The Problem with Environmentalist Tree Hugging Hippies

[ SPOILER ALERT ]

[ SPOILER ALERT FOR GAME OF THRONES - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ]

[ SPOILER ALERT ]

Life imitates art again... George RR Martin discusses the response to the demise of one of his characters in the Game of Thrones series.

"It has come to my attention that a number of television viewers (mostly those who had not read my books and did not know what was coming)were shocked and upset by what befell Sansa's direwolf Lady at the end of the second episode of HBO's GAME OF THRONES.

Good. I mean, that was kind of the point.

But some people were reportedly so shocked and upset that they wrote angry blogs about it, and even declared that they would not continue watching the show.

Not so good. Obviously, I'm sorry to hear that.

I don't know if any of those people are reading my Not A Blog. But in case they are, perhaps it will make you feel a little better to know that Zunni, the Northern Inuit who played Lady, is alive and well, and has been adopted by Sophie Turner, the lovely young actress who plays Sansa in the show. We didn't really kill her."

But here is the kicker...

"(Rhodri Hosking, the young actor who played the butcher's boy Mycah, was not actually killed either, though oddly, no one seems quite so upset about him)."

How often do we hear about saving the tree/bird/unicorn, but with nary a word mentioned about the impact to people?

Bricks Power the Internet

Sites that generate the most referral traffic:
1. Google
2. The Drudge Report
3. Brick O'Lore

Baofeng UV-3R: The Specs

I've posted a lot about the Baofeng UV-3R, but I've been remiss in posting the technical specifications of the radio. The information may not be perfect. I have noticed differences in what others has posted and what Baofeng listed. For example, squelch may be 0-9 or 1-9.

Functions and Features
- LCD Menu Operations
- 50 CTCSS, 104 CDCSS
- 99 Channels (1 Emergency Channel)
- Time-out Timer (Off/30/60/90/120/150/180 secs)
- Key Tone/Keypad Beep (Off, On)
- FM Radio Built-in (87.0 - 108.0 MHz)
- Shift Frequency
- VOX (Off/1-9 Levels)
- Call Tone (1750 KHz)
- Squelch Set (1-9 Levels)
- Electronic Volume Adjusting (8 Levels)
- Keypad Lock
- Backlight (On/Off/Key)
- Tail Tone Elimination
- Battery Save
- Monitor
- Power Capacity Display (Off, On)
- Low Battery Alert
- Restore to Factory Default
- PC Programming
- FM Radio Channel Storage

Technical Specification - General
Frequency Range | 136-174/400-470 MHz
Channel Capacity | 99
Channel Spacing | 5/6.25/12.5/25 KHz
Operated Voltage | 3.8V
Standard Battery | 1500 mAh
Battery Life | 10 hours
Frequency Stability | 2.5ppm (-20°C to 60%degC)
Operating Tempature | -30°C to 60%degC
Antenna Impedance | 50 Ω
Dimensions | 1.9" x 3.2" X .9" (Approximate)
Weight | 140g

Technical Specification - Transmitter
RF Power Output | 2W
Modulation | F3E
Spurious Emission | 65 dB
FM Noise | 45 dB (N)/42 dB (W)
Audio Distortion | 5.00%
Adjacent Channel Power | 60 dB
Max Frequency Deviation | <= 2.5 KHz (N)/ <= 5.0 KHz (W)
Frequency Error | 500 Hz
Modulation Distortion | 0.1 KHz (300 - 3000 KHz)
Transmitting Current | <= 1.4 A

Technical Specification - Receiver
Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD) | 0.2 uV
Squelch Selectivity | 0.15 uV
Adjacent Channel Selectivity | >= 65 dB
Background Noice | <= 50 mV
Spurious Response Rejection | -60 dB
FM Ham and Noise | 48 dB (N) /48 dB (W)
Audio Power Output at 8 Ω | <= 1.7 V
Audio Distortion | <= 10%
Receiver Current | <= 400 mA
Standby Current | <= 75 mA

Source: Baofeng UV-3R Product Page

Baofeng UV-3R: Internals, Integrated Circuits

Fabrice, F4AVI, of France, was kind enough to share some pictures of the internal components of the UV-3R on the Yahoo Group. In addition, he's researched the chips. I've added the links and please note I had to guess about which version of RDA5802 is used.

"I have the old version, with 12 menu items and NO 1750Hz. I decided to open the rig, just to see inside.

I found the main CHIP is a RDA1846 which is an entirely integrated IC for portable radio. It's a true totally digital radio, with DSP inside for both receiving and transmitting.

The FM band IC, is a RDA 5802, similar to RDA 1846, but only for FM receiving.

There is a serial EEPROM 24C16 too, and I think I will try to read his content just to see if i can find something interesting.

The main processor is under the LCD display, but I didn't want to unmount it, as I'm scared for malfunction of the display after that."

For the rest of the pictures, sign up for the UV-3R Yahoo Group. It is a great resource for this rig.

Coal Creek Armory: Face Lift

I noticed the other day that they were painting at CCA and some things were shuffled around. Looks like they are getting a nip tuck.

On Target Training Center

I've used On Target Training Center for FFL transfers a couple of times. I get really cheap when I buy my guns and pinch every penny, so I look for the lowest cost transfer. (I've bought several guns from Bud's. They seem really hard to beat on price.) Doug was doing the transfers for $25, but has gone to $30. That's still better than other places since it includes the background check. Right now he is only open Monday through Thursday.

Kel-Tec PF-9 Week: Day 6 - KTOG

The Blogger problem got me rattled and I forgot to add the following to Day 5 - Links.

There is a plethora of great information on the Kel-Tec Owner's Group PF-9 forum. Seriously. A. Ton. Of. Information.

And Golden Loki Fluff N Buff - the "gold" standard for improving reliability of your PF-9.

Helmet Cam Videos

There are those who doubt that live video from helmet cams was transmitted back to the situation room during the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. I say if the the Colonial Marines had access to helmet cam technology, then Seal Team Six would have as well.

Image by Gryffindor

Grrr. Arrgh. Blogger Broke 2

Here is the official word from Google about what happened to break Blogger.

"Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior."

That clears it right up.

Here is a short list of my posts that you might have missed (or you could just scroll down through the site):

Baofeng UV-3R: Local Knowledge

Heard on the 940 Repeater

Baofeng UV-3R Menu Options

Tactial iPad Case

Kel-Tec PF-9 Week: Day 4 - My Holsters

Kel-Tec PF-9 Week: Day 3 - My Thoughts

And after clicking Publish Post, I am off to do a backup and go to bed.

Kel-Tec PF-9 Week: Day 5 - Links

Kel-Tec PF9 - link to the manufacturer's website

Matt G's detailed experience with the PF9 at Better and Better - His experience mirrored mine exactly. Firing pin, here today and gone after the next round.

"We struggled with ammo combinations, and this last qualification, noted that it didn't eject well, and then didn't fire. I looked at it, and found that the extractor spring retention screw had backed out, which accounted for the problems with extraction. It also served as the firing pin retention screw, which accounted for the fact that the firing pin and its spring were gone. Not Present. Well, this was fixable. A call to Kel-Tec, and they again sent the parts free of charge. The lady with tech support cautioned us wisely: "Whenever you turn that retention screw, be sure to put some LocTite red on it before putting it back together!" Excellent advice."

Shooting Illustrated's "Skinny to the Nines" - a simple review of the PF9 and other small 9mm pistols. Interesting that they comment that the mag release is right where it should be.

Oleg has some glamor shots of the PF-9 at his Volk Studio Blog. Very cool shots that are worth a two seconds for the page to load. The .22LR conversion he shows is from Twisted Industries. A taste of Oleg's work: