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Monday, October 31, 2022

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 221: ACP in VR

                         

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • a school shooting in St. Louis and the value of rapid police response;
    • Canada banning handgun purchase, sale, and transfer;
    • the bizarre way a California Judge denied a temporary restraining order in a 2A case.
  • Next, Xander brings us his Independent Thoughts on his VR Setup;
  • Matt from Geeks Gadgets and Guns talks about current VR systems and their pros and cons;
  • and finally, Weer'd brings us part two of his fisk series on the Brady Campaign attempting to rebut pro-gun talking points.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 220: It's Dangerous to Podcast Alone

                         

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss several court cases against New York's carry restrictions, and the FBI's grave misreporting on active shooters stopped by citizen defenders;
  • David conducts some experiments on Oddball's Altor;
  • Matt from Geeks Gadgets and Guns gives an introduction to his series on Virtual Reality;
  • and finally, The Egghead explains the different formats of Night Vision Goggles.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

Gun Lovers and Other Strangers:

General Purpose Egghead:

Sunday, October 23, 2022

WHARRGARBL

 As you've likely noticed, there was no episode of the Assorted Calibers Podcast this week. That was because Weer'd Beard was out of town on vacation and no one wanted the extra duty of editing an episode while he was away. 

I'm posting this here because
  1. I don't like wasting good material on an "away game";
  2. I wanted my readers to laugh at this idiot;
  3. I didn't want to go a whole week without posting anything.



I don't know which is funnier: the whole "Someone mentioned guns, so now I'm thinking about your genitals, hah you have no comeback to that!" or the rapid, nonsensical goalpost-moving pivot which happens next:



So now that I've established this guy is either a troll, or a loon, or both and that his bait isn't going to work, I decide "What the heck" and throw out some bait of my own -- but unlike his, mine is rooted in fact. 



"???" is shorthand for "I don't want to argue in good faith, I just want to spam memes at you and call you names." Cool, dude, right back atcha. 



Ooh, he didn't like that. Facts and attribution are "being silly". 

Ah yes, the much-lauded "Nuh-uh" tactic! Honestly I'm surprised it took him this long. 

And then, after telling me "Bye Felecia"... he starts talking to me again? And bringing up the same tired old argument? This guy is clearly not interested in anything except trying to make me mad, and I'm pleased that I didn't give him the satisfaction. 



Was this a great victory? No. But I had fun, and I was proud of myself that I was able to irritate the troll into blocking me, and hopefully you all had a good time laughing at him. 



Monday, October 10, 2022

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 219: A Splendid Tart with a Soggy Bottom

                         

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • the aftermath of Hurricane Ian;
    • Everytown asking for more anti-gun propaganda in TV shows;
    • the passing of Judge Laurence Silberman, and how he left his mark on the Second Amendment;
    • the Supreme Court accepting a case where a Massachusetts resident has been denied his gun rights for a misdemeanor conviction;
    • the Supreme Court declining to hear the two Bumpstock ban cases;
    • and Mexico's lawsuit against major gun manufacturers being dismissed.
  • Next, David gives us another update on the new concealed carry training requirements in New York state;
  • and finally, Weer'd presents his first fisk of a project that uses the Brady Campaign Podcast as a primer on anti-gun talking points and how to rebut them.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

Gun Lovers and Other Strangers:

Weer’d Audio Fisk:

Friday, October 7, 2022

What I've Been Dealing With Lately

This is less of an "I'm sorry I don't post more often, I suck" thing and more of an "I need to get in the habit of writing more and this checks that box while also updating you on a current situation" thing, but I still feel guilty about not blogging more often because I want to be a Proper Author and if I can't even blog on a regular schedule then how can I ever finish my book and wharrgarrrrblllll

Sorry about that. Sometimes the brain weasels get loose. Anyway...

I have a Metric Buttload of stuff to do for Operation Blazing Sword - Pink Pistols that I'm having trouble even starting. Some of that is Impossible Task syndrome, but most of it is just being under a lot of stress from being pulled in a bunch of different directions, and just about anything which requires significant mental effort (like writing) gets pushed to the back unless it's a task which is metaphorically on fire and needs to be put out immediately. 

On that note, I desperately need an assistant who is good with words to help me with OBS-PP stuff. As an example: "Please make an email which says X, Y, and Z. It doesn't need to be perfect, because it takes less mental energy for me to edit it than it is for me to start it. Just help me get started, please." Unfortunately, I don't have the money to pay for this help (hell, I don't get paid for what I do), so I'd need someone willing to volunteer their time and energy for a cause they believe in. 

"Erin, if you can write this blog post, can't you do OBS stuff?" Theoretically yes, which I often beat myself up for, but really no, because this is just me babbling into a text box and not caring how professional it looks because this is casual and informal whereas proper OBS stuff needs to look professional and communicate effectively. Going to the mailbox & back and going for a mile hike are both technically walking, but one is drastically more effort than the other. 

In addition to the things I've talked about before -- the health of my pupper Daisy, looking after my now-83 year old mother, the financial mess my father got us in because of his dementia, a hurricane that tore Florida a new butthole -- a big time sink is my father's bedroom. I have an old post about it either here or at Blue Collar Prepping, but the short version is that dad hoarded stuff and his bedroom was basically a collection of piles with a narrow path through them. For the past year or so I've been going through it all in the hopes that once I clear out his room I can move in there. 

Part of what's slowing me down is that there are things I am reluctant to just throw away, either because I hate throwing away things like books and collectibles and/or because I hope I can maybe get some money for them. However... [gestures at economy since 2020]... yeah. There's a lot of it, and it's slow going. If I want to sell this stuff then I have to catalog it (time), photograph it (time and work), research how much it might be worth (time and work), actually try to sell the stuff (work to the power of "a lot"), mail the stuff (ugh, put on pants and deal with people), and so forth. And until I get this stuff moved out, I can't move in, and because there's so much of it I can't just move it all into another room temporarily so I can move in, because it will basically render that room unusable and the only room we aren't using is... his bedroom. 

Ideally one of my dear readers has an aptitude for selling online and will auction these off for me in exchange for 20% of the profits, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one. 

I feel like there's something I'm missing, but I can't think of it right now, and I've probably... OK, how do I do this without engaging in negative self-talk?... I've vented and feel somewhat better for that, and I've done something moderately creative and I feel good about that and I can check it off my list, so I'm going to close for now and hope that my next blog post will be sooner instead of later. 

Goodnight, America, wherever you are. 




Monday, October 3, 2022

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 218: Watching Ian

                         

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • Hurricane Ian and what it might do to Erin's GRPC plans;
    • the mass shooting in Russia;
    • some updates on the credit card Merchant Codes that target gun shops;
    • a Federal Judge striking down the law which says that people under felony indictment can't purchases firearms;
    • and a look at Ian from Forgotten Weapons reviewing the Armatix iP1 "Smart" Pistol. It's worse than we expected!
  • Next, David discusses the Merwin Hulbert revolver;
  • Xander brings us his independent  thoughts on Illinois bail reform and its unpleasant side effects;
  • and finally, the Egghead brings us part 2 of his series on Night Vision.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic

Gun Lovers and Other Strangers:

Independent Thoughts with Xander Opal:

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Whoops, I am fine

Hi everyone who reads this blog but isn't on social media! I just wanted to let you know that I, my family, and my house are completely fine and I just forgot to mention it here. 

Hurricane Ian knocked out our power at 9:30 Thursday morning, but other than some downed trees, street signs and power lines there was very little damage in my part of Florida. My emergency preps proved quite useful over the next two days, and I learned a lot from the experience. I will give a more detailed after-action report over on Blue Collar Prepping. 

All in all, we had it easy. Power was restored Friday afternoon and internet Saturday morning. While we were hot, we weren't miserably so due to it being September and cloudy, although by Friday afternoon I desperately needed a shower and taking one was a religious experience for me. We did lose some food in the refrigerator, but it was mostly very perishable things like fresh fruits and vegetables, and I don't think we lost anything in our freezers. 

All told it was a valuable experience for me, and the worst part of it was missing GRPC. By the time power was restored I was utterly exhausted, physically and emotionally; I didn't realize how anxious I was until power came back and then I just collapsed. I spent the next two days just resting and enjoying the return to normalcy, and unfortunately some things (like this post) were forgotten. 

So please, spend no more time worrying about me. I'm fine, so spare a thought for the others in my state who are far less fortunate. If you'd like to donate, I recommend the Florida Disaster Fund

Thank you!