Thing 1:
Battle of Fredericksburg. A frontal assault across open terrain, uphill, against an enemy behind sturdy fortifications (a thick stone wall) with artillery in the heights behind. Might as well have called it a sneak preview of WWI.
Thing 2:
Lee's operations in the Battle of Chancellorsville was a brilliant demonstration of using speed and maneuvers to defeat a superior enemy. It probably made him overconfident going into Gettysburg 8 weeks later, though.
Thing 3:
The Dornier 335 Arrow was a surprisingly big-ass plane - about the size of a P-61. Wonder how maneuverable it was.
Thing 4:
The Arado 234 was a tiny thing, for a bomber. Looked smaller than the Me 262.
Thing 5:
The Mars rovers are tall enough to look me in the eye.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Things I've Learned
Thing 1:
The Hunley was supposed to have been a crude device built from a boiler tank. This was based on the recollections of a former Confederate lieutenant 40 years later. Turned out he didn't know shit. It's obvious from looking at the actual submarine that Mr. Hunley knew what what he was doing - his boat looks like a miniature U-Boat.
Score 1 for the engineer.
Thing 2:
The HL Hunley sank three times. The first time it was swamped by a passing ship. Three guys got out, the rest drowned. The next time two times all 8 crewmen died. Mr Hunley himself was at the controls the second time.
Score 21 for Mother Nature.
Thing 3:
The Enterprise (CV-6) was about the same length as the Essex-class carriers, but the flight deck was much more slender. This probably contributed to her getting scapped in the 50s instead of getting the steam catapult/angled flight deck upgrade.
Thing 4:
The South Dakota-class BBs were clearly more compact than the North Carolina BBs. At the same time, the engines were bigger (130 kHp vs 120kHp). No wonder they were more crowded inside.
Thing 5:
The North Carolina had nine captains in six years of service. Apparently the XO ran the ship and the Captain was just there to get his ticket punched so he could get promoted to Admiral.
Thing 6:
The Navy is still stripping the Wisconsin of anything that can be used for spare parts. Until they're done the interior of the ship is off-limits. And there's a really ugly crane on a barge blocking the view of the port side of the ship.
Thing 7:
Tropical storms bring a lot of rain with them.
The Hunley was supposed to have been a crude device built from a boiler tank. This was based on the recollections of a former Confederate lieutenant 40 years later. Turned out he didn't know shit. It's obvious from looking at the actual submarine that Mr. Hunley knew what what he was doing - his boat looks like a miniature U-Boat.
Score 1 for the engineer.
Thing 2:
The HL Hunley sank three times. The first time it was swamped by a passing ship. Three guys got out, the rest drowned. The next time two times all 8 crewmen died. Mr Hunley himself was at the controls the second time.
Score 21 for Mother Nature.
Thing 3:
The Enterprise (CV-6) was about the same length as the Essex-class carriers, but the flight deck was much more slender. This probably contributed to her getting scapped in the 50s instead of getting the steam catapult/angled flight deck upgrade.
Thing 4:
The South Dakota-class BBs were clearly more compact than the North Carolina BBs. At the same time, the engines were bigger (130 kHp vs 120kHp). No wonder they were more crowded inside.
Thing 5:
The North Carolina had nine captains in six years of service. Apparently the XO ran the ship and the Captain was just there to get his ticket punched so he could get promoted to Admiral.
Thing 6:
The Navy is still stripping the Wisconsin of anything that can be used for spare parts. Until they're done the interior of the ship is off-limits. And there's a really ugly crane on a barge blocking the view of the port side of the ship.
Thing 7:
Tropical storms bring a lot of rain with them.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Well Earned Vacation
I've got a week all to myself. No family, no work, no house selling or buying. So I've taken the Battlewagon out on the open hiway and we're gonna check out some classic warships. On tap for today are the USS Yorktown, a WWII Essex class carrier (named after the one what was sunk at Midway) and the CSS Hunley. The Hunley was built by the Confederates during the Civil War and was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. Unfortunately, it was lost with all hands while returning to its base and spent the next hundred-odd years on the bottom of Charleston Harbor. I'm curious to see how the restorations are going.
Tomorrow's agenda: the battleship North Carolina.
Tomorrow's agenda: the battleship North Carolina.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Gotta Get Me One of These
My next car is going to be an International CXT. Because it's very important to me that my money go to subsidizing Arab terrorists and Exxon-Mobil CEOs.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Free Fallin'
President Dubya's approval rating is down to 29%, and dropping at a rate of about 5% a month. Reminds me of the scene in Speed, where the one cop asks what will prevent the elevator from falling if the emergency brake gets blown, and the other cop replies "The basement." It's like a nasty divorce, with the American people realizing that their trust in him after 9/11 was completely misplaced, and now they are very, very bitter.
To put 29% in perspective, the only two presidents since polling began to have lower ratings were Nixon (just before he resigned) and Carter (just before he got fired). Dubya, on the other hand, is probably going to limp along for nearly three more years. If this duck were any lamer we'd have to call it an amputee.
To put 29% in perspective, the only two presidents since polling began to have lower ratings were Nixon (just before he resigned) and Carter (just before he got fired). Dubya, on the other hand, is probably going to limp along for nearly three more years. If this duck were any lamer we'd have to call it an amputee.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Bumps
A poem by Taylor
April 25, 2006
There's nothing more that I dislike
Riding on a scooter or bike
Than bumps.
They give you such a fright
Riding on a scooter or bike,
Those bumps.
There's nothing more that I dislike
Those things that are just like spikes
They make you fall down,
Down to the ground,
Bumps!
April 25, 2006
There's nothing more that I dislike
Riding on a scooter or bike
Than bumps.
They give you such a fright
Riding on a scooter or bike,
Those bumps.
There's nothing more that I dislike
Those things that are just like spikes
They make you fall down,
Down to the ground,
Bumps!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
All Abnormal Sexual Urges on the Western Front
Perhaps the funniest damn thing I have ever read:
Background:
Flanders, 1915. The First World War. The British are seeking to seize a key point in the German front lines by digging a tunnel under the German positions, filling it with explosives, then blowing it up. A young officer named Cassels, with mining experience in the civilian world, is in charge of the tunneling operation. Close to the scheduled offensive, he realizes that the tunnel won't be close enough to the German positions and that a more powerful explosion than planned will be needed.
"Because of the confines of the tunnel, Cassels realized that it could not hold enough of the bulky gunpowder or guncotton to do the job. But he seized on an idea that no one had thought of before: he would use ammonal, an explosive used in mining but new to warfare, with three-and-a-half times the strength of ordinary gunpowder.
"Cassels quickly sent in a requisition for 3,500 pounds of the ammonal but, in typical army fashion, a glitch developed immediately: no one back at headquarters had the faintest idea what ammonal was. Someone assumed that it was a drug, and dispatched an inquiry to the Royal Army Medical Core. In due time, a reply was received: 'Ammonol is a compound drug extensively used in America as a sensual sedative in cases of abnormal sexual excitement.'
"What reaction this information elicted from the Quartermaster General is not known"
From A Storm In Flanders by Winston Groom
Background:
Flanders, 1915. The First World War. The British are seeking to seize a key point in the German front lines by digging a tunnel under the German positions, filling it with explosives, then blowing it up. A young officer named Cassels, with mining experience in the civilian world, is in charge of the tunneling operation. Close to the scheduled offensive, he realizes that the tunnel won't be close enough to the German positions and that a more powerful explosion than planned will be needed.
"Because of the confines of the tunnel, Cassels realized that it could not hold enough of the bulky gunpowder or guncotton to do the job. But he seized on an idea that no one had thought of before: he would use ammonal, an explosive used in mining but new to warfare, with three-and-a-half times the strength of ordinary gunpowder.
"Cassels quickly sent in a requisition for 3,500 pounds of the ammonal but, in typical army fashion, a glitch developed immediately: no one back at headquarters had the faintest idea what ammonal was. Someone assumed that it was a drug, and dispatched an inquiry to the Royal Army Medical Core. In due time, a reply was received: 'Ammonol is a compound drug extensively used in America as a sensual sedative in cases of abnormal sexual excitement.'
"What reaction this information elicted from the Quartermaster General is not known"
From A Storm In Flanders by Winston Groom
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Linux notes
I've been installing MEPIS on the old tbird. Since I'd like to replace the mobo and maybe the boot disk in the not too distant future, I need to document what will need to be repeated.
To play DVDs:
get libdvdcss-1.2.8.tar.gz
xVids play fine (yea!)
Printers:
select TCP
IP 192.168.0.10
Port: 9102
Epson C84
Cups+Gutenprint
Need driver for HP Laserjet 4L (port 9100)
To play DVDs:
get libdvdcss-1.2.8.tar.gz
xVids play fine (yea!)
Printers:
select TCP
IP 192.168.0.10
Port: 9102
Epson C84
Cups+Gutenprint
Need driver for HP Laserjet 4L (port 9100)
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Beats Having Giant Polygon Boobs
 | You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.
Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com |
Subordinate Must Die!
Spent all Saturday having to monitor a project which was one of my subordinates responsibilities.
Now he must die!
Die!
Die!
Die!
Now he must die!
Die!
Die!
Die!
How Geeky Can I Get?
 | You scored as Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix). You can change the world around you. You have a strong will and a high technical aptitude. Is it possible you are the one? Now if only Agent Smith would quit beating up your friends.
Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com |
Monday, February 27, 2006
Throttle my subordinate
He screwed up. Made me look bad in front of a client. He deserves it.
Gregory House, M.D., continues to be my hero.
Gregory House, M.D., continues to be my hero.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Working on the Relationship
Told the wife I was thinking of a trial separation afer we move next summer. I was planning to get an apartment in the new town before we buy a house anyway. I told her I was thinking of keeping it, at least for a while. Said I'd had it with her treating my wants and needs for how our lives & home were configured as unimportant. Said I hated coming come at the end of a hard day's and being treated like an intruder. I didn't want a divorce, that I wanted her to still be a part of my life, but I was at my rope's end and the only thing left that I could do was to try to put some space between us for a while. I really wanted things to work out, but I had to be willing to take a chance that they wouldn't.
It's been a month since then, and things are really different. We've both been a lot more affectionate with each other. She hasn't been using the living room (the first room when you walk into the house) as a storage locker for whatever crap she brings home. In fact, the whole house is downright presentable. We had some friends over for the Superbowl (first time in a year I'd invited another couple over) and didn't need to spend the whole weekend cleaning first. She's shown a lot more interest in my feelings and she's even gone out of her way to do nice things for me on a couple of occasions. Kind of like a marriage is supposed to be.
So I'm guardedly optimistic that it won't be necessary to leave home. If things can just continue as they've been going...
It's been a month since then, and things are really different. We've both been a lot more affectionate with each other. She hasn't been using the living room (the first room when you walk into the house) as a storage locker for whatever crap she brings home. In fact, the whole house is downright presentable. We had some friends over for the Superbowl (first time in a year I'd invited another couple over) and didn't need to spend the whole weekend cleaning first. She's shown a lot more interest in my feelings and she's even gone out of her way to do nice things for me on a couple of occasions. Kind of like a marriage is supposed to be.
So I'm guardedly optimistic that it won't be necessary to leave home. If things can just continue as they've been going...
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
New toy!
My new dSLR is on the FedEx truck "out for delivery" as I type! Wahoo! Gonna get me some serious photo action.
I am such a nerd.
I am such a nerd.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Figgy Pudding
WTF is figgy pudding, I why am I trying to extort some from my neighbors? And what would I do with if even if they did bring me some? This song just creeps me out.
Don't even get me started on 'He abhors not the virgin's womb'. I really hope that's just a really bad translation.
Don't even get me started on 'He abhors not the virgin's womb'. I really hope that's just a really bad translation.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Something Works
Figured out why my .php photo galleries weren't working properly on my local computers - turns out the newer versions of PHP have an environmental switch defaulted to OFF for security reasons. This switch was defaulted to ON in earlier versions. Either my hosting service uses an old version or they thew the switch for me. Once I understood the problem, five minutes of research showed me how to modify my page to work without the switch. Cool.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
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