January 31, 2003
Quote of the day
To be matter of fact about the world is to blunder into fantasy - and dull fantasy at that - as the real world is strange and wonderful.
January 30, 2003
Quote of the day
History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.
Lazarus Long
Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein
January 29, 2003
Have I ever mentioned that I saw the Challenger explosion... from the air?
Dale Amon posted yesterday on the anniversary of the Challenger explosion, but I just now read his post. I was reminded of a personal experience I had 17 years ago. I was on a training flight over central Florida that day. I felt compelled to write about my experience in a follow-up comment to the blog entry; I'm reprinting it here, below:
I have an entry in my pilot's logbook for a training flight I took that day in a Cessna C150 from an airport on Florida's Gulf coast (Crystal River, designated X31).
The CFI, retired Navy Capt. Tom E. Davis, was PIC on that flight (I'd not yet soloed). I was student, left seat.
It was a beautiful clear day, and I was sweating it out "under the hood" doing power-on departure stall simulations, power-off approach stall simulations, and other exhausting maneuvers.
Capt. Davis at one point told me to take off the hood and relax. We'd done our maneuvering inland, toward central Florida, away from Crystal River.
Capt. Davis had taken the controls and set us up for a gradual cruise climb, without explanation. I remember seeing a pillar of white smoke ahead, far in the distance but distinct - you can see clear across the state, especially as we were passing through 4300 feet at that moment - followed by more than one twisting trail of smoke...
I didn't know what I was seeing. I'd seen a Shuttle launch once before, from the ground in Orlando, but didn't make the connection. Capt. Davis at that point immediately turned the plane around and put it into a descent for Crystal River, without explanation, and with a look that told me he didn't want to talk. I didn't try. On arrival in the standard traffic pattern (it was an uncontrolled field), he gave a curt advisory to airport traffic, then took the plane in for a straight-in landing.
We taxied to the FBO, him still silent, then stopped the plane. He said nothing, walking grimly into the FBO, where we were greeted with what for me was the first truly jarring sight of the day, one I finally understood: a room full of crying pilots sitting in front of a television.
At that point I understood what I'd seen.
I haven't told this story to many people, and never publicly. Now I've done both.
I don't believe in God, and I can't say "Rest In Peace" for their souls. Their employer killed them through a confluence of negligence and politics. This memory is still raw for me, and I don't expect it to soften with time.
Thank you, Ronald Weiss!
I've been away all day, and just now gotten back home to find that someone made a PayPal donation to this site! I've had the "Donate" button up on this site for the couple of months I've had this site up, but had never actively solicited funds. Heck, I'd forgotten I had the thing up, truth be told. So it was with genuinely happy surprise to see email from PayPal letting me know that Ronald Weiss had donated about the equivalent of a magazine subscription's worth of funds along with the notation, "As I said before I like your site and the content."
The comment alone was greatly appreciated, and the donation itself was an "it really made my day" kind of thing. Again, thanks Ronald!
In light of last night's State of the Union speech
I watched last night's State of the Union speech. I have opinions, of course, but more than anything else, I found myself asking, "How many people listening to this speech have ever read this very short, unambiguous document?
Very few, apparently.
Quote of the day
The inertia of the human mind and its resistance to innovation are most clearly demonstrated not, as one might suspect, by the ignorant mass - which is easily swayed once its imagination is caught - but by professionals with a vested interest in tradition and in the monopoly of learning. Innovation is a two-fold threat to academic mediocrities; it endangers their oracular authority, and it evokes the deeper fear that their whole laboriously constructed intellectual edifice may collapse.
Arthur Koestler
The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe
January 28, 2003
January 27, 2003
Quote of the day
Thanks to Daniel Ust, a subscriber to one of my mailing lists, for forwarding the following to that list. - Ed.
"Naturally, the common people don't want war, neither in Russia, nor England, nor for that matter Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is leaders of the country who determine the policy; and it is always a simple matter to drag people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."
Hermann Goering at the 1946 Nuremburg Trials
January 26, 2003
Quote of the day
Civilized people are taught by logic, barbarians by necessity, communities by tradition; and the lesson is inculcated even in the wild beasts by nature itself. They learn that they have to defend their own bodies and persons and lives from violence of any and every kind by all means within their power.
Cicero
January 25, 2003
"Target Switzerland" talk transcript by Dr. Stephen Halbrook
I'd asked a few days ago in a thread on Packing.org, "Swiss & Guns", for an attribution on an assertion that in WWII, Swiss colonels had taken a pact to kill any general who dared "surrender" their country to the Germans. The poster, Brian J. Heanue, responded with email pointing to a talk given by author Stephen Halbrook on a 1998 book-signing tour for Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality in World War II. Thanks Brian!
Winter Survival Course, 1-2 March 2003, near Bear Valley, California
The following was sent to me by Ken Lux, a northern California teacher in the Bujinkan martial arts. Priority for attendance goes to Bujinkan students, but remaining training slots can be filled with non-practicioners.
I've trained with Rob Chang on a rappelling and climbing course, and can attest to his excellent skills and teaching ability. I highly recommend him.
"If you've ever wanted to find out what it takes to survive overnight out in the elements, here's your chance...
We will be exposed to all aspects of winter survival and will customize the training to meet the participants' interests. All levels are welcome.
WHEN: March 1 & 2, 2003
WHERE: Near Bear Valley (centrally located to Sacramento, Stockton and the Bay Area)
COST:$100.00, plus food and rental gear as needed.
We will have at least one planning/instructional meeting before the event to familiarize everyone with the training and activities.
About the instructor:
Robert Chang is a world-class rock and ice climbing expert and owns and operates a consulting service. With over 15 years of climbing and instructing experience, he has climbed mountains all over the world including Mt. Everest and Ama Dablam. His experience and accolades are many. Some of the companies that he has trained include Alza, Arthur Andersen, Inventa, Gateway Computers, Verde Multimedia and Cisco. He has a standing contract with the NHL San Jose Sharks and has been the Compaq Center's senior stunt coordinator for the San Jose Sharks mascot since 1993. He has climbed and/or trained with Army Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Air Force Pararescue Jumpers.
Robert holds a Bachelors Degree in Administration of Justice with a focus in management and had special focuses in Outdoor Recreation Instruction and Child Development.
Here are some of the details on the Winter Survival Course.
Course info:
A. Pre-trip Meeting (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)
1. Training Goals and Trip Overview
2. Environmental and Terrain Hazards and Considerations
3. Equipment Selection
4. Physical fitness and mental preparation
5. Suggested/required readings
B. Field Trip Outline (2 days, 1 night in the field)
Day One
1. Equipment Prep
2. Snow shoeing and terrain navigation
3. Camp/bivouac selection
4. Camp/latrine/cook areas designation
5. Snow shelters
6. Winter survival-snow camping/food and water source preparation
7. Avalanche awareness
7. Basic mountaineering principles
Day Two
1. Ice axe and crampon usage
2. Winter environment camouflage
A general overview of assessment and treatment of cold injuries such as hypothermia, frostbite and Acute Mountain Sickness will be addressed.
We will meet for pre-trip planning/logistics Wednesday, February 12, 2003. This will prepare people for the trip and for the kinds of gear that will be needed...
For anyone who does not feel comfortable camping in the snow, there is lodging available for an extra cost. This will allow participants to attend the training, but have some of the conveniences of home.
The seminar will be taught with a continual hands-on learning element which includes a high emphasis on personal and group safety.
In order to book the instructor, pre-registration is necessary.
If you would like to attend, please send a non-refundable $50.00 deposit. (The balance will be due at the pre-meeting, Wednesday, February 12, 2003). Include your name and email so Rob (the instructor) can forward you the
class/confirmation specifics.
Please make checks payable to "2003 ITLEE" and mail the check to:
Rob Chang
985 Capitola Way
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Phone: (408) 984-8008
If you have any question regarding the class, registration or lodging, please contact Rob Chang."
Quote of the day
Oppressors can tyrannize only when they can achieve a standing, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.
James Madison
January 24, 2003
Quote of the day
Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a free man, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.
George Washington
January 23, 2003
Please show your support for Ronald Dixon
I first heard about this two days ago on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, then again last night, at which time I was shocked to see left-liberal co-host Alan Colmes express exactly as much outrage as Sean Hannity that an innocent, honorable American was being railroaded by the New York judicial system. I was frustrated to see no online material yet indexed on Google - or archived on Fox News' website, for that matter - until today, when the hosts of the same show, in a continued show of solidarity, had Ronald Dixon and his attorney (who's working pro bono) Andrew Friedman on the show to speak for themselves:
...and one man who used a gun to protect his family from an intruder in his own home could face time behind bars for it. We’ll have the story from Ronald Dixon who shot the intruder with [an] unregistered handgun and Andrew Friedman, Dixon's attorney…
It was truly amazing to me to see Alan Colmes enthusiastically expressing support for a legal defense fund on Dixon's behalf. I was delighted too to see Greta Van Susteren, whose show follows Hannity & Colmes, come on the air and express her unabashed support for Dixon.
For those of you who hadn't heard, 27 year-old network engineer Ronald Dixon recently defended his family from a despicable scumbag, 40 year-old Ivan Thompson, who has a 14-page rap sheet for burglary and larceny according to the New York Daily News. He did exactly the right thing under the circumstances. In a rational world, he would be hailed as a hero. As things stand, however, he's being tried for possession of an illegal handgun. He'd just moved from Florida, where he'd legally purchased the firearm, and was in the process of dealing with the onerous Brooklyn paperwork, when he was faced with the decision to use that pistol in defense of his family.
This situation is utterly morally repugnant. As Rachel Lucas notes:
In other words, if Mr. Dixon had simply filled out the appropriate Big Brother paperwork, there would be no problem here. It has nothing to do with the facts of this particular case - other than the absence of the necessary state-approved piece of paper.
A large number of us are taking Rachel's advice to contact the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney:
Some readers here have already contacted the Brooklyn D.A.'s office about this, which I think is a fantastic idea. You can write or call D.A. Hynes and tell him you think it is wrong and tragic that he insists on prosecuting Mr. Dixon. Remember, it is very important that you be polite, civil, and professional.
Here's the contact information for the DA:
Charles J. Hynes
Kings County District Attorney's Office
350 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 250-2300
Do your part and call. Dixon's fight is our fight.
Do you want your cheap, transferable hi-cap magazines back?
Do you want your so-called "hi-capacity" (i.e. "uncrippled") magazines back, without having to pay $150 each, and without worry about having that nasty, insulting little "Law Enforcement Only" stamp in the plastic? The latter cost exactly the same as the 10-rounders the rest of us have been forced to use: $15 mailorder for a Glock mag.
Well, you're going to have to work very hard over the next two years to prevent the victim disarmament crowd from extending the ban, which otherwise would sunset in September 2004! Gun Owners of America has this to say about the issue this month:
In 2003, gun owners should expect to see gun grabbers rallying to stop the semi-auto gun ban from expiring. The gun ban, which includes a prohibition on magazines containing more than 10 rounds, is scheduled to sunset in September of next year. GOA will be fighting hard to make sure this Second Amendment infringement goes the way of Prohibition.
It's up to you. Inaction guarantees they'll continue to get their way, because most Republican congressmen are craven, gutless cowards who will need to be dragged kicking and screaming into not giving away our rights.
Quote of the day
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
Thomas Jefferson
January 22, 2003
"Two-Buck Chuck": Tough times mean cheap wines
A CNN story popularizes what some friends of mine and I have known for weeks (we've already got ours: cases of ours): Trader Joe's "Charles Shaw" wines are a fantastic bargain at $1.99/bottle. After trying a bottle of everything - disliking only the Cabernet - I picked up a few cases of their Merlot, which is a great table wine.
My other blog
Following Brian Micklethwait's suggestions on the issue of keeping focus on a blog's material - people don't frequent "all the stuff I'm interested in" blogs much - I've started another blog on an entirely separate set of passions, Asian language learning and related software engineering issues: Asia Pacific Information Systems.
Both blogs will continue to be updated regularly. I even have contributors - people who aren't me - for both blogs, such as Dr. Ken Lunde, who contributes to both.
Three gun-related resources from Ken Lunde
Dr. Ken Lunde has sent me the following to share with readers:
Very nicely done; thanks! I'm not a SIG or Walther owner myself, but I like the job that Ken has done with the wallpapers page, and do appreciate the inclusion of the Glock 20 and the Glock 33.
Quote of the day
The welfare of the people has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.
Albert Camus
January 21, 2003
January 20, 2003
"Doing Freedom": wish I'd seen this site earlier
Daniel J. Boone writes about a site I wish I'd paid attention to earlier: Doing Freedom. Talk about some controversial articles: take "Improvised Claymores" as a good example!
A Comanche speaks out on warriors & weapons
A reader, David A. Yeagley, left a comment on my piece on homeschooled Ye Bin Mok. I've been checking out his site, and see a large number of very interesting articles on a surprising variety of topics (aren't people fascinating?), including one on warriors & weapons and one with related points in the context of Yeagley's meeting with Chief Russell Means.
In the Warriors & Weapons article, he notes:
In modern America, women seem to have turned against their own men over the gun issue, judging by the polls and the Million Mom March.Indian women have a different mindset. It was the women who taught Comanche boys how to use their weapons. Long before anyone ever heard of Xena the Warrior Princess, a woman called the “adiva,” or governess ran the Comanche training camps.
Americans nowadays seem to be forgetting what it means to be a warrior. They don’t value preparedness. They think the government will always be there to defend them from enemies and criminals.
And the Russell Means article:
But I cannot follow a man who denies the warrior traditions of my Comanche people. Those traditions are real. They were passed down to me by my ancestors. No amount of New Age psychobabble about matriarchy, tolerance and multiculturalism can erase them.An Indian leader must draw from the traditions of his ancestors – not from the New Age doctrines of white feminists, crystal gazers, therapists and channelers, obsessed with their private fantasies of noble but peaceful savages.
I recommend checking out BadEagle's website. Lots of good reading there.
Quote of the day
A great deal of the universe does not need any explanation. Elephants, for instance. Once molecules have learnt to compete and create other molecules in their own image, elephants, and things resembling elephants, will in due course be found roaming through the countryside.
Peter Atkins
January 19, 2003
Ye Bin Mok: more living proof that homeschooled children most decidedly aren't cripples
I watched the 2003 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Dallas last night, and as usual was fascinated with all aspects of the competition - this is one of the few sports I watch - particularly the Senior Women's Free Skate. 22 year-old Michelle Kwan was even more spectacular than ever, placing first as expected and picking up an unprecedented 28th 6.0. She owned the ice that night, and it showed on her face and in her performance.
There were a number of other, notable performances, including that of 6th-place 18 year-old Ye Bin Mok, a Korean immigrant who moved to Los Angeles with her parents around age 9. What really piqued my interest in her was when one of the sports commentators mentioned in passing, "she's being home schooled". This was one of the last things in the world I expected to hear from a commentator, my mind being on the performance, so I did the metaphorical jaw-drop and made a note to check up on this assertion later.
True to the commentator's word, her USFSA bio page confirms her non-traditional status, with her school listed as "Laurel Springs Independent Study", which has quite an interesting website.
An interview with Ye Bin shows her to be normal, bright, ambitious (she's UCLA-bound), and apparently well-socialized in the sense of being able to relate to other human beings, adding yet another piece of data contrary to the erroneous assertions of the government-school pushers, many of whose inmates turn out to be righteous little loser sociopaths, which Ms. Mok most evidently is not.
I wish her all the best, and hope other homeschoolers use her as one of many solid examples of "it can be done, and furthermore, we can do it much better".
Quote of the day
Some two million foodborne illnesses beset Americans annually, yet not a single case is associated with wild game meat. The hunt is truly a spiritual workout, with the flesh its ultimate reward. And grand flesh it is. You want the ultimate health diet? Go hunting and kill dinner naturally. Each step of the hunt will teach a deep and abiding reverence for the price paid for each meal, and never again will a forkful be taken lightly or for granted. It's not only the best food anywhere, but it is the very best way there is to connect with the reality of nature and the necessity of the harvest.
Ted Nugent
God, Guns, & Rock 'n 'Roll, p124
January 18, 2003
A piece of living history: the Beech 17 Staggerwing still flying
My friend Tom Burroughes visited me earlier this fall in order to attend a 4-day defensive handgun course at Front Sight. Before and after he headed out to the Nevada desert to learn weaponcraft, we spent some time at northern California airfields and aviation museums. I'm a private pilot, and Tom, like me, is a an aviation enthusiast. Tom's the son of a retired RAF navigator, and loves historical aircraft, like this 1937 Beech 17 Staggerwing:
This is one of the classiest aircraft ever produced, and silent testimony to an era before the liability explosion which brought Wichita to its knees.
Thanks to the circulation department at the Morgan Hill Times, which ran this photograph on its front page 8 October 2002, and recently provided me a print from their "Wings of History" feature, which predates by 2 months their online presence.
WendyMcElroy.com: Individualist Feminism and Individualist Anarchism
I've long respected Wendy McElroy, and have found her blog. She makes the uncommon distinction of labling herself "an individualist feminist, not a gender feminist", and is a well-respected independent scholar.
Quote of the day
A policeman's job is only easy in a police state.
Ramon Miguel Vargas, played by Charlton Heston
Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, 1958
January 17, 2003
Dale Seago Guns 'N Blades Seminar, Stockton California, 8 Feb 2003
This will be the first seminar of this type I've seen by Dale, and as usual, a bargain at $40; also to be included (but not limited to):
Dale will also be conducting a blade sharpening workshop as well as displaying some of his prized custom blades. Everyone is welcome and there is no participation limit. There will be an evening dinner for those who are able to attend.
Hope to see some of you there.
Quote of the day
If a message is not compatible with an individual's values, he always has the power to reject it. Parents obviously have a role, through implicit and explicit moral instruction, in shaping those values. If they do their job right, their children will learn to be skeptical about what they see and hear -- including alarmist claims about their own vulnerability to bad influences.
Jacob Sullum
January 16, 2003
The Bill of Rights... in Japanese
Thanks to Geeks with Guns for a pointer to the Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership archival of several translated versions of America's Bill of Rights. I'm particularly pleased with what I can read of the Japanese version. The wording of the 2nd Amendment is a very close fit to that of the original.
10 years of Japanese study are paying off for me; speaking of which, looks like I need to go do the homework for that class... that's a major reason you're not seeing much blogging from me the last couple of weeks, since I'm back studying intermediate Mandarin and advanced Japanese.
The JPFO has a simplified character Chinese version of the Bill of Rights up on the site. Anyone care to take a crack at a traditional character version for the Taiwan and Hong Kong markets?
REMINDER: Women's Safety Series - The ABC's of Self-Protection, 18 Jan 2003, San Francisco
Teri Seago's women's self defense seminar is this Saturday, two days from now. I strongly recommend this training.
Chicago Boyz
I've just recently discovered yet another useful blog, Chicago Boyz. Think Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, and Thomas Sowell.
January 15, 2003
Quote of the day
Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them... they make things happen.
January 14, 2003
It's just for the insurance money
A Fox News commentator a couple of minutes ago aired an excerpt from a Jay Leno standup monologue, which went something like this: "... lots of fires in Malibu... turns out it's just Governor Gray Davis burning down California for the insurance money..."
Quote of the day
You know, Grady, some people think I'm overprepared, paranoid, maybe even a little crazy... but they never met any Precambrian life forms, did they?
January 13, 2003
"Shenzhou V will be manned" by the world's first... taikonauts
Something to watch: China's next major space news will be the launch of Shenzhou V, which will be manned by 2 "taikonauts".
The Chinese space agency is touting this as the first launch manned with 2 astronauts as the debut manned flight of a primary spacefaring nation (the U.S. and Russia being the other 2). I'm not sure how much to be impressed by that assertion, considering the fact that the Shenzhou series is essentially an old Soyuz design; the accomplishment itself is essentially a "Gemini Lite" flight.
Still, I'll be watching their progress carefully. Maybe I can buy a flight on one of those things someday...
Quote of the day
...human beings are fighters by nature. Living is a tough job; only good fighters can do it. Like it or lump it, this planet is no safe place for any living creature. Living is fighting for life, and when anyone does not know this fact, someone else is doing his fighting for him.
Rose Wilder Lane
The Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority, p60
January 12, 2003
Quigley Down Under, with Tom Selleck, 1990
A couple of months ago, I picked up the 2003 Guns & Ammo Annual for several of its articles, one of which discussed the Quigley Sharps Rifle used by Tom Selleck in the 1990 film "Quigley Down Under". Right after reading the article - my memory being what it sometimes is - I committed the film to my DVD queue on Netflix and promptly forgot about it.
Well, the movie arrived a couple of days ago, and I watched it last night. It's a great flick, and I highly recommend it on several levels. For starters, it's a good, classic western, but with modern thematic elements that don't in any way detract from its Movie-with-a-big-M grandeur. The characterizations are excellent: Tom Selleck's Matt Quigley and Laura San Giacomo's Crazy Cora have superb on-screen chemistry, and Alan Rickman's Elliot Marston is a different take on the English villains he usually plays (by the way, for my Samizdatan friends: "some of my best friends are Englishmen; really...").
What I particularly appreciated was the insistence of actor Selleck - himself an avid shooter and firearms collector - on historical accuracy in the film. In the setup to a particularly amusing and dramatic shooting demonstration Quigley gives to Marston, the former says:
"It's a lever-action breech loader. Usual barrel length is 30 inches. The one has an extra four. It's converted to use a special .45-caliber, 110-grain metal cartridge with a 540-grain paper-patch bullet. Fitted with double set triggers and a Vernier sight. Marked up to 1,200 yards. This one shoots a mite farther..."
Selleck's Quigley is The Perfect Cowboy: rugged, handsome, tough, clever, moral, and unconventional. The "tough" and "clever" parts are evident in his skill as a rifleman, his tactics (which included not only his fieldcraft but the use of his rifle as a jo-like impact weapon in one scene and escape tool in another), and the "moral" part is evident in his immediate, unequivocal, and visceral reaction to Marston's revelation of his real reason for sending for Quigley from the Americas to the Antipodes: to slaughter aborigines at distances the local riflemen couldn't reach.
The film's strong technical accuracy is not its only draw of course, for the reasons above and more, but being the technical guy I am, I notice that on p21 of the Guns & Ammo article is this tidbit from Mike Gibbons of Gibbons Ltd., who supplied prop firearms for the film:
"You never have live ammo on a movie set, so anytime you see a cartridge, you can be sure it's either a dummy round or a blank. For the shooting scenes, .45-70 black-powder blanks were used."
This is particularly interesting to me because in one scene, the camera pulls in for a close-up like the one in the picture in this blog posting. I distinctly saw more than more instance of Quigley experiencing the manly recoil of a full-house .45-110, with the push and the muzzle rise and all that. If there were no live rounds loaded, then that piece of filmmaking could only have been made at the insistence of a conscientious, educated shooting enthusiast like the actor himself. As a shooter, I really appreciate that level of attention to detail.
I'll not reveal more, but I encourage the reader to rent then buy this film.
The value of visiting teachers: "Why is the sky dark at night?"
I remember as a teenager having been deeply affected by journalist-adventurer Rose Wilder Lane's account of the Saracen markets of learning in her classic The Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority.
Few modern readers are familar with the 700-year flowering of knowledge and culture in the "Saracen" lands of north Africa, during the era most school-goers are taught were the "Dark Ages" of Europe. The Dark Ages did indeed occur - though most of what's popularly taught about the subject is pure bunk - but no mention is ever made of the flowering of civilization in the lands south of Europe.
"The refugee scientists in Persia were popular now - respected, admired, listened to. No Authority suppressed them; no police kicked them around. They opened their schools; from Baghdad to Granada, their schools were crowded with students. In two centuries, they were great universities, the world's first universities......These universities had no organization whatsoever... A Saracen university had no program, no curriculum, no departments, no rules, no examinations; it gave no degrees nor diplomas. It was simply an institution of learning. Not of teaching, but of learning. A man, young or old, went to a university to learn what he wanted to know, just as an American goes to a grocery to get the food he wants.
Men who knew (or thought they knew) something, and wanted to teach it, opened a school to sell their knowledge. Sucess depended upon the demand for the knowledge they had. If they prospered, other teachers joined them..."
[pp89-90]
There are still a few people around who "get it" when it comes to thinking clearly about education and learning; Brian Micklethwait is one of them. In his post today, "Why is the Sky Dark at Night?", he recalls the experience of a presentation given by guest lecturer scientist Herman Bondi at his school in the '70's:
Bondi's talk didn't turn me into a scientist, but it did turn me into a lifelong science fan. It taught me that one of the great things about scientists is, not just their enthusiasm to discover obscure things, but their ability also to register amazement at the commonplace. Commonplace facts like the fact of gravity. We all know that "gravity" – or something like it – is a fact. But what is it? What, deep down, does "gravity" – this bizarre tendency of things to fall to the ground for no apparent reason – actually consist of? It takes an Isaac Newton to think like that, at a time when people as a whole tended not to and even to forbid themselves from such thoughts, and to carry on thinking like that until he had an answer that satisfied him.
Brian's commentary is particularly interesting not only in respect of the "love of learning" angle, but from what it says about the natural human tendancy to novelty-seeking - which I consider a defining survival trait of our species - and the psychological value of seeking learning dynamically, supplementing your regular studies with people you'd not otherwise consider:
As I say, the same bloke droning on yet again can sometimes work, but there's nothing quite like a visiting shooting star for lighting up the world. Failing that, if you are that same bloke droning on, at least try to talk sometimes about different stuff from your usual stuff.
Col. Jeff Cooper has said, "The goals of life are three: To understand, to accomplish, to appreciate." It's in this spirit, I think, that Brian says:
Bondi may have inspired some in his audience that day to become practising scientists, but not me. What he did for me was not to tell me anything about how to make money or be more "successful". What he did for me was make the times I already found myself living in more interesting and entertaining and profound and enjoyable
I share these feelings myself, which is a major reason I seek learning with known teachers - continuing with them over committed periods of time - and supplement with the different, the novel, the additionally challenging. All learning is done at the margins of our existing learning - that's how our brains are wired - but the committed dynamist extends that learning by making that extra stretch with the occasional new teacher. By such means do the important parts of ourselves remain young.
Now those were good friends
The History Channel is a serious threat to my overall time management strategy: there's simply too much good, tempting TV there. I almost long for "the days when TV sucked" so that I can re-balance my studies toward more reading.
One of those History Channel shows, "The Cold War: Secret Passage", just finished airing. There were some excellent segments, including the one on the Viet Cong tunnels - lessons from them are being taught now at West Point - but the one that really got me was the story of a group of Berlin university students, represented in the segment by Dominic Ceska ("We were bloody amateurs"), who patiently dug a tunnel 100 meters by hand - they actually filmed some of it! - under the wall from (I found this by Googling) under a house at 60 Westerstrasse on the free side of the wall.
They had intended to free their trapped friend and his family. They did that, but also freed more: 29 in all.
Quote of the day
Why is babbling so important? The infant is like a person who has been given a complicated piece of audio equipment bristling with unlabled knobs and switches but missing the instruction manual. In such situations people resort to what hackers call frobbing - fiddling aimlessly with the controls to see what happens. The infant has been given a set of neural commands that can move the articulators every which way, with wildly varying effects on the sounds. By listening to their own babbling, babies in effect write their own instruction manual; they learn how much to move which muscle in which way to make which change in the sound. This is a prerequisite to duplicating the speech of their parents. Some computer scientiests, inspired by the infant, believe that a good robot should learn an internal software model of its articulators by observing the consequences of its own babbling and flailing.
January 11, 2003
The "smartest SF show on TV" is back, for now: Farscape season 4 final episodes released
It's back, at least for the 11 remaining episodes of season 4: SciFi Channel's Farscape! I don't usually do this, but here are some of the many compelling reasons to watch (the ship's herbalist, mercifully, was not included in this promo shot):
Those who've not seen this series will wonder what the fuss is all about. Without going into fanboy/obsessive detail, I'll at least say this: Star Trek it ain't. If you enjoyed Babylon 5 - after it really got rolling in the 3rd season - you'll probably like this. The characters are superb - they've followed the tradition of the original Planet of the Apes, where the guys in the heavy makeup really have to act through their masks - and is good enough to have an intelligent viewer actually care about the fate of an obnoxious muppet (if you're a viewer, you'll know I mean Rygel).
Hmm... now that I'm thinking of it, Ka D'Argo reminds me strangely of my friend Anton...
"Biting Commentary About Infinity...And Beyond!"
I'm discovering as time goes by that very old acquaintances of mine have blogs (big revelation that), and I'm continually checking them out. Here's another one for you: Transterrestrial Musings. Rand Simberg is someone whose postings on CryoNet I started reading many (pre-Web) years back. He's best known now as a spacer writer, and has even become a regular Fox News contributor on the subject!
Quote of the day
...if contemporary hunter-gatherers are any guide, our ancestors were not grunting cave men with little more to talk about than which mastadon to avoid. Hunter-gatherers are accomplished toolmakers and superb amateur biologists with detailed knowledge of the life cycles, ecology, and behavior of the plants and animals they depend on. Language would surely have been useful in anything resembling such a lifestyle. It is possible to imagine a superintelligent species whose isolated members cleverly negotiated their environment without communicating with one another, but what a waste! There is a fantastic payoff in trading hard-won knowledge with kin and friends, and language is obviously a major means of doing so.
January 10, 2003
Cops who lie, and why the issue is important
Further to my earlier mention of the Tennessee dog shooting fiasco, I'd like to bring to your attention the perspective of Daniel J. Boone, the anarchist lawyer who runs Nolo Consentire:
Why are stories like this important? Because police who lie are deeply toxic to liberty. Too many police lie reflexively and automatically, editing their own personal narrative on the fly to revise reality into something that will make them look good (and their "perp" victims look bad) in the courtroom and on the evening news. That's human enough, but it's unacceptable in people who have been given powers of deadly force and arrest. Especially when those people are considered to have special credibility in the courts.
This is an important perspective. This particular message needs to be pushed again and again... which is why you're going to hear more about it from these quarters.
Abode of Amritas
Thanks to Toren Smith for bringing to my attention, through a post of his today, the existence of Abode of Amritas. I have a long-standing interest in the study of Asian languages; Marc Miyake's site is a phenomenally interesting resource... oh, and he's an anti-idiotarian too.
Quote of the day
It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence.
Charles A. Beard
January 09, 2003
Jack Booted Thugs shoot family's dog: film now available
Some of you may not be aware of it, but a few days ago the Tennessee Highway Patrol pulled over a innocent family in a felony stop and shot the family's dog.
A friend of mine says this:
This cop killed this dog for no reason. There was no attempt by the cop searching the car to restrain the dog - it could just have easily run into traffic - the dog was not in a threatening posture, head was up, ears up, tail up.This is what comes of changing the system from peace officer to law enforcement officer. Contemptible, cowardly, Jack-booted thugs.
He's referring to a link to this video he sent me. Dog owners, I think, will agree. Watch the disposition of the dog carefully. It's pretty obvious that the cop simply wasted the dog for no good reason.
History Channel: Axes, Swords and Knives
I came back from a long night of classes to find out, in time, that the History Channel was running an hour-long special, Axes, Swords and Knives:
Blade implements have been a part of civilized man's arsenal since the Paleolithic Age, when sharp tools were chipped off of flint or obsidian. But with the discovery of metallurgy, people were able to forge stronger, more versatile blade implements. We visit an axe-throwing contest in Wisconsin for an introduction to the least subtle of the blade tools. Then we visit a swordsmith and an experienced swordfighter who work in traditional methods from ancient sources, and review the history of knives. TV G
The swordsmith was Paul Champagne, who did a great job of displaying the basics of standard Western swordmaking. The experienced swordfighter was John Clements of ARMA (formerly HACA), an excellent and rare scholar-practicioner.
Dale Seago and I, a couple of years ago, had the rare privilege of spending a day training with John Clements at a seminar he gave in San Francisco. The training was superb, but even more, I was impressed with the work that Clements has been doing to reconstitute the real, unadulterated, and - to me, as a practicioner of traditional Japanese combat arts - enormously sophisticated European martial arts.
If you get the chance to train with Clements, take it.
Quote of the day
This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: The freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: Any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.
John Steinbeck
January 08, 2003
Quote of the day
Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest. If we want the Arms Act to be repealed, if we want to learn the use of arms, here is a golden opportunity. If the middle classes render voluntary help to Government in the hour of its trial, distrust will disappear, and the ban on possessing arms will be withdrawn.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth
January 07, 2003
An Englishman trains at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
In late September of last year I attended a highly enjoyable and intense four-day defensive handgun course hosted at the Front Sight training academy in Nevada. It was terrific. I trained using a .40 calibre Glock, learning the basics of safety drill, handling of ammunition, aligning the gun, as well as posture, awareness of one's surroundings, not to mention legal, ethical and practical issues connected to the use of a gun. Front sight runs a pretty tight ship. The schedule did not go slack and we got plenty of warning and help about not getting burned or dehydrated in the Nevada heat. I completed the course with a Certificate of Accomplishment, something I am really proud of. I also felt absolutely shattered on Day Four!
My take on this experience is a bit unusual. I am British, live in London and have had little experience of handling handguns like the Glock, although I have occasionally used a shotgun on my parent's farm and at a skeet range in England. I am not a total rookie, but pretty close. I certainly want to do more courses and do more practice when I get the chance.
Why on earth should a Brit living in Tony Blair's nanny state bother with any of this? Well, it is precisely because handgun shooting is so rare (for law-abiding folk anyway) an experience for your average Brit that I decided to have a go. Also, I hold out the chance of one day working in the U.S. or maybe other parts of the world where handgun ownership is legal, so that's a practical reason.
Front Sight does a great job. My only beef is the price. Fortunately I got a great deal thanks to Russell's generosity in letting me get in as a guest, but from a practical point of view I would really need to be resident in the U.S. and able to pay the costs in full, which might be tight on my current budget.
In a blatant case of blogcest, I thank my new friend of many years
Goddamn this is one hell of a small world: I've met one of my pop culture heroes, Toren Smith, who turns out to share values with me in a big way. He says "hi" to Survival Arts in his post "Blogging from the shadow of Mt. Doom".
This is yet another reason I wear my mind on my sleeve. You never meet the really interesting people unless you lay yourself bare to the world.
Quote of the day
When you're in a Spielberg state of mind, try this: Take a baby from 150,000 years ago and raise him/her in modern Manhattan. What have you got? You've got a 21st-century kid, with in- line skates. Now, take the next kid born now and send him/her back 150,000 years and what have you got? Some grub-scrounging missing link.
Penn Jillette (again)
January 06, 2003
Quote of the day
Technology is all that matters. Technology is all that makes us human. You want books on technology? Every goddamned book is about technology. Every conversation is technology. Technology is all we got. If you don't like technology, you don't like humans. If you want the above premise written by authors who aren't smartasses, try Making Silent Stones Speak: Human Evolution and the Dawn of Technology (1993), by Kathy D. Schick and Nicholas Toth. They're a nutty couple that went out, lived in the bush, made stone-aged tools, and used them for wacky stuff like butchering an elephant. Is that science or performance art? It's the best of both. Read it.
January 05, 2003
It's Mea Maxima Culpa time: Daniel J. Boone really is his name
I'm one of those who knee-jerkingly assumed "Daniel J. Boone" was the nom-de-plume of the proprietor of Nolo Consentire, but nope, it's indeed his real name. Sorry about that, Daniel. Would have added the apology on your blog, but no commenting facility seems to have been implemented there yet. Daniel: try migrating to Moveable Type. I'd be glad to help: really.
Daniel's an "outlawyer", like comrades Duncan Frissell and Sandy Sandfort. He explains to those of you who might be wordering what this means:
You are wondering "How, in the name of Thor's middle chariot goat, can this joker be an anarchist and a lawyer at the same time?"
He quotes Duncan's "How to Break the Law" by way of succinct explanation:
There are even anarchist lawyers. As an anarchist law student once said when asked by his friends how an he could be a lawyer, "My father is a physician, but that doesn't mean that he believes in disease."
This article reminds me of a piece by Duncan I read sometime around 1990 or 1992, with a name that went something like "How to Make Yourself Judgement Proof". I couldn't find an archived copy of that article as I remember it, but I did find a piece quoting some material a guy culled from Duncan's Usenet posts on the subject, I'm assuming from old cypherpunks and/or sci.crypt posts.
By the way, in case there was further misunderstanding (which would be my fault, of course): I have nothing against writing in any name a person wishes. As a matter of fact, it's a great idea: Boston T. Party is a good non-de-plume, and Max More (hi old friend) is the result of a legal name change from a meaningless one given at birth to one reflecting Max's core extropian values.
"Your guy grabbed his crank. That ain't right."
I was unsure whether to primarily categorize this as "Humor" or "Politics", but it's a great story nonetheless about Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) taking no bullshit from fedgoons at Las Vegas McCarran Airport.
A notable quote from Penn; traverse the Nolo Consentire link for the full text on Penn's website (he's talking to a fedgoon who's trying to placate him over the phone):
...freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend to find out how to get people more of it.
I'd like to have been able to point the poster of the Nolo Consentire article to Penn's followup, but there's not yet a commenting facility implemented on his blog.
Now I'm really looking forward to that Penn & Teller Bullshit! series on TV...
Recovering from Doug Wilson seminar: great time had by all!
Doug Wilson is in town from Tokyo, and took a day at the San Francisco Buyu Center to do a "Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu year in review" seminar. About 15 or so of us took advantage of this rare opportunity to train with him; some of those smiling faces include me, Dale Seago, Doug Wilson, Teri Seago, and Morgan Webb:
Doug's a young guy, around 30, but has been training in the Bujinkan arts for about 17 years, many of them in Japan, where he's spent most of his adult life. He started training under now-shihan Bill Atkins, one of the world's (rightly!) most highly-regarded teachers in the Bujinkan. Non-Bujinkan readers may find this incredible, but Buj people will understand this easily: Bill came as a student for this seminar, as he always does when excellent teachers come in from out of town. This is one of the many reasons, aside from Bill's incredible level of taijutsu, that I really feel at home in this art: the best "teachers" are lifelong students. Dale Seago shares that view, which is one of the reasons I train with him.
I had the pleasure (?) of being used as uke for many of Doug's demonstrations. What a trip (so to speak)! There's nothing like being on the receiving end of a technique to steepen the psychomotor learning curve. A good thing these seminars are usually held on Saturdays: this makes Sunday the perfect Day of Recovery. I do take that day to recover - today most of it in front of the keyboard - because I plan to keep on doing this stuff until I'm way past Ed Martin's age (hey this blog is about "Freedom, Immortality, and the Stars": guns are only part of the picture)!
I look forward to seeing Doug again in the next few months, the next time, I hope, in Tokyo. I'll likely bug him relentlessly to come back and share his skills and insight with us again soon. I've managed to trap Ben Cole, Jeff Mueller, and Shawn Gray into doing the same in the last couple of years.
Yet another indignity foisted on the Canadians
A post on Packing.org reprints a 12 November 2002 article, from a paper publication, the Ontario Farmer, which would likely never have been seen anywhere outside its original audience; from page 15B of that issue comes this report: "Deadstock operators giving up carrying guns".
"One from the vaults": may I be so prolific myself!
This blog's been running only a couple of months. In the meantime, I've been learning a lot about the blogosphere and its evolving culture which I'd not known before... I was introduced to the concept of "blog" only a couple of months before by visiting friend Tom Burroughes, so I'm still a relative newbie. This is more than slightly embarrassing for me, given that one of my trusted friends, Dave Krieger, co-authored an O'Reilly book on the subject a year ago, Running Weblogs with Slash. Doh!
In the course of my travels, I've started to pick up bits 'n pieces of practices from others, and may in a few months launch a "One from the vaults" category, inspired by Toren Smith's "IDIOTS PUBLISH NEWSPAPER...Film at 11":
"One from the vaults" digs out decent old posts from back when my traffic was a fraction of what it is now and reposts them, for those who may have missed them when they first ran. And because my site traffic is way down on Sundays.
Sunday is a slow traffic day for me too, but still dramatically busier than any day of the week a mere 8 weeks ago.
We'll see in a year. In the meantime, I may go ahead and add a "Bizarre search hits of the week"; this is actually a very common practice on personal blogs nowadays, but thanks to Toren Smith's employment of the practice in a side-splitting context, I'm motivated to consider actually doing it. My good friend Anton Sherwood gave me the original idea a while back, of course.
By the way, Anton and Toren: looks like you both share an interest in Old English.
There: got all the attributions out of the way so that next year or later, none of you guys will think I'm using good ideas without proper attribution.
James P. Hogan's website a good resource for aspiring writers
I've not been to Jim Hogan's personal website for a long time, and just now happened to check it out in the course of editting my blogrolls (see right side, main blog page). It's improved greatly, and looks like a good how-to resource for aspiring libertarian science writers... or intelligent people in general, for that matter.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jim about a decade ago in London; he was visiting my flatmate and good friend Chris Tame, head of the UK Libertarian Alliance. He has the rare distinction among science fiction writers (I would include friend L. Neil Smith in this category - hi Neil, if you're reading) of being one hell of a nice guy, friendly and approachable. Say hi to him if you ran across him at a con.
Interesting insights on the state of the art in binoculars
This isn't something I do very often, but James Rogers' comments on a post I made a few days on the Leica Duovid binocular are sufficiently interesting that I'd like to point them out to readers. Of particular interest is the progress made as the result of the collaboration of Japanese and American companies relative to their European counterparts.
Quote of the day
A piece of paper, blown by the wind into a law court may in the end only be drawn out by two oxen.
Chinese proverb
January 04, 2003
Joe Foss, American hero, well eulogized by English libertarian
I'd read about this in emails forwarded to me yesterday by friends such as Steve Pegram. Libertarian comrade Paul Marks, an Englishman, gets it right too, in an article in Libertarian Samizdata.
Quote of the day
Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we were put in this world to rise above.
Katherine Hepburn
The African Queen
January 03, 2003
Women's Safety Series - The ABC's of Self-Protection, 18 Jan 2003, San Francisco
Bujinkan shidoshi Teri Seago will be teaching a day-long seminar on the 18th of January, 2003, Women's Safety Series - The ABC's of Self-Protection, at the San Francisco Buyu Center. I very strongly recommend this course.
This seminar is the first in a Safety Series of workshops for women to learn the basic self-defense skills that will keep you safe in day to day life. It has been created for non-martial artists who want to learn simple concepts, tactics, and movement to improve awareness, confidence, and physical competence. This seminar is limited to women, and taught by Teri Seago. Join us; you deserve to feel safe.
Ter is a great person, and a really good teacher and competent practicioner of the art. I've heard excellent feedback from women who've attended her first two courses recently. If you can attend, I urge you to do so. Cost is $40 at the door, $35 pre-registered. Student price with valid ID is $25.
High praise for the Bugei Jutte: great value for the money!
Last night was the first training night of the year for Dale Seago's San Francisco Bujinkan Dojo. Jutte is one of this training year's theme weapons. I'd not known that - should have read Kutaki no Mura recently - so I borrowed one of Dale's own Bugei models... exactly like the one I left at home but will be throwing in my training bag from now on.
The Bugei jutte is the real thing - a real weapon - and an outrageous bargain 2 years running at US $37. It's perfectly suitable for training, if you bear in mind that A.) it's an 18.5 inch steel bar; B.) the hook grabs hands, fingers, and other body parts very well, and C.) the heart-shaped kashira ends in a point. Go slowly, with intent, remembering that this thing works. I'd train with this buki for most techniques. For techniques requiring specific sword-capture, when your uke is wielding a bokken, I'd supplement with a plastic practice jutte such those made by The Buki Company ($30).
The specs for the Bugei jutte, listed in the paper catalog but not on the website:
- Overall length: 18.5 inches
- Barrel length: 12 inches
- Handle length: 4.5 inches
I'd like to add that the average clearance between the barrel and the hook (I measured it) is 9/16th inch (0.5625in). No bokken I've seen will fit that space, but an iaito or mugito, which are dimensioned like shinken (real swords), will fit exactly as designed.
Bugei's paper catalog item number for the jutte, also not listed on the website, is S50134, in case you need it.
If you say it long enough & loud enough, even the Brits will start to listen
Friend and stalwart UK libertarian Brian Micklethwait points to the possible start of an interesting trend: UK homeschoolers fed up with victim disarmament laws. Keep an eye on this one.
Alberta ou Quebec? Il y a une difference, je pense...
I'm discovering more further to yesterday's piece about the Alberta secession movement, including this piece in Quebecois Libre by Jason P. Sorens, President of the Free State Project:
It is interesting that all but two of the states being considered border on Canada. Three of them border on Quebec. If we chose Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire, there would undoubtedly be opportunities for us to collaborate with Quebec libertarians and decentralists in pursuing our own autonomy plans. If we chose Montana or Idaho, we could work with Albertans and British Columbians, who are themselves famously pro-freedom and anti-state. One advantage for the states of northern New England is that the example of Quebec's pursuit of self-determination should make citizens of these states less squeamish about standing up to our federal government than citizens of other states. In turn, our success in promoting the ideals and practice of freedom in northern New England should help to strengthen the libertarian element in Quebec.
At first approximation - from what I've been able to find out so far in what I admit has been a very short period - the U.S. western states he mentions seem to have more in common with their respective neighbors and, most importantly, seem to share a vastly stronger locally libertarian antifederalist sentiment. Still, he's doing some very good work in exploring possibilities most of the rest of us have not yet considered.
Quote of the day
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!
Wm. Shakespeare
Hamlet
January 02, 2003
Got a copy of Geoff Metcalf's book in my hot little hands now
I'd mentioned a couple of weeks ago that mutual friend Geoff Metcalf's new book, In The Arena, is out now. Well, Teri Seago tonight in class brought me her copy for (I presume) a short lending period until I have my own. So far, looks like great stuff... off to bed now to read it.
Tip 'o the day: black out those tritium night sights
About 5 years ago, at a General Pistol class at NRA Whittington supervised by Col. Jeff Cooper, one of the instructors at the class, Col. Robert Young, saw that I was having some slowdown issues with acquiring my Glock's sight picture. I had a new set of Trijicon low-light self-luminous sights with tritium inserts (your standard so-called "night sights", which are really better called "twilight sights"), the type with a sealed gas tube in a white plastic sleeve which presents as a green dot in a white annulus on the face of the site surface facing the shooter.
Col. Young suggested I black out the entire surface of the front and rear Trijicons with a Sharpie marker. I was told that under low-light conditions, the gas tubes would shine through the indelible ink, exactly at the only time I would need them. He was right! With the sights blacked out, I picked up my front sight much faster, in respect of focussing on that part of the sight which needs the hardest focus: the very top line of the sight. No distractions on the rest of the front sight blade.
I've confirmed this in training at other schools over the last 5 years, and have seen this tip work beautifully when picked up by friends whom I've advised on the matter. Try it!
Welcome to the Republic of Alberta... ?
A friend at a New Year's party told me that the Canadian province of Alberta is a hotbed of secession rhetoric. (Con)federal capital Ottowa holds the same special place in the average Albertan's heart as does the District of Columbia in our American westerner's. Alberta, apparently, provides the lion's share of the taxes expatriated to welfare bums in other provinces, and they're not at all happy about it.
Also, there's a large and popular anti-Ottowa gun rights movement. Take, for example, the "Law-abiding Unregistered Firearms Association (LUFA)" (thanks to David Dieteman's "Civil Disobedience North of the Border"). This is a very well-organized and apparently effective civil disobedience effort. American gun rights groups could learn some effective lessons from them.
While researching this piece, I used the Google search string "Firearms Alberta secession"; the first hit return was "Welcome to the Republic of Alberta". It seems the site is offline. Try finding it; there is a Cached entry on Google. I wonder what happened to them.
This is my first take on this issue. I've just heard of it, and will be learning more about it as the months go by. I'd love to hear from people who are familiar with this issue in the meantime.
International Space Development Conference, 23-26 May 2003, San Jose, California
Thanks to Dale Amon for pointing this one out. I've got friends presenting at this event, "Roadmap to the Stars". Anyone planning to attend?
The Firing Line Is Now Closed
The Firing Line Is Now Closed: that's the email that I received from Rich Lucibella and the staff of The Firing Line this morning. They've had a good run of 4 years, setting standards for online RKBA discussion communities, but now Rich is moving on to other things. The site will remain online indefinitely, in an archive-only state, but no new posts will be allowed.
I wish Rich and his staff good fortune in their new ventures, and thanks for all their good work.
Quote of the day
We want to stand upon our own feet and look fair and square at the world - its good facts, its bad facts, its beauties, and its ugliness; see the world as it is and be not afraid of it. Conquer the world by intelligence and not merely by being slavishly subdued by the terror that comes from it.
Bertrand Russell
Why I Am Not A Christian
January 01, 2003
Gratuitous Gun Pics, from Kim du Toit
I know many of you already know of this resource, but I'm new to it myself: Gratuitous Gun Pics. Quite a nice little resource, with individual commentaries, even if I disagree with some of his opinions (e.g. the one on the Steyr Scout).
So *that's* where Duncan Frissell went...
I'd mentioned my discovery of "Nolo Consentire" earlier. I checked out a couple of other blogs to which "Daniel J. Boone" links, and discovered to my surprise that The Techoptimist is none other than my old friend Duncan Frissell, whom I last saw 9 years at a conference I co-chaired in London. He's even kept the same email address!
Hi Duncan!
"Nolo Consentire": A Market Anarchist's Dissent From Coercive Politics
One of the benefits of having a good web stats package is being able to see some of who's linking to your site, in something close to realtime. I checked out one such link with an interesting URL, and found a blog just launched today that links to this blog, "Nolo Consentire": A Market Anarchist's Dissent From Coercive Politics, run by "Daniel J. Boone".
It looks promising, so I'll link back to it myself. I do have an immediate suggestion, assuming his blogging software can be configured to allow this: turn on commenting so that we, his fellow travellers (and others) can interact with his content.
I'd also like to suggest that he link to the excellent Libertarian Samizdata blog run by Perry DeHavilland and the other excellent and prolific libertarians of the UK's Libertarian Alliance.
Welcome to the Blogosphere!
