August 28, 2006
Rule One: All Guns are Always Loaded
The US Army has a new program to increase firearms safety. New recruits were getting sent overseas so fast, they didn't have much time to familiarize themselves with proper gun safety habits, and so were accidentally shooting each other once deployed.
from the AP article:
Soldiers such as Pvt. Kenneth Dykeman, 21, of Portland, Ore., carry their gun to class, physical training and even have it nearby as they sleep. At night, Dykeman keeps his weapon under his mattress, with the rifle's magazine in his locker....
Even in the training environment, soldiers are required to keep a round of ammunition in their chambers and clear their guns before entering any building.
Looks like the Army is taking a lesson from Jeff Cooper's "enhanced" Rules of Firearm Safety. Most folks know them as follows:
Rule 1: Treat all guns as if they were loaded.
Rule 2: Never point a gun at something you don't want a hole in (your TV, your dog, your foot)
Rule 3: Finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Rule 4: Be sure of your target, what's behind your target, and its surroundings.
Cooper's version of Rule One is as follows: "All guns are always loaded."
For those of us used to "cold" ranges, where guns are unloaded except at the firing line, this is kind of freaky, but it really seems to make sense, and is being proven so by the new Army doctrine.
If everyone knows every gun they see is loaded, they'll be extra-careful around the guns, especially their own. OK, they're not issuing real ammo until they get deployed into the field, but even blanks can do some pretty bad things (c.f. Jon Erik Hexum).
The Army says this program has reduced accidental discharges (AD's) considerably.
August 22, 2006
Ninjas are Back and Cuter Than Ever
The ninja craze petered out as the UFC ground-and-pounded its way onto the martial arts scene in the 1990s. But ninjas are making a comeback. This time, they're not just silent, deadly, and mysterious, but oh so cute!
For example, consider the Wee Ninja from designer Shawn Smith. This little bad boy comes in "Wee" (10x9 inches) and "Pocket" (5x5 inches) sizes.
Aren't these so much cooler than that sappy "Little Dragons" crap?
Smith even has a whole back story, illustrated in Smith's Keith Haring meets Peter Max style, entitled "Ninjatown".
This trend isn't new, however. The Flash cartoon Ninjai: The Little Ninja has been a cult phenomenon on the Web for a few years now, and has limited distribution through Atom Films and G4TV.
Now only if TMNT will come back! Heck, Power Rangers are still going strong, right?
August 17, 2006
Cool Stuff: Speed Square
This little indestructible piece of metal rides around in my toolpouch and is so natural to work with, so much the one thing I instantly grab to square up a cut or do a quick measurement, that it's almost built-in to my hand. [Now wouldn't this have made a better plug-in peripheral for Mr. Han, Bruce Lee's nemesis in Enter the Dragon?].
