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The Civilian Marksmanship Program has long been a governing body in the arena of shooting competitions around the country. For some, the National Matches at Camp Perry seem like a mythical fantasy land where famous marksmen made history, surely not … Read More
The post Getting Started in CMP Competition Shooting – Part 1 appeared first on The Truth About Guns.
via The Truth About Guns
Getting Started in CMP Competition Shooting – Part 1
For many, many years interstate inmate calling service (ICS) companies have charged inmates and their families upwards of $14 per minute for phone calls. Because these folks are in prison, and as we all know everybody in prison is guilty, drumming up sympathy to convert into political momentum had proven difficult. But after decades of activism the FCC intervened last year, voting to cap the amount companies can charge the incarcerated. According to the FCC’s updated rules, ICS companies can no longer charge more than twenty-two cents per minute — depending on the size of the prison. Caps were also placed on the fees companies could charge those trying to pay these already bloated bills.
The companies profiting off of ripping off the incarcerated have unsurprisingly been fighting the FCC’s proposal tooth and nail in the courts. Global Tel*Link (GTL) and Securus Technologies managed to win a partial stay earlier this month (pdf) that put the FCC’s per minute price caps on hold until a lawsuit against the FCC is decided. FCC lawyers have argued (pdf) the stay still lets them apply older (2013) interim price caps on interstate calls to intrastate calls until the case is settled.
In response, Securus Technologies CEO Richard Smith filed an emergency motion in federal appeals court last week (pdf) in which he tried to basically claim that if the FCC moves to prevent inmates from getting ripped off, prisoners will riot:
"This chaos and confusion about what is the correct intrastate calling rate—and the only answer is that there is no federally mandated intrastate calling rate after the Court’s March 7 Order which stayed all new rates—will carry over into correctional facilities themselves. Inmates will be angry if they believe that Securus is charging the wrong rates. There could be damage to Securus phones and equipment, as well as a threat to overall security and corrections personnel including inmates within the facilities. Having been in this industry for eight years, I have experience with jail unrest and I know that issues with the phones can trigger it."
In other words, if inmates that have been ripped off for decades suddenly believe they’ll be facing lower rates — and Securus keeps charging the higher rates — they’ll riot. While it’s incredibly sweet of the company to be so concerned with prisoner safety, it’s odd that Securus wasn’t all that concerned with inmates rioting earlier, given these companies have been charging Mercedes prices for what’s arguably a Yugo-grade product for the better part of a generation.
Keep in mind that voice services these days cost very little to actually provide. Also keep in mind that Securus and other such companies are part of a dangerously cozy and captive market, where prisons get paid upwards of $460 million annually in "concession fees" (read: kickbacks) to score exclusive, lucrative prison contracts. As a result, the service pricing and quality are just about what you’d expect. And as a hack of Securus late last year revealed, these contracts appear to involve helping government record potentially privileged attorney client conversations (Securus just settled a 2014 Texas case claiming precisely this).
So again, ripping off consumers for years? Ok. Working in concert with government to record privileged communications? Fine. Croynistic, monopoly control over a (literally) captive audience resulting in abysmal service? Sure! Trying to prevent inmate families from having to take out a second mortgage to speak to their loved ones? Inevitable riots, safety first!
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via Techdirt.
Prison Telco Claims Prisoners Will Riot If Company Can’t Keep Overcharging Inmate Families
When’s the right time to teach a child how to use a knife, how do you do it safely, and what type of knife is best to start?
via Gear Junkie
Kids & Knives: Teaching The Primary Outdoors Tool
If you’ve ever wanted to build a structure or shelter with nothing but some branches and some rope, this video will show you how.
In this lesson from the ITS Tactical YouTube channel, you’ll learn the basics of constructing a weight bearing structure using the super strong square lashing knot. Start by tying a clove hitch to the top spar (your branch or wooden pole). Then lay your top spar on top of your bottom spar so they’re perpendicular. After weaving your rope around both poles in three passes or so (you can see how in the video), you’ll do a frapping turn around the rope that’s in between and connecting the two spars. This tightens the rope and keeps the two spars from slipping. Once you’ve done a few frapping turns, you finish the knot off with another clove hitch on the same spar you started on (though a constrictor knot may be just as effective here). They use paracord in this demonstration, but it’s just for show. Make sure you use real fiber rope or sisal rope when you want to actually construct something out in the field.
Knot of the Week Video: Build a Weight Bearing Structure with the Square Lashing | ITS Tactical
via Lifehacker
Learn How to Build Weight Bearing Structures With the Square Lashing Knot
There’s no such thing as useless knowledge—only knowledge that relies on very specific situations. Which is why, in the event of a horrible Mad Max future, you might want to learn how to make a bow and arrow using no modern tools whatsoever.
Sure, making weaponry with access to a bandsaw, a lather, or hell, even some chisels would be orders of magnitude easier. And there’s no reason to assume in a semi-apocalyptic event that any of those things would disappear (maybe electricity, but hey—chisels). The point is, Primitive Technology is really good at what he does and it’s impressive to see someone make stuff the way your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents might have.
As a bonus he shows how to put fletching on arrows, and make a small quiver to hold them. Hopefully, the deer and birds of our shithole future won’t be too irradiated to eat.
via Gizmodo
Making a Bow and Arrow Without Any Tools Is Damned Impressive
Warning: This video shows a bear in the process of killing a deer. Some will find this disturbing to watch (and to hear). This short video shows a brown bear latched onto a deer, killing it. Naturally, the deer protests — its bleating is loud and accusatory. The deer looks at the guy recording its[…..]
The post Video: Bear Killing a Deer in Residential Neighborhood appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
via AllOutdoor.com
Video: Bear Killing a Deer in Residential Neighborhood
What winter lull?
Central Ohio’s housing market continued building on a record-setting start to the year, with 1,610 homes sold last month – an all-time high for February.
Sales of homes and condos grew 6 percent from January and were up 5 percent compared with a year ago, according to a monthly report from Columbus Realtors.
“Spring isn’t on its way – it’s here,” Columbus Realtors President John Royer said in a press release. “Spring is when the housing market traditionally heats…
via Columbus Business News – Local Columbus News | Business First of Columbus
Central Ohio home sales break another record in February
Yesterday, we asked you what your favorite single panels in comics were. The results gave us some of the best laughs we’ve seen in a long time. So, here are the 30 funniest panels, courtesy of io9 readers and staff.
1) Hawkeye is my contribution:
2) From Rob Bricken’s files:
3) James Whitbrook’s newest favorite:
5) crews200 put in another classic:
6) Another one we all love came from Shockrates:
7) Greatest sweater of all time via zombie711:
8) From Brian Burns an example of how language has changed slightly over time:
9) From Epifante’s fingers to our eyes:
10) Via Psybab:
11) Wolfe’s contribution:
12) Via Osymandus:
13) Something we’re hoping to see in Civil War, no doubt (via Darklighter):
14) Poor gigantic Doom. (via Manhack Man):
15) Speaking of Doom (via Deadp00l):
16) Via sigma7:
17) Technically true, Eccentric_Circle:
18) Continuing a zombie theme (via blockedpunch):
19) Monkat:
20) Via JimKakalios:
21) From Kyle R.:
22) From Veit:
23) NOPE. (Via trueogre):
24) From LordRae comes the joke, “What is Xavier’s weakness?”:
25) A classic from Exploriens:
26) Let’s say it’s just the last panel for this to count. (Eddie):
27) Will Holz with one of the shockingly few Deadpool submissions:
28.)Gotta love red Batman. (via Exploriens):
29) Boners again. (via Steve Climaco):
30) And finally, technically this is two panels, but still great. (via Jman401513):
via Gizmodo
The 30 Funniest Single Panels in Comic Book History
Every discussion about standing desks today is an argument over whether they’re healthier than sitting all day, or whether those health benefits are bullshit. None of that is important to me. What is, however, is that my standing desk made me more productive, more creative, and overall more active. That’s all I want from it.
For me, sitting flips a switch in my brain that tells me it’s time to rest. Standing, however, does the opposite. When I stand while I work, the stuff that usually only engages my brain and hands becomes work that engages my entire body. Doing the simple things, like typing, reading, and clicking links requires effort from my entire body. I have to hold myself up no matter how simple the task at hand. If it sounds exhausting, it kind of is. But that’s a good thing. Just the physical nature of standing while I do my work combines with the mental energy I bring to the table, and it just makes everything feel important. It adds some momentum and urgency to my day. That urgency helps me concentrate and focus.
By standing, I’m telling my brain that I have shit to do and I can’t rest until it’s done. Everything matters just a little more, and instead of opening a tab to laze around on Facebook, I actually work faster. Not in a sloppy way, but in a “I’m totally absorbed in what I’m doing” way. I get in the zone quicker, and stay in it longer. I shun distractions and stay productive because I know that getting work done means I can rest sooner. With a standing desk, my own inherent laziness makes me more productive.
That urgency I feel when I work at a standing desk also gets rid of slow, lazy starts to my workday. Before I started using a standing desk, I would sit down at my computer in the morning, convince myself I had started “working,” and waste time easing into the real meat of my day. I was like a machine that was slowly starting to warm up. The gears would turn, the belts would spin, and after an hour or so the machine would finally start running at full power. Some people might like that kind of slow, luxurious start to the day, but for me, it was a waste of time and energy.
Standing forced me to start working right out of the gate. That morning, “well I should probably get something done” grogginess dissipates faster, and I can’t get too comfortable because if I do, well, I’ll fall down. This revelation was a game-changer for me. Now, I turn on my computer and dive right in because my body is telling me it’s time to work, not time to read Kotaku. I still take regular breaks throughout the day to give both my mind and body a rest, but I have more control over when those happen now. My mornings jump start into productivity and my breaks only come when I actually need them.
Food comas are awesome (I indulge in that lazy, full feeling as often as I can), but not when I’m trying to be productive. The sleepy fog that comes from eating too much or totally binging on carbs for lunch can completely waste your afternoon. Standing desks fight that off, and for me, help me get back into the groove faster after eating.
Every day, I get as much work done in the morning as I can, then eat a meal that’s a combination of late breakfast and early lunch (I refuse to say I eat brunch every day). I used to sit at my desk, eat, and maybe watch Netflix to take a break, but a few bites later and I’d be full, sleepy, and in no condition to get back into the swing of things. Once I started standing, I actually get away from my desk to eat and take a well-earned rest sitting at my dining room table. When it’s time to get back to work, standing gets me back into “work mode.” I stay alert, and the food I ate feels more like fuel and not weight that’s bogging me down.
Obviously, standing all day is a little more active than sitting all day, but standing also makes we want to be more active. Whether you stand or sit, moving and being active is what keeps you healthy. With my standing desk, I’m more inclined to pace around my apartment while I think, hop on my stationary bicycle for a quick session, keep some dumbbells next to my desk to lift, go for a walk outside when I need to take a break (what’s that bright yellow thing that burns my skin?), and even dance around like an idiot to my music. My Fitbit tells me my daily steps have skyrocketed since I started using a standing desk. Step counts aren’t the same thing as good health, per se, but I can feel a difference too. It’s amazing how big of a mental barrier getting up on your feet really is. Instead of “I have to get up and go do that,” it’s “well I’m already up, so why not?”
Even better, all the extra activity helps me concentrate and think creatively. Sure, exercise, pacing, and dancing are all distractions from the work I have to do, but they’re the good kind: The kind that give my mind a moment to recharge, reset, and get back into what I’m doing without completely pulling my head out of the zone. The effect is similar to having a great idea pop into your head while you jog, or while you’re in the shower. One minute I’m dancing, the next I’m scribbling like a madman because I finally figured out how I want to write something.
Make no mistake, sitting is still super important when you have a standing desk. You need to give your legs (especially your knees) a break every once in awhile. But that’s the beauty of a standing desk; it gives sitting purpose. Sitting goes from being the norm to being what it should be: a break.
Rest is just as vital for productivity as work is, and now sitting fills that role for me. Sitting has become a tool. Before, my bouts of escapism would fill me with guilt because I’d go from sitting all day at a desk to sitting all night on a couch. Now when I sit down to watch a movie or play a video game, I feel like I’m enjoying a well-earned rest. On top of that, working at a standing desk creates two layers of fatigue, and I find that I’m more inclined to hit the sack at a decent hour. More good sleep translates to more energy for my workday, and that means better productivity all around.
Those two layers of fatigue can be a double-edged sword, however. Standing desks wear me out both physically and mentally, so I’m not up for much after working hours. Going to the gym, standing in a bar with friends, and running errands around town become a lot less appealing when you’ve been on your feet all day. Ask any retail worker, restaurant server, or anyone else that stands all day. That said, if you can strike a good balance of sitting and standing, you’ll end up with more benefits than drawbacks.
Illustration by Angelica Alzona.
via Lifehacker
A Standing Desk Makes Me More Productive, Even If It’s Not “Healthier”
The quest for perfect ice is older than mankind, and slightly younger than the quest for perfect whiskey. One of those problems can be solved for you with a stroke of genius.
But why is ice cloudy in the first place? Cocktail Chemistry explains that impurities in water are the last to freeze, and those impurities are what cause ice to look ugly and opaque. The free and painless solution is to use a cooler. Since the insulated sides cause the water to freeze from the top down, the impurities sink to the bottom and you’re left with crystal-clear ice (and some crappy water). The same method works just fine with spherical ice molds as well.
From there, a serrated knife and a small mallet will allowed you to carve the ice into big cubes, small cubes, or spears for highballs. Because if you’re going to have the audacity to charge $15 for an Old Fashioned, at least make sure the ice doesn’t look like it came out of the sewer.
via Gizmodo
The Smart Way to Make Perfectly Clear Cocktail Ice