Weekend Roundup...
Yesterday was quite productive, as I finally met "the man behind the blog", as it were.
Phil Marx (My HUD House) had the opportunity to stop on down to my part of "da hood", and we chatted for a few hours over a brewskie about neighborhood similarities, differences, among some other things I won't disclose.
Suffice it to say that our own personal survival techniques have served us well over time, but now it's time to ramp things up a tad, and by that I mean devise a methodology that will "make a larger stink" around our respective areas, designed to keep the Barbarians from the gates, as the saying goes.
Time to put those defenders of justice to the test by seeing how the rubber meets the road.
We did talk about the possibility of getting our own "Band of Bloggers" (not related to the U.S. troops in Iraq show on History Channel) together and take a trip to Huntington where they have a shooting range. Someone's going to have to drive me there, 'cause I've NEVER been anywhere other than Decatur, Portland and Harlan...(willing to chip in for gas money)!
Damn, THAT sounds like fun. Bunch of good guys...with GUNS...making quality noise while honing our individual skills. And NOBODY firing BACK. Whatta rush! Guess I'll have to stock up on some more ammo then (where is that Dick's Sporting Goods flyer?), blow the dust off of my 9mm, lube it up, and purchase some wad-cutters for target shooting. Yes, I will be saving the Federal Hydra-Shoks for "personal defense".
Note to self: NO +P rounds!
With that aside, let me direct you to Councilman Hines' statement regarding the take home car policy for the FWPD, and the news story mentioned (just as I did in yesterday's post here) which has our very own Chief York a bit dubious as to eliminating it. York feels that a lot of crime has been prevented MERELY by the presence of those FWPD cars the officers are permitted to take home.
Gee, Rusty...can't quite convince ME of that, when I live in an area where NOT ONE FWPD OFFICER LIVES (or will even consider living at this time). I hate to be a wet blanket on this point, but think about WHERE the majority of officers DO live...(hint, it AIN'T DOWN HERE - pardon my verbiage, but I want to emphasize the futility of all this).
Back in late september 2006, one of my EARLY posts dealt with an idea that might merit consideration. It was a "graduated" pay plan by officers that were using take home cars. If you lived IN the city proper, you pay $10 every paycheck. Within 10 miles of the city limits - $15, and further outside of Fort Wayne - $25. Seems easy enough, even with the sky-rocketing prices of everything today, right?
But, as usual, not one person paid attention....pathetic!
Well, Scarlett...tomorrow IS another day.
But frankly my dear, the city doesn't give a damn.
File this last story under VERY COOL $HIT!
The military is testing a Sarcos Inc/Raytheon prototype of an "exoskeleton" designed to give troops a bit more "muscle", albeit, electronically enhanced. We're talking a times 20 factor here.
That's ONE super soldier, or should I say Iron Man?
I'm thinking it's the beginning of those "loaders" we saw in Alien 2 (that Ripley dispatched the queen with handily), or even something akin to those machines the humans used to defend Zion in Matrix: Revelations. The main limitation NOW is battery time (isn't it always that way when you have a fun toy you love playing with?), so a test was conducted with a harnessed power supply. The other limiting factor is COST (something this cool isn't going to be a bargain...not yet anyway). Where's the ENERGIZER BUNNY when you NEED him?
A soldier than can bench press 200 lbs for a few reps, can easily press that same 200 lbs for 500 reps, and aside from getting bored, could keep going...and going...and going.!
The army sees this (for now) as a way to load cargo or repairing heavy equipment, but also envisions having the suit utilized in combat (gonna need a touch more armoring on that first). Initial field tests will begin next year.
This technology proves that robotics CAN amplify human muscle power in reality, and not just in comic books. The research by the army began back in 1995, but has to date failed to yield practical suits.
Sarcos, Inc, which had been bought by Raytheon is also responsible for the robotic dinosaurs used in the Jurassic Park theme park ride...(astounding)!
In addition to tasks such as unloading heavy ammo and equipment from helicopters and jet transports, there's armored vehicle repair, and a host of civilian applications which also loom on the horizon.
We might see a day where firefighters are no longer encumbered by carrying hoses up multiple flights of stairs in a burning building. And the applications for people sidelined by a wide range of disabilities are nothing short of mind-boggling, in my opinion.
We could even have this (modified for limited , low-level flight) become the new wave of commuting to work.
Finally, a REAL solution to "road rage"...BWAHAHAhahaha!
But I still wonder...
As an alternative to driving a gas-consuming vehicle...how many miles will it get to a charge?
Do have a SAFE weekend.