An interesting bit of history…

Posted on by July 8, 2018

Probably one of the most famous engines used in WWII was the Merlin.

Few engines throughout history have achieved a near mythical status among its admirers. Fewer still can share credit for the rescue of an entire nation. Perhaps only the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine can claim both distinctions. During the Battle of Britain, it was the Merlin that powered the Royal Air Force Hurricanes and Spitfires that were England’s only effective defense against German air attacks. With the battle won, and the engine’s reputation thus established, the Merlin would become the stuff of legend and the powerplant of choice for numerous other aircraft.

FLICKR USER TRAINSNTHINGS VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

14,000 parts, no that is NOT a misprint, 14,000!!! Hand fitted by Rolls Royce, and they dumped the contract on Ford of Britain and Packard in the US to build them. The interesting part?

Both Ford and Packard were mass production! So there were issues…

The article, HERE from Tested, is from 2015, but it’s still very applicable.  And it’s a neat one! Terry Dunn did a great job of researching and found some videos from WWII England that talked about the engine’s construction.

And before you ask, no these are NOT the same engines Packard put in the PT boats. It is similar, but the PT boat engine was developed inhouse at Packard, HERE. It’s also based on an airplane engine, but it’s the Liberty engine from 1925!

The irony? It’s 2018, and those 70+ year old engines are still out there powering Mustangs and Spitfires today!

And there are a few of the Packard PT boat engine still running in PT boats too!

h/t Stretch

And a hat tip to John up in Canada, he sent me THIS link. They’re still flying up there!

Wow… just… wow…

Posted on by July 6, 2018

I thought this was a joke… Nobody would fall for something ‘this’ outlandish…

In the week of America’s Independence Day, the algorithms of Facebook decided that the Declaration of Independence was hate speech.

The Liberty County Vindicator, a community newspaper between Houston and Beaumont, had been posting the whole declaration in small daily chunks for nine days on its Facebook page in the run-up to July 4. But the 10th excerpt was not posted Monday as scheduled, and the paper said it received an automated notice saying the post “goes against our standards on hate speech.”

Full article, HERE from the Washington Times.

After the hooraw over FB earlier this spring, you would think they would be looking at things pretty closely, to make SURE they were being fair and balanced… Apparently not so much…

Hey Zukkie, George Orwell’s 1984 wasn’t supposed to be a GOAL for you and your ‘team’!

In other news, the blaring headlines from the AP about the Army kicking out immigrants was ‘overstated/underreported??? Among other things, they didn’t bother to look at WHY they were being discharged… At least one, was dealing cocaine in boot. Others apparently had charges pending, etc. the article, HERE details some of the other things the AP got wrong…

LibertyCon 31 AAR…

Posted on by July 4, 2018

The con went by way too fast!!! Flew in Thursday, met up with the usual suspects, Peter, Dot, LawDog, Alma, Larry/Bridget, Sarah/Dan Hoyt, Cedar/Sanford, Jonna, Ringo, John Van Stry, Colonel Kratman, Retired Spook, Kirk and he lovely wife, and a host of others. Doc Nik finally showed up too.

Things were a tad disjointed, due to the short time the board had to put this one together, and the venue was ‘slightly’ larger than we actually needed, but the volunteers did a super job!

First ‘official’ year as a presenting author, rather than getting yanked out of the audience onto a panel…LOL  That was a little strange, in that I actually had to prepare. Five rather diverse panels, two science ones (VR and The Next Big Thing), Terminal Ballistics for Writers, our Indie Author panel, and a Navy centric one on “Sea Stories”.

But it was funny when LawDog grabbed Cedar to come help on the Indie panel.

All of the panels went pretty well, IMHO. I may have even contributed a time or two, and for those that attended The Next Big Thing, I really DIDN’T intend for the panel to turn into The Next Big Thing That Fails panel. But we went down that road (literally with self driving cars) and the issues with our current power grid. I did offer one kinda big thing, 3D and large 3D printing in space, which devolved into how to do that in zero G. Again, sorry…

The big ‘disadvantage’ was being a panelist limits one’s opportunity to attend other panels, and three of the ones I was on were against panels that I really wanted to hear/see. Sigh…

Also lots of half done conversations, as one or the other would look at the watch, go “Oh crap, panel”, and disappear into the sunset, so to speak. In a couple of cases, I think it took two days to finish conversations. It also took three days to ‘track’ some folks down, even for five minutes. Sigh…

Much the same with the meals, it was catch as catch can, but I also have to give a shout out to both the waitstaff at the hotel and the ladies at City Cafe! Moving tables, combining tables, everything but a Chinese Fire Drill and they all handled it with aplomb.

What ‘I’ didn’t particularly handle well was being recognized, and people wanting to meet me, telling me they were long time readers (sorry Steve and others), LOL. I like being in the background, just watching… Sigh…

It was also nice to basically spend three days off the net, not watching the news, just enjoying the company.

Next year should be even better, with a different venue, sadly on a different set of dates, late May instead of late June, but apparently lots of folks want to attend, since the tickets sold out in six, SIX hours yesterday. You can get on a waiting list, if (as usually happens) folks have to drop for a number of reasons.

Thanks again to the LC31 committee, the volunteers, and those who were kind enough to compliment us on the panels. To those friends that were there, until next year; unless we meet sooner!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Posted on by July 3, 2018

For the 242nd time… 🙂

Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the USA that celebrates the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

On this date, the Continental Congress declared the thirteen American colonies were a new nation called the United States of America.

This meant the colonies were no longer part of the British Empire.

Celebrations include fireworks, parades, and assorted other ‘celebrations’…

Mine will be a little more prosaic… Burger, ‘tater salad, hot dogs, and apple pie with ice cream.  If I can move after that, maybe fireworks at the airport.

I hope each and everyone enjoys the day, and take a moment to remember those in the military, the police, Fire/EMS who are out there every day!

Snerk…

Posted on by June 27, 2018

Another one from the Mil email string…

Here we go again… Pizza MRE??? I’m SO glad I’m retired and gone…

MRE- Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, not for preflight/inflight use, etc… Given the choice, I would default to C-rats or K-rats. At least ‘they’ were known quantities…

A staple of American cuisine will finally be available to troops in the field after a year of uncertainty. The pizza Meal, Ready-to-Eat is currently being produced by vendors
and will likely be available to soldiers sometime in the next year for consumption in the field. Additionally, the chocolate Performance Readiness Bar is now available at all Army basic training locations. The bar, as part of a pilot program, had previously been available to Army basic trainees in some select locations. The bar is fortified with
calcium and vitamin D in the hope of reducing stress fractures by increasing trainees’ bone density. A new Close Combat Assault Ration is also under development. The
items in the new ration include New York-style cheesecake, vacuum-packed fruits and vegetables and Monterey Jack cheese. 

Pizza, one of the most common and popular food items in the U.S., has been requested by soldiers for more than thirty years, according to Stephen Moody, director of the Combat Feeding Directorate at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts. The MRE will include pepperoni pizza, but topping varieties could be introduced in the future after hearing troop feedback on the new product. According to the Army, the pizza MRE will be available in some locations by the end of the calendar year but will likely be available to most soldiers by the end of next year. When and where the pizza is available will depend upon existing stocks of MREs at each location. 

All MREs need to have a shelf life of at least three years when stored at 80 degrees or below in order to be viable as an option, according to the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. However, when the pizza MREs were being tested under this requirement, the pizza was turning brown. The browning was not a safety issue, but more of a quality issue. Officials later found a fix for the browning – rosemary extract.

MREs were introduced in the early 1980s as a replacement for the C-ration. Since 1993, more than 270 new items have been added to the rations, along with the flameless ration heater and ergonomic beverage pouches.

Each MRE provides about 1,260 calories, and its durable packaging allows it to be safely airdropped by parachute from 100 feet.

And they’d probably bounce like an old super ball… sigh…

SCAMPacs…

Posted on by June 27, 2018

This one came over the transom from the mil email string…

Well worth paying attention to, as I’ve seen more and more calls from various ‘Pacs’ wanting donations for various things…

A web of new political action committees (PAC) raised nearly $6 million in recent months under the guise of supporting police, veterans and cancer research. But nearly
all the money has gone to their own vendors and staff, as opposed to those causes – hallmarks of so-called scam PACs. The web of seven spent heavily on fundraising and
consulting services – not political causes – during that time. Several of the people and entities involved in the new PACs have been investigated for alleged fraud and other
illegal practices in the charity sphere. But after coming under scrutiny, they have shifted recently into the much less regulated realm of politics, a POLITICO investigation has found.
The new PACs have feel-good names like Cops and Kids Together and Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer. They have succeeded in raising millions of dollars from
small donors in a matter of months – and spent most of it just as quickly, without supporting political candidates or making a mark on a policy issue. Altogether, the seven PACs spent nearly 85% of the $5.9 million they raised through March. All but one of the PACs, National Assistance Committee, sent at least 84% of its spending to
businesses at 1835 E. Charleston Blvd. A lot of money can be collected without a lot of regulation,” said FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. “It’s like when they asked
Willie Sutton, ‘Why do you rob banks?’ He said, ‘Because that’s where the money is.’”

Full article HERE, at Politico.

For what it’s worth, I no longer give to ANYONE that calls me on the phone. EVER…

On the road…

Posted on by June 25, 2018

Again… This time by choice! Off to LibertyCon in Chattanooga!

I’m on a few more panels this year…

 

Day Time Name of Event
Fri 02:00PM Virtual Reality: Future Prospects, Future Threats, and Perhaps an Answer to the Fermi Paradox

Fri 05:00PM Opening Ceremonies

Fri 06:00PM Let’s Predict the Next Big Thing!

Sat 01:00PM Terminal Ballistics for Writers and Others

Sat 03:00PM Indie Publishing – Latest Trends in Self-Publishing and the State of the Market

Sat 10:00PM Writers Tell Sea Stories

Sun 10:00AM Kaffeeklatsch

Attendance is appreciated, pointing and laughing not so much… 🙂

These should be interesting panels, even if I’m the dummy sitting on the end of the row. There are some WICKED SMAHT people on them, as my shipmate from Maine used to say…

I’m bringing a few copies of my latest Grey Man, but not many, since I’m flying in, and didn’t get any time in author alley.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Random stuff…

Posted on by June 26, 2018

Well, my post yesterday lit off the spammers… again… 71 spams as of 2200 last night. Usually I have less than five a day…

In other news, things are getting interesting between DOJ and the House Select Committee on Intelligence. DOJ has yet to turn over the requested documents, even after they said they would…

The showdown between Congress and the Justice Department over Russia escalated Tuesday after the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a resolution demanding that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein hand over sensitive documents related to the investigation into suspected meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections.

Full article, HERE.

And a friend sent me the link to the Yelp reviews on Red Hen in Lexington, VA. This is the opening splash screen that comes up… LOL

Just out of curiosity, I clicked through, and they are doing a lousy job of cleaning up the mess…

Step by step…

Posted on by June 25, 2018

Closer and closer…

AE Pilot Jim posted this on FB-

I’ve been seeing the term “Othering” being bandied about more and more often lately, so let’s talk about balkanization.

Balkanization or Balkanize, as a term, was born out of the fragmentation of the Balkan peninsula at the end of the Ottoman empire. Sources I’ve read say between 1820 and 1912. At this time the region, once controlled by the Ottoman empire, fragmented into small states roughly divided by ethnic lines. This region also saw several small conflicts fought for control of the lands with areas changing hands several times prior to the outbreak of WW1.

The fragmentation and hostilities that followed are what lead to the, I think, interesting definition of balkanization.

Balkanization is a term used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or uncooperative with one another.

Hostile or uncooperative…

Go read the whole thing, HERE.  I’ll wait…

A little over a year ago, Steve Scalise and three others were shot in Alexandria by a Clinton supporter, HERE. They were saved by his security team, who took the shooter under fire, pistols against a rifle, and took him out. Had Scalise not been there, with his security team, the outcome probably would have been significantly different, with multiple dead Republicans.

This crap of the left against the right, and never compromise is coming to a breaking point… Media and personalities are calling the right, and anyone who voted for Trump Nazis, etc.

Maxine Waters incited people to commit violence through harassment in this video on Saturday…

She said cabinet members and highly visible Trump enablers should expect harassment at restaurants, gas stations, shopping places, and even their homes until they change their immigration policy. Several have already been confronted at public places.

You REALLY don’t want to try that whole mob rule thingie there Maxine! You won’t win, simply because John Q. Public outside your little safe space in Cali won’t let it happen. Full article and video, HERE.

DHS Secretary Neilson was harassed out of a restaurant in DC last week, Florida AG Pam Bondi and boyfriend were confronted in a theater in Florida, Sarah Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant in Northern Virginia, and after she and her hubby went home, the rest of her family were harassed at another restaurant by the owner of the first restaurant and others…

At what point is there going to be more overt violence, and someone dying? At what point is someone going to have had enough, and kill a protester that gets too close, or threatens their children? Either in public, or at their homes???

Discussions with some friends in law enforcement indicate they think the lid is about to blow off, possibly in the next couple of months.

I think Jim’s final comment may be priescent- “I’m willing to bet money that it will be long, bloody, painful and will leave scars on this continent that will last for centuries.”

Linkin Park’s song, ‘One Step Closer’ is eerily close to reality right now…

Random stuff…

Posted on by June 24, 2018

Well, I wore out another keyboard…

This one lasted a year, and somewhere around 500,000 words…

And my new one… And N, I, and S work!!! Yea!

Yes, it’s a Microsoft Natural. I like it because it reduces my wrist issues, and has kept me from having carpal tunnel issues. Before these came out, I was really worried about my problems, but these keyboards have been an great help!

Of course there is a problem… Put me on a regular keyboard, and I’m huntin’ and peckin’… LOL And laptop keyboards really suck for me now. Sigh…

But the writing continues!!!

In other news, you really need to go watch THIS ONE, at PawPaw’s place. 95 years old, and flying the left seat in a C-47, just like he did 6 June 1944. They truly never forget…

I heard an 87 year old at Udvar Hazy talking through the entire pre-start checklist for a B-29 with his son and grandson. He also remembered the speeds, and talked about taking off from Tinian and never getting to altitude until they were at Iwo Jima due to weight (I went home and calculated that out, 750nm on the deck. Amazing that they didn’t crash). And he hadn’t been in the airplane in 60 years!!!