San Bernardino Shooting Gun Control Response
How is it anyone can look at the facts known about the San Bernardino terrorist attack and come to the conclusion that what we need is another law disarming American citizens?
The post San Bernardino Shooting Gun Control Response appeared first on Bearing Arms.
via Bearing Arms
San Bernardino Shooting Gun Control Response
Unprecedented Image Shows a Dolphin’s Echolocated Impression of a Submerged Human
In a world’s first, researchers from the US and UK have created an impression of a submerged human as recorded by a dolphin’s echolocation.
To do it, a team led by Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com used an imaging system known as a Cymascope. The system, developed by John Stuart Reid (who also assisted with the project), made it possible to record and isolate dolphin echolocation sounds directed onto specific objects, and then create 2D images from those sounds. A computer then converted those images into 3D, which allowed the researchers to 3D-print robust, real-world models.
“We’ve been working on dolphin communication for more than a decade,” noted Kassewitz in a release. “When we discovered that dolphins not exposed to the echolocation experiment could identify objects from recorded dolphin sounds with 92% accuracy, we began to look for a way for to see what was in those sounds.”
(Credit: http://ift.tt/1HRpcSI Laboratory)
For the experiment, a female dolphin named Amaya directed her sonar beams at a submerged diver, while a hydrophone captured the ensuing echos. To avoid added “noise,” the diver, Jim McDonough, swam without a breathing apparatus to make sure no bubbles would adversely affect the results. As Amaya scanned McDonough with her high frequency sound beam, the CymaScope imprinted sonic vibrations within the water medium.
In addition to the diver, the researchers also had Amaya direct her sonar at a flowerpot, a cube, and a plastic “+” symbol.
“We were thrilled by the first successful print of a cube by the brilliant team at 3D Systems,” said Kassewitz. “But seeing the 3D print of a human being left us all speechless. For the first time ever, we may be holding in our hands a glimpse into what cetaceans see with sound. Nearly every experiment is bringing us more images with more detail.”
Looking ahead, the team would like to determine if and how dolphins may be sharing these echolocation images as part of an intra-species sono-pictorial language.
[ SpeakDolphin.com | h/t Discovery News ]
Email the author at george@gizmodo.com and follow him at @dvorsky. Top image by http://ift.tt/1HRpcSI Laboratory
via Gizmodo
Unprecedented Image Shows a Dolphin’s Echolocated Impression of a Submerged Human
As Gun Sales Rise, Gun-Concealing Furniture Designs Proliferate
People cannot agree on gun control laws in America, but one point is not in doubt: Gun sales are on the rise. Following mass shootings, of which we have plenty, firearm manufacturers and retailers confirm that sales increase.
Which begs the question: Is there an attendant increase in the sales of firearm-storing furniture? When we looked at the stuff last year, it certainly seemed to be booming, and these days it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Absent the politics, the furniture itself is fascinating as it poses a unique storage design challenge: End users want the furniture to visually conceal their goods, yet they want lightning-quick access to it. This often means that end users are seeking to integrate gun storage into some very central pieces of furniture—like dining tables:
Or coffee tables:
Or buffets:
Or the couch:
Others feel the bed is the best place for them:
I desperately want to believe this is for storing documents or cash:
For still others, the bathroom (this has got to be a gag):
Or tucked away in dummy ceiling vents:
Or under the stairs:
Or behind mirrors:
Or behind art:
In short, it seems these designers have collectively sought out every square inch of dead space and turned it into usable storage.
A lot of these ideas can, of course, be adapted to hold non-firearm-related items. So whether you’re pro- or anti-gun, perhaps some of these ideas will inspire you in designing your own storage-related pieces.
via Core77
As Gun Sales Rise, Gun-Concealing Furniture Designs Proliferate
67 Photos From Inside Disney’s Secret Star Wars Press Event
About two weeks ago, we got an email inviting us to an event. All it said: it was about Star Wars, and it would take place in Los Angeles.
Where in LA? They’d tell us right before it all went down. What was the actual event? They couldn’t really say, but we’d want to be there. No video allowed for most of it. No geotagging our location in pictures.
I knew it wasn’t a… Read More
via TechCrunch
67 Photos From Inside Disney’s Secret Star Wars Press Event
The Army’s New Shooter Education Videos – “The Shooter’s Corner”
Breaking from a long tradition of providing the most mundane and barely readable Training Manuals, the US Army is getting with the modern times with the release of their new “Shooter’s Corner” videos from the Army Marksmanship Unit. Production value is actually pretty good, especially for a basic training video though I do miss the old […]
The post The Army’s New Shooter Education Videos – “The Shooter’s Corner” appeared first on The Firearm Blog.
via The Firearm Blog
The Army’s New Shooter Education Videos – “The Shooter’s Corner”
What to Expect When You Switch Cell Phone Carriers
Everyone loves to complain about their cell phone carrier. Maybe they have terrible customer service, it costs too much, or they can’t get 4G. But rarely do we bother actually changing carriers because it always seems like a massive pain. Thankfully, the process of switching is a heck of lot easier (and cheaper) than it used to be.
Picking which carrier is best for you is a process in itself, but before you do, it’s worth going over a few details before you make the switch. We’re not going to tell you which carrier to pick here, but I recently (finally) switched away from AT&T, so I figured it was time to share how the experience went. Regardless of who you choose, you’ll always be able to bring over your old phone number at no additional fee (though you may run into hiccups if your new carrier doesn’t have service in your old area code).
Some Cell Phone Carriers Will Buy You Out of Your Contract
If you want to change carriers but your current contract isn’t up, you have to pay an Early Termination Fee (ETF). Depending on where you’re at with your contract and how much of your phone you’ve paid off, this cost can range from a the price of a single bill to hundreds of dollars. (Obviously, if you’re contract is over, you can skip this section entirely.)
So first, figure out how much your ETF will be. The easiest way to do this is to call up your carrier and ask them. Be warned though, when you do, they’ll try to haggle with you to keep you around. Deflect their offers and get your estimated ETF, but don’t cancel your cell phone plan yet.
Next, see how much (if anything) your new carrier will reimburse you for that ETF. This varies from carrier to carrier and changes over time, but here’s what they’re each offering right now:
- Verizon: Verizon won’t buy you out of your old contract, but they do offer a $300 in Verizon credit for trading in your old phone.
- AT&T: AT&T won’t buy you out of your old contract, but they will give you credits for switching. You’ll get a $100 bill credit for switching to AT&T, and you can get an additional $200 in credits if you trade in an eligible phone.
- Sprint: Sprint will pay off your entire old contract and phone payment with an American Express Reward Card. You’ll need to give Sprint both your old phone and sign up for a new contract.
- T-Mobile: T-Mobile pays off your entire old contract and phone payments with a Visa Prepaid Card. You’ll need to turn in your old phone to T-Mobile to get this deal.
Keep in mind though, these deals change a lot, and where a carrier might offer to cover an ETF right now, they might not in the future (and vice versa), so check with your potential new carrier before you do anything. A lot of prepaid carriers, including Ting and Republic Wireless, also often offer similar plans, so if you’re going that route, it’s worth researching their current offers as well.
If your new carrier offers credits for trading in your old phone, it’s typically a pretty simple process. You trade in your old phone when you sign up for a new contract, and after you do, you’ll either get a credit on an upcoming bill or an electronic gift card.
If your new carrier pays off your ETF, the process is slightly more complicated:
- Sign up for a new contract with your new provider.
- They’ll port your phone number over, which will automatically initiate the cancellation process on your contract.
- Within a couple of weeks, you’ll get a copy of your final bill from your old carrier. Pay the bill, and make a copy of the statement. Then, submit the statement, with the ETF clearly marked, to your new carrier.
- Your new carrier will reimburse you the cost of the ETF, minus any extra taxes and fees.
When all is said and done, the reimbursement time can take a few months (it took almost three to get mine, but I didn’t have to deal with any of the phone repayment reimbursement stuff, so I’m not sure how long that tak), so make sure you have the cash to cover the ETF before you go through with it.
Finally, one more financial factor to consider before you switch: you typically pay an activation fee (usually around $15) on your new plan. It’s not a big amount, but it’s still an additional cost you should be prepared for. It’s also worth pointing out that while off-contract phone plans can be pretty awesome, you won’t get the benefit of a contract buy-out when you switch to one, so those plans are most useful to consider when your contract is already up.
You Might Need to Switch Phones (So Back Everything Up)
If you want to bring your old phone along to your new carrier, you’ll need to check on a few things. First and foremost, you’ll need to own your phone. If you’re still paying it off, you’ll need to either pay the rest off in full before you make the switch, or trade it in to your old carrier for a credit or reimbursement.
You also need to make sure your phone will work on your new network. In the U.S., T-Mobile and AT&T are both on the GSM network. Verizon and Sprint are on the CDMA network. This means that AT&T phones will likely work on T-Mobile, but you can’t bring a Verizon phone to T-Mobile or AT&T, or vice versa. Likewise, CDMA often requires that the phone is compatible with their specific network, so even switching from Verizon to Sprint can be complicated.
All this is to say that it’s pretty likely you’ll need to get rid of your old phone. So, before you make the switch, back up your data. If you’re on Android, your Google account already backs up a lot, and this guide will help you with the rest, while iPhone users can either use iCloud or iTunes to create a backup.
Everything Else Is Easy and Automated
While everything above might sound a bit complicated, thankfully the actual process of switching over to a new carrier is easier than you’d expect if you’ve never done it before. Once you sign up for a new contract, your old number is ported over (assuming you want it), and your new cell phone will work immediately. I hadn’t done this since the early ‘00s, so I was pleasantly surprised that the experience was a little less janky than it was before, and didn’t require any effort on my part whatsoever. If you do want to keep your number, make sure you don’t cancel your old plan until you make the switch to your new carrier.
Beyond that, you’ll simply need to set up your new phone (we’ve got guides for both Android and iPhone, if you’re new to either), and you’ll be well on your way to forgetting that your old carrier even exists. While you’re setting all that up, make sure you check out some of the hidden bonuses that come with your new plan to make sure you get the most from your new carrier.
Illustration by Fruzsina Kuhári.
via Lifehacker
What to Expect When You Switch Cell Phone Carriers
223 Remington/ 5.56mm NATO barrel length and velocity: 26 inches to 6 inches
Have you ever wondered how much barrel length effects muzzle velocity on your rifle? Well I did, so I cut up rifles chambered in 223 Remington, 308 Winchester, 7 mm Remington Magnum and 300 Winchester Magnum to gather empirical data. The purpose of this post is …
via Rifleshooter.com
223 Remington/ 5.56mm NATO barrel length and velocity: 26 inches to 6 inches
Waterjet Cutting
An incredible demonstration of the power of water, as this high pressure cutter slices cleanly through metal like a hot knife through butter. The 5-axis Kimla Streamcut can slice smooth and precise parts from a wide variety of materials, from foams to ceramics and stone.
via The Awesomer
Waterjet Cutting
We Still Don’t Know What Causes That Knuckle Cracking Sound
Snap, crackle, pop: the sound of cracking knuckles is familiar to everyone, but scientists are having a hell of a time figuring out what causes it. A new ultrasound imaging study offers additional clues, but no definitive answers.
The GIF above was created from ultrasound footage collected in a first-of-its-kind knuckle cracking study led by radiology professor Robert Boutin of the University of California, Davis. Boutin’s team imaged the hands of 40 subjects as they pulled their knuckles a total of 400 times (62 of those pulls resulted in cracks). Turns out, the sound of a person cracking his or her knuckles is often accompanied by a bright flash at the knuckle base, a region doctors refer to as the metacarpophalangeal joint (try saying that one five times fast).
At a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago this week, Boutin and his team argued that these metacarpal “fireworks” are related to the formation of gas bubbles—but whether and how those bubbles are connected to the crackles we hear is not yet clear.
Believe it or not, scientists have been trying to figure out what happens when joints crack since the 1940s. Two leading explanations for the pops we hear: one, that they’re caused by the formation of gas bubbles due to decreased pressure around the joints, and two, that cracking your knuckles actually causes tiny gas bubbles to burst. Over the years, scientific studies have accumulated evidence in support of both theories—bubble forming and bubble bursting—and to this day, the debate continues to rage.
The latest imaging results seem to lend evidence to the bubble forming theory. “We’re confident that the cracking sound and bright flash on ultrasound are related to the dynamic changes in pressure associated with a gas bubble [forming] in the joint,” Boutin said in a statement. However: based on the timing of the flash and cracking sound, it isn’t clear whether one causes the other. More work is needed to assess the relationship between bubble formation and audible knuckle pops, Boutin says.
In the meanwhile, next time you crack your knuckles, take an extra moment to appreciate the tiny fireworks you’ve just set off, and the fact that many brilliant minds are attempting to figure out what in the heck is causing that popping noise.
Follow the author @themadstone
via Gizmodo
We Still Don’t Know What Causes That Knuckle Cracking Sound