Real Linux Men (was: [SGVLUG] Guns, 4WD...and Linux)

[Solomon K. Chang]

No, you didn't give up your manhood by mentioning Linux, but Real Geek Men use Real
Geek Weapons.  Taking a cue from this site:

http://lifehacker.com/software/diy/turn-a-flashlight-into-a-handheld-burning-laser-287252.php

...I decided to order some laser diodes and a good inverter from Soutth Korea.  I am
currently in the process of mounting them inside the barrels of a Warhammer 40K
Predator (model of a futuristic tank).  The main body will house the inverter, and it
will have a 12' power cord.  Assuming that the beam doesn't contact the inside of the
barrels when it's turned on, I should have a 40K Predator with a working Lascannon by
the end of next month*.  I'm hoping to get to 3 watts, which will do more that just
simply light matches or pop balloons, if the laser diode doesn't overload and burn out
first.
And no, I will not be mounting these on sharks any time soon.  Sharks are too likely to
pull the power cord out the socket if they swim too far...

* The Lascannon barrels are pretty small bore, so I may have to use the included
Autocannon turret instead.  It won't be true to the 40K universe, but hey, it's a toy
tank that can actually burn things!

Solomon
--- Dustin Laurence <dustin at laurences.net> wrote:

> Hah, got your attention, didn't I?  I think it's best to write an
> attention-grabbing subject line first, then try to figure out what kind
> of message would go with it.  Lessee: guns...4WD...I was almost on the
> road to being a *real man* until I added Linux to the list, wasn't I?
> 
> Anyway, now I have to write something to live up to the subject
> line...oh, yeah.  I can ramble about why I'm going to miss LUG *again*.
> Sigh.  It looks like I will be somewhere in Montana visiting in-laws or
> something.  We'll take the 4WD though and try to do some camping on the
> way up, and try to take at least a couple of easy off-road trails for
> the fun of it (I know of at least one little one in Grand Teton and I
> think we have a map of one somewhere up near Cooke City that gets you
> part way to grasshopper glacier or something).  Maybe hiking in the
> Beartooths.  I always wanted to spend a week or two hiking up there, and
> we can't do that this time, but we can try car-camping near trailheads
> and day-hiking.  Yeah, car-camping and day-hiking is tenderfoot stuff,
> but I've been living in SoCal so by now I'm the very model of a
> tenderfoot, right?  (If you thought I was going to say "the very model
> of a modern major-general, pat yourself on the back for being a Gilbert
> and Sullivan dweeb.)
> 
> Ah, yes, the mountains, the bright stars above...that lonely feeling of
> looking through a huge window *into* the universe...it makes you ask the
> big questions.  The questions that really matter.  Questions like: I
> wonder if we have enough warm things to handle sleeping in a tent above
> 10,000 ft in September?  I wonder I'm in good enough shape to hike above
> 10,000 ft?  With Eric on my back?  And will my huffing and puffing be
> loud enough to let the wildlife know I'm there and mean no harm?  And if
> we let the pup come with us is smart enough yet to let me know there if
> there is something big in the area?  And smart enough not to invite it
> over for tea?
> 
> OK, I mentioned Linux and 4WD, got to work guns in here somehow...ah,
> right.  In case the name *BEARtooths* didn't clue you in, that *is* bear
> country, and not the cuddly little black things around here either.
> (It's also cat country, but they are less of a worry.) There are a
> startling number of shooters on this list, so I might as well add that
> I've actually been debating with myself about whether I want to pack a
> little large-caliber bear repellant for the unlikely event that we have
> a close encounter; bear attacks are very rare, but I have this aversion
> to the feeling that I'm not prepared.
> 
> The trusty mauser gathering dust in the closet is actually a very light,
> handy, luggable gun, but the cartridge is too light for that job even
> with 175-grain loads...in fact, anything reasonably sane to fire is too
> light for that job, and anything heavy enough isn't sane to fire and is
> even less sane in a light luggable gun.  But I started asking myself
> what I might want along anyway, especially if we *do* plan for longer
> hikes and camps further out in other years.  Fun question for a few of
> you who like such things.  I tend to think of things like a
> short-barreled 12-gauge slug gun and a Marlin guide gun in .45-70 (yeah,
> I like old cartridges--what of it?).  That would not be a fun gun for
> plinking!
> 
> Of course, we *could* just carry pepper spray like every other
> tenderfoot and yahoo, especially as we won't be penetrating the
> backcountry.  That's sensible and easy, so we probably will...on the
> other hand, there is a well-known joke: a guy goes into a general store
> in Red Lodge to buy a few last supplies before heading out for his first
> hike in the Beartooths.  He buys some bear bells and pepper spray, and
> then worriedly asks the proprietor how to tell the difference between a
> black bear and a grizzly.  The proprietor thinks a moment and says
> "well, you can tell by the scat."  Our man replies "Well, what is the
> scat like then?"  The store owner pauses to spit out his 'backy and says
> "It's pretty easy.  Black bear scat contains nuts, berries, and seeds.
> Grizzly scat usually contains little bells and smells like pepper
> spray."
> 
> You know--we should have a LUG outing to a shooting range.  I might try
> going to the gun show in Orange County tomorrow and just look a bit at
> guide-gun sized firearms, if anyone is interested.
> 
> Dustin
> 
> -- 
>     "Intolerance?  The *truth* is intolerant." -- le Faux
> 
> The small binary attachment on every message I send is my PGP digital
> signature, not a virus.  If you don't know what that is, you can ignore it.
> If you do, my keyserver is pgp.mit.edu.
>