We're Moving on, You Hoard Your Guns and Ammo

I've been reading a lot about gun control, how the NRA is having their annual gun-a-palooza, how guns can't be found on store shelves, how ammunition is being hoarded but mostly what I've noticed is how scared everyone is. People are gobbling up guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. People are buying the same semi-automatic rifles used in mass killings and all because they are afraid they won't be able to buy them later. How screwed up is that? What's even worse are the people who are hoarding these weapons because they want to be "as well armed as the police" because they may have to defend themselves against law enforcement officials who want seize their guns. I've got news for you, things are going to go on tomorrow. The sun is going to come up; cops will answer 911 calls, ambo drivers will still pick up sick people, the clerks at Subway will still make you a sandwich for lunch, truck drivers will still be on the road, the UAW will still make rolling Detroit steel and Fox News will still hate Obama. Society will carry on, one job at a time. We will all get up and go to work, to school, and carry on. This is how civilization works, all of us together, fulfilling our piece of the jigsaw puzzle. No one wants to fail individually so we will succeed collectively. Arming yourself for sport, for hunting or for self-defense is fine. We are well within our rights to do so. However, if you are spending big money in preparation for some coming government take over where you rise up and take on the black helicopters, you may want to re-think your approach to the problem. Get involved, volunteer, run for office, do something more useful than wasting time and money in preparation of something that will not occur. After all, the rest of us are counting on you to do your job.

Patton Oswalt's Star Wars Filibuster on Parks and Recreation

Do you watch Parks and Recreation? You should.

The Poor Wal-Mart Experience Isn't Limited to Belmont Ave.

The family was in Wal-Mart last weekend and it was not a pleasant experience. We don't shop Wal-Mart often because I'm not a fan of some of their business practices but sometimes they are close by and cheap. This trip to the store on Belmont Ave. in Liberty Township made me remember other reasons I disliked them.

We needed a floor lamp and couldn't find them. I asked someone for help and was told that if they had them, they were in the Home Living department. I was directed to look under the big sign with a picture of a smiling woman on it. I asked if she could tell me which aisle and was told, no, she didn't know.

Perhaps Wal-Mart should hire guides instead of greeters.

There is a story up on Bloomberg that expands on the bad experiences people have at Wal-Mart stores. The chief compliant is bare shelves and poor service. It seems unlikely that the world's largest retailer has a problem getting stock to the sales floor. After all, it won't sell sitting on pallets in the warehouse. The Bloomberg story makes a strong case and matches some of what I've seen.

Poorly stocked shelves that are sloppy with items in disarray and a poor selection are something I've noticed. At times the shelves look more like tables at a flea market than a professional retailer. Another item people in the Bloomberg story complain about is the checkout process. They have a point. I don't understand how you can have 30 registers but only man 5 or 6 and allow lines to overflow into aisles.

I'm not trying to get on the bandwagon knocking Wal-Mart but this article caught my eye because so much of what it says coincides with what I've seen locally. Other stores are cleaner, neater and have friendlier staff so that's where we'll be shopping, even if I have to drive a little further.Wal-Mart spokespeople may say there is no problem with their stores but I think experience tells us differently.

Gun Machine by Warren Ellis - Watch the Trailer

Here's something new; a trailer on Youtube for a novel. This is Warren Ellis' new novel, Gun Machine. Art by Steve Niles and narration by Wil Wheaton.

The Destruction of the Death Star was an Inside Job

Obama's speech highlights rise of 3-D printing

From CNN:

Obama spoke about the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a public-private partnership established in the hard-hit manufacturing city of Youngstown, Ohio, last year to research how cutting-edge 3-D printing technology can be moved from the research phase to day-to-day use.

"A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything," Obama said.

The process of 3-D printing (also known by the clunkier "additive manufacturing" moniker) uses computer-created digital models to create real-world objects -- everything from simple chess pieces to more complex objects such as functioning clocks. The printers follow the shape of the model by stacking layer upon layer of material to make the objects.

NRA Enemies List

Here is acopy of the NRA's enemies list. These are the people and organizations they think support anti-gun efforts. That's right; they think Jessica Alba amd the AARP are a threat to the 2nd amendment.

Here's the link. Click quickly before it gets taken down: NRA enemies list

They really are nuts.