LIVE Satellite feed of Hurricane Harvey

In case the feed here goes down, it is at this link: Hurricane Harvey LIVE video from NASA Goes 16 satellite - YouTube


Edit to add: View of Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station:

Time to reconsider...

In the past I have said that about the only natural disaster we here in Washington State are not subject to is hurricanes.

Yeah.

In rare event, remnants of Pacific hurricane hit Alaska | The Seattle Times

Now, that was yesterday, and today we're getting rained on. A lot. Like, I saw a neighbor lining up animals two by two lot.

Maybe it's unrelated to Hurricane Oho.

But salmon swimming upstream across a road are usually seen on the coast, not here in the megalopolis.

Western Wash. braces for a stormy Saturday

Meantime, most of the forecasts posted online for the day still call for "occasional rain."

Pull!

NASA wants to learn more about asteroids by shooting them with space shotguns | Blastr

Heckuva view

Heckuva porch...

Time lapse video from the International Space Station.
That's Comet Lovejoy near the end.

I highly endorse embiggenating this to fill your biggest, best hi def screen.

Lookee what I got!

Vacuum packed for freshness!

Special packaging, no doubt, to protect the contents during re-entry...

Order your own copy here, and read all the adventures at I Work On A Starship.

My sincere apologies, Bobbi, I have no excuse for taking so long to order my copy.

So, what gun for Alaska?

"What gun for xxx...?" being a standard trope on gun blogs and chat sites, in case you didn't know.

A colleague has accepted a position with the Salt Mines'  Alaska division.  I jokingly told her she needed to sell her Taurus Judge and get a real revolver and shotgun.  She texted me she already had, and what did I recommend?  I replied "LOL", thinking that was sufficient.

The problem with being known as a Gun Guy is that everyone thinks you know everything there is to know about guns.  She has asked me several times since that exchange of text messages for my advice.

*sigh*

See, there are so many variables. And, frankly, I'm just a guy who likes guns and shooting, but has never worked in the industry, is not a gun writer or reviewer, and has a lot less experience than a lot of others I know. There are soooo many guns I've never shot.

And the longer this post gets the less I think I know about the subject...

For a general, mostly defensive use, shotgun I'd generally recommend a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500; if strictly defensive, I might suggest spending the few extra dollars on a Mossberg 590.  The differences are few enough to boil down to a matter of taste, although the Remington probably has more accessories and after-market parts available.

Personally, I like the Mossy's.  The safety button on top of the receiver seems better placed, certainly more ambidextrous.  (A possible disadvantage with pistol grip stocks, though.  Fine by me, I don't care for them anyway.) The shell elevator may be more robust, although I've never heard of any problems with that aspect of the 870.  It can be easier to swap out the barrel of a Mossberg than a Remington, and on higher end models (NOT a Maverick) the forend can be swapped with little difficulty, as well.  And the 590 is available with a bayonet stud as standard equipment... :-)

I'm pretty sure Sally can handle a 12 gauge; her wife is smaller and a little slighter, and I've never discussed guns and shooting with her, i don't know what her or background or experience are, so I just don't know, a 20 may be in order. For use against homo ferox, a 20 will probably suffice anyway.  (If it's going to be used in the bush against brown bear, get the really good ammo...)

As for a revolver, I like Smith & Wesson's products, although you can't go wrong with Ruger, either.¹  Alaska not requiring a permit for concealed or open carry, there should be no need to go with a .38 snub-nose, either.  And, anyway, since the question was "what gun for Alaska?"... The obvious answer would be a .44 Magnum, or a .460 Ruger or .480 or .500 S&W.

A .357 Magnum will probably suffice.  If planning on spending a lot of time in the woods, camping, hunting, fishing, hunting for berries, whatever, especially where those pesky bears are likely to be found, a .44 Magnum or .45 "Long" Colt might be preferred.  make sure you can shoot the thing well beforehand, especially with whatever load of ammo you're using; a "bear load" is liable to be kind of sporty.

If a .44 or .45 is preferred, a S&W 629² variant, or a Ruger Redhawk³ variant would be best.  Barrel length and finish to taste.  Actually, a Ruger Super Blackhawk is worthy of consideration as well, for these purposes, a single action revolver should serve quite well.

For a smaller caliber, there are far more choices just with either Smith and Wesson or Ruger. Will the revolver be carried concealed, or openly?  This will impact the barrel length; you also have the opportunity to "go small" (5 shot J-Frame size) or large (6, 7, or 8 shots.)

In the smaller size revolvers, Smith & Wesson designates their products by frame size by letters, from "J" (smallest) through "K", "L", and "N". The .500 S&W is an "X" frame, and I'm not sure why there's no "M" frame.

For the purposes discussed here⁴, Ruger's smaller revolvers are the SP101 (basically a J Frame equivalent) and the GP100.

A J Frame sized revolver is generally maximized for concealed carry and defensive use, has a very short barrel and very light weight, and can be very punishing to shoot.  Generally speaking, the larger the revolver the heavier it will be, the longer the barrel will be, and consequently, the lighter the recoil will be with the same load, and the more accurate it will be.

My usual advice for someone looking to buy a new gun is to try  out what is available, either borrowing guns form a friend, neighbor, or co-worker (assuming borrowing guns is legal where you live, that is), or renting them at an indoor range.  Of course, that may limit you as far as what's available.  Remember that, just because friend, co-worker, neighbor was in the military or is/was a cop, or even works at a gun store, doesn't mean they are actually knowledgeable about guns, and especially they are not knowledgeable about what you want and/or need.

Also, as Tamara pointed out, um, somewhere (her blog?  someone else's blog? forum? magazine article?) just because the pistol feels good in your hand doesn't mean it will feel good to shoot. One advantage to most revolver designs over most semi-autos, by the way, is that it's far easier to replace the grips, and there are usually far more options available, some of which will can actually change the size and shape of the grip to better suit your hand.

Also also, for a handgun you need to consider how to tote the thing, unless it will only leave the house in a gun rug heading for the range.  A good holster and belt are critical.  Skimp on either and you'll find yourself leaving your heater at home, which means you may not have it when you need it, whether for a two or four legged varmint. And that would make me sad, after I spent all this time rendering my two cents' worth.

***

1. For given definitions of "can't go wrong", of course. Any manufacturer is going to have a dud now and then. And you have to do your part, buy a gun suitable for it's expected use.  That's part of the problem I'm having here... 
2. Found here. Despite my misgivings about short barreled .44 magnums, I really want one of these, although this would be nice, too.  Then there's the Model 329PD Alaska Backpacker.
3. Here; for general purposes, I'd go with the 4.2 or 5 inch barrel. There are also the Ruger® Super Redhawk Alaskan®, again with the short barrels. 
4. For the purposes of this post, I don't recommend the Ruger LCR or Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .38. I don't actually recommend a J Frame, either, in case you missed that... 
5. Some possibly related posts: 

• Caliber Development 
• QOTD, 10/23/2011 
• Home On The Range: Buying The Right Gun Calibration 
• Links to advice for buying a used revolver: Want a wheelgun? 
• Pistolas 
• And Afterthoughts to Pistolas.

More my style

Of souvenir, that is.

One of the most popular souvenirs of Alaska is an Ulu knife.

An ulu (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐅᓗ, plural: uluit, English: "woman's knife"^[1]) is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Eskimo women, both Yupik and Inuit. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cutting food and, if necessary, trimming blocks of snow and ice used to build an igloo.

(Wikipedia, at link above)

Here's a typical souvenir, not sure where Mrs. Drang got it; she had it when we met. It's actually made of okay steel, but may well have come from A Las Ka, PRC. This is in the Savoonga style.

(An Ulu maker's leaflet that lists styles of Uluit is here.)

This one is Mrs. Drang's souvenir Ulu, a Nunavak style, I believe:

This one is actually Made in Alaska, USA. The handle hole is too small for me, which was the case with every Ulu of this style I tried. She found it in The Knife Shop in Juneau, AK.

In the same building was a small souvenir store that took a lot of our money, including for the bar of soap I posted about last week, and a nifty necktie with Northwest Native-style wolves on it. 

Bristol Bay pattern Ulu, blade of old carbon steel saw blade. 

That cutting board/bowl it's on actually came with Mrs. Drang's Ulu, and the bone stand hers is on in the photograph came with this one. This picture shows part of the reason I liked this one -- it fits!

I don't have a walrus or polar bear to butcher, but Mrs. Drang did ask me to shred some cabbage for slaw...

More info: Outdoors magazine: The Ulu Knife (.Pdf.)

Not my normal souvenir

"Pigment, essential oils of spruce, fir & cedarwood."

"...and don't be surprised to find yourself squeaky clean and yearning to 'run with the BEARS'!"

Skagway and the White Pass & Yukon Route rail tour

More photos from our Alaska cruise. All photos copyright 2013 The Cluemeter or Bearcat's Spins.

Skagway River

Skagway River

Tight curve after that bridge...

Halfway to the summit.  Our boat is in front.

Is this seasonal, or a permanent

"Ghost Bridge", decommissioned in the late 60's.

Tracy Arm Fjord & Juneau

More pics from our Alaska cruise. All photographs copyright 2013 The Cluemeter or Bearcat's Spins.

Sawyer Glacier.  Did I already post this one?

Ketchikan

Some more pics form our big Alaska (what other kind?) trip.
All photos copyright 2013, The Cluemeter or Bearcats Spins.

Approaching Ketchikan.  Or maybe leaving.  Not sure...

It's a little damp in Ketchikan

The city's official bird...

They don't mess around...

Ummm...

Leaving.  Or arriving.  Again, not sure...

No longer pining for the fjords

Oh, who am I fooling? I'm certainly going to miss them...

Sawyer Glacier

(Tracy Arm on Wikipedia and Google Maps.)

These don't even begin to be a sample of the pics we took this morning. I don't know who to feel sorrier for, those who have not and likely will never have the opportunity to view this beauty, or those who recoil at the thought of it.

While sailing up and then back out,  Mrs. Drang and I could not help but ponder having a cabin or lodge here.  You'd need a large enough boat to sail for supplies at least once a month, and maybe a plane as well.  Wonder if you can get a satellite connection this far north...?

Generations

No, not the silly Start Trek movie with Shat and Stew.

I'm talking about generations of the Gun Culture.

The topic arose on the WA-CCW Yahoo! email list, in connection with a young man who heads up an organization (or maybe "is", not clear how many members it has) called The Second Amendment Enforcers, and who is organizing what he calls a Day of Resistance to protest current gun control efforts.

Now, to backtrack a bit:
Gun Culture v1 was into shooting, yes, but the members were mostly hunters and target shooters, and maybe collectors.  Concealed carry was very much a thing based on a perceived "need", i.e., bankers, businessmen, people who handled cash, or other precious materials, or who had made political enemies, and might need to defend themselves.  Machine guns might be interesting devices, but really, who would need to own one? Silencers?  Short barreled rifles and sawed-off shotguns?  No way!  Cheap handguns, i.e. "Saturday Night Specials?  Obviously catering to the lower, urban--and usually ethnic--classes, and who cares?

Nowadays we call these guys--almost always "guys", and they're still around--"Fudds." They agree with Vice President Biden that a double barrel shotgun is the best for home defense, that a "military style rifle" is useless for hunting, and that the government must Do Something! to close the gun show, next-door-neighbor, and water-cooler loopholes on gun sales.

Gun Culture v1 watched the Federal government pass gun control legislation in 1934 (in response to gangsterism and racketeering) and 1968 (in response to political assassinations and wide-spread civil unrest) and said nothing --at least, nothing that could have been construed as critical of the acts.

Gun Culture v1 could be summed up in a remark attributed, possibly apocryphally, to Bill Ruger, that "No honest man needs a handgun smaller than a canned ham."

Gun Culture v2 arose in the aftermath of the 1960s and GCA '68, and started to take an active interest in the firearms in the context of the Second Amendment.  The actual term "Gun Culture v2" was coined by gun writer and media host Michael Bane.  In an interview he described the genesis of his show Gun Stories thus:

All guns have their stories. We used to pass those stories down from generation to generation, because that’s how the gun culture “spread.” But as the Elf Queen Galadriel in LORD OF THE RINGS noted, “The world is changing…” The gun culture is changing — profoundly and now very quickly. Think of the new gun culture as Version 2.0…it’s younger, more libertarian than what we might think of a social conservative, more female, with the primary drivers being concealed carry, the training community and the shooting sports. Gun culture Ver. 2.0 isn’t steeped in the lore of guns, and we thought it made sense to, essentially, pass along our cultural waypoints, our lore, our history to a new generation. We also wanted to tap this huge reservoir of knowledge among the Ver. 1.0 experts, essentially introducing them to the new generation of gun owner.

Gun Culture v2 is interested in owning guns for many reasons, self-defense, hunting, shooting, collecting, and, perhaps most of all, "Because I can!"

Gun Culture v2 is far more interedsted in firearms as a civil rights issue than GC 1 is/was.  Gun Culture v2 also tends to be more technically savvy, especially when it comes to use of social media.  (Although, as I often warn young punks who need to get off my lawn people, the tech they're using was invented by people my age, or older.) 

The term "Fudd" was coined by members of Gun Culture v2, and may backfire.  Tolerance, it's not just for school and work!¹

The "Zumbo-ing" of Jim Zumbo -- who came to personify the Fudd side of GC v1 by dissing the use of "terrorist" (AR-type) rifles in hunting -- was largely the work of GC v2. 

Is there a need for a Gun Culture v3²? I don't honestly think so. I think it would be far to easy to think of this issue in terms of actual generations, as if young shooters shouldn't trust any shooter over 30.  Note that my home-boy Ted Nugent³ was instrumental in opening Jim Zumbo's eyes to the varied sorting uses of Ar15s.

The Gun Culture will continue to evolve, as society evolves, but, frankly, while many of the younger members of GC v2 have far more ink and shrapnel in their bodies piercings than some of us old farts are comfortable with, and you can't hardly call that noise "music", at this point in time, at least, the interests -- and concerns -- are the same.

***

Notes:
1. Gun Culture 1.0 v. Gun Culture 2.0 and More on Gun Culture 2.0, both
2. It’s Time for Gun Culture 3.0 | Gun Nuts Media
3.  I graduated from the same high school Ted did, about a decade later.

***

Some links:
Google search: gun culture 2.0.
The new gun culture | Conservative News, Views & Books
Gun Culture 2.0, Internet Zero - Misfires And Light Strikes
A podcast: Down Range Radio #245: Year 2011 and Gun Culture 2.0 | Down Range TV

Gonna have to re-write the old filk song

I'm thinking maybe

I went to the Worldcon L4 in '24
And I was the firstest Trufan in the door!
At that point of LaGrange
The gravity's mighty strange
You can drink a quart of Tully¹ and have some more!²

(TTTO "The Liar".)

• BBC News - Trojan asteroid seen in Earth's orbit by Wise telescope
• Earth/'s Trojan asteroid : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

h/t the Heinlein Forum on Facespace.

(Don't nobody tell Bill about this, he gets downright irrational on the topic of filkers...)

***

1.  Tullamore Dew whisky.  Very popular with filksingers.
2.  IIRC, the original went thusly:
I went to the Worldcon L5 in '05
And I was the firstest Trufan to arrive!
At that point of LaGrange
The gravity's mighty strange
You can drink a quart of Tully and survive!
I could be wrong, I haven't done any filking in 20 years, +/-.
Then again, we're talking filk music here, so who cares if I'm wrong?

Wormhole? Stargate?

Well, no, alas, it's "only" gravitational lensing...
APOD: 2011 December 21 - A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble.
h/t Alfred Centauri, HAL watches from afar | Daily Pundit

I'd begun to think it'd failed...

...like so many cool sounding projects.

I speak, of course, of the movie Iron Sky, of which I blogged last December in "Space Nazi Flick Iron Sky Goose-Steps Into Production".

Now Wired magazine reveals that, not only is the movie about to be released, but there's an online comic prequel: Iron Sky Comic Explains How Nazis Got to the Moon | Underwire | Wired.com

As Iron Sky’s filmmakers put the final touches on their crowd-funded sci-fi black comedy, they’ve published a prequel comic book explaining how Third Reich refugees found their way to the moon.
The three-part comic book series, by writer Mikko Rautalahti (Alan Wake) and illustrator Gerry Kissell (Code Word: Geronimo), drills into the fiendish mind of Wolfgang Kortzfleisch, who becomes Führer of the moon Nazis.

I had, literally, intended to do an online search today to see what the status was...

Online page is here:  Issue #1: Bad Moon Rising : Iron Sky Sneak Peek.  Subscribe and you can download the comics.  Prices are in some weird furrin' currency...

Fire at Sarahcuda's church was arson

Anchorage Daily News:

Accelerant poured around Palin's church

By S. J. KOMARNITSKY skomarnitsky@adn.com

(12/15/08 10:33:55)

WASILLA - Whoever torched Gov. Sarah Palin's home church tried to start fires in several places around the building, the federal agency assisting in the investigation said today.

Accelerants were found in multiple locations on the outside of Wasilla Bible Church, including around entrances and exits, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Nick Starcevic, an ATF spokesman in Seattle, said it was not yet clear what type of accelerant was used. Samples have been taken to the state crime lab in Anchorage for testing.

Investigators typically take scrapings from where they think the fire was lit, said Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Nicolello. In this case, that could include parts of the outside of the building and the soil underneath.

The Friday-night blaze caused an estimated $1 million in damage to the 2-1/2-year-old building and displaced one of the largest congregations in the Valley. Five church members were inside when the blaze started, but they were able to get out safely after the fire alarm sounded.

The church, just off the Parks Highway on the western edge of town, conducts Sunday services attracting up to 1,000 people. Church members include many well-known Valley residents, including Palin, Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla, and Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer.

Palin's ties to the church have sparked widespread speculation about whether the person who lit the fire was motivated by that connection. However, Central Mat-Su Fire Department Chief James Steele said that idea remains in the realm of pure speculation.

"At this point, there is no information that we have that even points in that direction," he said.

Gatto, a former Anchorage firefighter, said he stopped by the church Sunday and saw what looked like three small v-shaped burn patterns around the entrance on the backside of the church. He said he wasn't sure at the time if they were places a fire was started or something that firefighters had done in battling the blaze.

Despite the disruption caused by the blaze, Gatto said today that an outpouring of support from individuals and other churches has cheered members. The church's Sunday service was held at Wasilla Middle School and was, if anything, more lively than usual, he said.

"I didn't sense from a single person or hear from a single person that anybody felt we were somehow compromised now without our building,"he said. "You can replace times and buildings, but the message is the constant."

Accelerant poured around entrances and exits? Five people inside? That makes it attempted murder, and, quite possibly, a hate crime and/or terrorism.

But, the church's members seem to be handling it well enough. They are meeting in a local middle school.

Gov. Palin stopped by Saturday to see the fire-damaged church. Her spokesman issued a statement saying Palin told an assistant pastor she was sorry if the fire was connected to the "undeserved negative attention" the church received after she became the vice presidential candidate on Aug. 29.

Worshippers acknowledged the possible Palin connection with the fire, but more in a "gee, maybe" sort of way, said Rob Tracy, who shuttled people to the school for services. But people are speculating about other motives.

"It's just as likely to be some troubled person who has a beef with God," Tracy said.

"Or some local punks," Doak said.

Of course, they are from Alaska, and it should take more than a little fire to faze them...

Well, isn't that interesting...

Now, I was always going to vote against any Democrat they put up, simply because I can't imagine a Democratic candidate for President that I could stomach. Zell Miller's not running, was never in the running, and Harry Truman's dead. And since I'm not quixotic enough to vote for a third party candidate who has not chance of winning, but who's votes just might be enough to draw votes away from The Lesser Evil--c.f. H. Ross Perot, Ralph Nadir--that meant I was almost certainly going to vote for The Gop. Holding my nose, almost certainly, but nowaynohow was I going to vote jackass!

Then Colonel Tigh found himself a real-life Heinlein Woman to name for Veep! (I forget whose blog it was I first saw Sarah Palin referred to as a Heinlein Woman; probably either Roberta or Tamara.)

I had heard of Sarah Palin, because Alaska news, including politics, is included in the Seattle news, because old-time Seattlites still like to tell people that Seattle's biggest suburb is Alaska. (Not true anymore, Alaska does just fine on it's own nowadays, thankyouverymuch, but Seattle is still the Gateway to Alaska, and the habits are there. Anyway.)

Naturally, all sorts if Internet Rumors got started. I may have helped pass along a few in person. Like, for example, the one about her husband havign been an Army sniper. Based on subsequent postings by Turk Turon, the source was an article in the NYTimes, and was probably a mis-edited reference to someone in her son's unit. (NB: Her son deploys to Iraq on September 11, 2008!)

The funniest stuff I have seen, though, are all the people who are saying "But she has no experience!

Well, here is a chart that compares her experience to that of , not the Democratic VP candidate, but their Presidential candidate.
"Executive Experience
Her: Two years governor of Alaska, 10 years mayor.
Him: NONE."

In the meantime, apparently, many of Hillary Clinton's supports really are so PO'd that they will vote for McCain out of spite, and to "support the guy who supports women", links here and here.
(Links courtesy Marko and Tamara.)

Finally, Chuck Norris seems to be in danger of losing his status of Internet Myth; there is now a Little Known Facts about Sarah Palin website that includes Chuck-like items like

Sarah Palin isn’t allowed to wield the gavel at the convention because they’re afraid she’ll use it to kill liberals.

Sarah Palin once won a competitive eating contest by devouring three live caribou.

Sarah Palin once carved a perfect likeness of the Mona Lisa in a block of ice using only her teeth.

Sarah Palin will pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers.

Sarah Palin pick retroactively makes the theme of #DNC08 “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead”

Sarah Palin doesn’t need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.

Happy Birthday, Alaska

Or not.

On this date, in 1958, the US Senate voted to admit Alaska to the Union as the 49th State.

Actual statehood was effective on January 3rd, 1959, so I suppose you could say that that's Alaska's "birthday."

What the hell, celebrate both: It's a big state, why not have two birthdays?