…
The Atlanta Falcons came to Seattle Monday night and kind of ran over the Seahawks like a bus. But back east, the Falcons’ old stadium, the Georgia Dome, had to contend with a bus of its own.
In a video with comedic timing so perfect it might as well have been shot for “Saturday Night Live,” The Weather Channel suffered the worst possible fate during a live stream Monday afternoon intended to show the destruction of the 71,250-seat stadium.
Positioned a ways away and across a street, the Dome fills the frame of the video and people are lined along a guardrail getting ready to capture the explosions on their own cameras.
“6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …” says a voice over a loud speaker before an initial explosion starts the sequence. And into the frame rolls a MARTA city bus, completely blocking The Weather Channel’s shot of the historic event in the 25-year-old building’s history.
“&*%^! Get out of the way, bus!” shouts a voice from behind the camera, with a couple more bleeps thrown in. “Argh! Man, lady!” the voice says as the driver engages the bus and pulls away, revealing a cloud of smoke where the Dome used to be.
Today on The Weather Channel, cloudy with a chance of F-bombs.
Meanwhile, back in Seattle, the Falcons were having fun scoring early and often against the Seahawks — and scoring points on Twitter at MARTA’s expense.
And it only makes sense to connect that city’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority back to Seattle (where the city blew up its Kingdome back in 2000).
As KING 5 reported a couple years ago, MARTA is the rapid transit system that Seattle should have gotten had its voters not rejected millions of dollars in federal funding nearly 50 years ago.
From the story:
King County voters rejected the regional bonds necessary to fund the rail plan — first in 1968 and then more decisively in 1970 — leaving $900 million in federal funds on the table, or more than $5 billion in 2015 dollars.
That money went to Atlanta, a city that was happy to take what Seattle turned down. With those federal dollars and local matching funds, Atlanta built MARTA— a subway system that carries nearly a quarter million riders every day.
In 2017 Seattle, forget missed field goals for a second. That lost transit dream is enough to make you want to implode.
When GE introduced its latest C-series smart light bulbs, the focus was on affordability — as they talked directly to your phone through Bluetooth, you didn’t need a bridge device. That kept them out of touch of voice assistants, however, which meant replacing the whole lot if you wanted hands-free control. Well, you won’t have to rethink your investment from now on: GE has introduced a hub, the C-Reach, that puts its bulbs on WiFi to enable support for Amazon’s Alexa and (by the end of 2017) Google Assistant. As with most smart lighting kits, you can steer lights individually or in groups just by talking to your phone or a smart speaker.
The C-Reach is available on Amazon right now, although whether or not it makes sense depends on what you buy and when. By itself, the hub costs $50 — your once-thrifty lighting setup could suddenly cost about as much as its peers. Things get better if you’re starting fresh. A kit with a hub and two basic C-Life bulbs (which only do white light) will sell for $65, or $50 if you buy on Cyber Monday. A bundle with color temperature-shifting C-Sleep bulbs sells for $85, or $65 on Cyber Monday. If you don’t need more advanced bulbs from a system like Philips’ Hue, this might represent a bargain.