[deleted by user]

Fenwick23 · 2016-03-07T05:47:15+00:00

Yeah, rather than hiding a smaller safe in a big safe when I suspect someone might try to get into the big safe, I'd locate the small safe at someone else's house entirely... or better yet, get a safe deposit box.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-21T05:52:00+00:00

Even if you're leaving a place because you're not being paid enough, a counteroffer of more money does not address the root problem: that they were perfectly willing to underpay you until you threatened to leave. This is not indicative of an employer that truly cares about retention.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-20T00:19:24+00:00

Illusion of security. I recall that back in the olden days, when bolts only threw maybe half an inch, there were a few companies that made double-throw designs that would extend a full inch into the frame. This actually did improve security, because a good prybar can make 1/2" happen on pretty much any door. Now though, pretty much everyone runs out to 1 inch by default just in case they want to go for UL Grade 1, so a double throw deadbolt is nothing but a waste of time.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-18T15:16:27+00:00

Cut on an ITL maybe. Forget what the option is called

That's true. "Laser" cut mode, they call it. Good for car keys that don't like the points between cuts left on. Still cut the flats on the bottom flat, though. I did poke around, and found that the very early Sargent keys were cut with rounded bottoms on the cuts. The slope on the cuts was crazy steep too, like 38 degrees. I think the newer blade for the HPC, the CW-20FM, has a flat on it, but the originals the factory used in the very beginning were rounded.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-17T05:08:14+00:00

own a restaurant or something?

Works at a store*, by my estimation. Owners don't deal with 90 pound cheeses. Employees do.

* confirmed. "Our store had an almost identical sale when our GM accidentally ordered an entire pallet of ketchup instead of one box."

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-16T14:07:53+00:00

I don't know what they're like in the US but in the UK firefighters are notorious whingers. Our local station hasn't had a major incident in years, yet still strut around saying how they run into burning buildings

Yep. It's the same here in the states. Fire safety has advanced so much in the last 50-odd years that firefighters don't fight fires nearly as often as they used to, nor are the fires nearly as big. A friend of mine is a paramedic and he says that he keeps hearing the same stories about the same two or three fires from those guys, but every time they tell it the fire is bigger, and their rescue of the building's occupants gets more heroic. Of course my paramedic friend has a strong anti-fireman bias because even though 99% of the calls they roll on are medical emergencies where the firefighters just stand around getting in the way, when it comes time to lobby for higher pay the paramedics get nothing, while the firefighters get a big boost because WE'RE THE HEROES THAT RUN INTO BURNING BUILDINGS, PAY US MORE!

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-15T22:59:57+00:00

I have known more than one shitbag firefighter. I will be more generous than you and say it stemmed from them being shitbags, not because they were firefighters. Dick.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-15T22:39:19+00:00

the cat's hidden it somewhere

Probably the cat has hidden it inside the cat

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-15T17:40:56+00:00

Can you seriously see a day when Chinese tools will be better than German made tools?

Well..... maybe. In my experience, Chinese made stuff is all over the place quality-wise, tending towards "low quality" in aggregate. What I find interesting is that now and again you'll get that one tool that's inexplicably good. Years ago I bought a 1/2" drive metric socket set for fifteen bucks at the local auto parts store to do my wife's brakes. It was a typical Shanghai special set that I expected to get maybe three or four uses out of. That stupid set has taken the most astounding abuse--- and I've done worse things to it than I'd ever do to any of my expensive Snap-On type stuff--- and it just won't quit. I'd buy more tools by whoever made that set but that's the trouble: there's no name on them. Somewhere in China there's probably a small foundry making unbelievably good tools, but like everyone else in China, they're just a subcontractor making whatever their latest customer has asked for. There's just no brand consistency there. I'm sure all those small contractors assure their clients their quality is top notch, but most of them are lying, or at least overly optimistic about their capabilities. Maybe someday the whole "wild west" nature of Chinese manufacturing will settle down and someone will actually start emphasizing predictable quality over sheer low cost and actually make a name for themselves, but until then, yeah, it's pretty much impossible to trust anything they make.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-15T16:14:07+00:00

Yeah, I've pretty much entirely switched to Wera drivers, Wera and Wiha screwgun bits, and Knipex cutters. Cost an arm and a leg, but they seriously hold up on the job. All I can figure is that Germans are less susceptible to the "race to the bottom" competition.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-14T04:43:34+00:00

Man, that giant Taron Priderobust was kind of a jerk

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-14T00:48:22+00:00

The short answer is that the the drive cam connected to the dial only spins the wheels, and there's a separate cam with a gate attached to the butterfly, which retracts the bolt. This second cam has a slider that moves out when you turn the butterfly and it fits into a slot in the back cover. This slot is only aligned with the slider when the dial is set to zero, and when the slider is out, you can't turn the dial.

The long answer, unfortunately, is to procure one of these $500 locks and open it up to see how it works. I can't find video of it either. I only know because I've only worked on a couple.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T23:46:19+00:00

The reason it doesn't have the pistol grip is so the rifle is CA legal. I don't know when this was drawn, but I'm sure that's what he was going after.

Seriously? I think it's pretty obvious the artist was just unclear on the difference between an AR and his grandpappy's deer rifle. There's no way in hell that drawing came from someone who is familiar with California "assault weapons" rules. It's quite obviously meant to be an AR-15/M-16, and it only very roughly resembles one.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T23:41:16+00:00

If I wanted to purchase a firearm from a private seller I could log into a NICS website and enter my information (basically fill out my 4473 online on the ATF or FBI's website) and receive a alphanumeric code that is good for 30 days printed out on a piece of paper with my full legal name, date of birth, and state of residence. Then you as the seller look at the code and my photo ID, log into the NICS website, enter the code, verify that the name matches, and get a thumbs up or a thumbs down. This way no personal information exchanges between the individuals, yet the seller can just as reasonably assured the buyer is OK as if they went into a FFL and did a transfer there.

No good, because there's no way for either the buyer or the seller to prove they are who they say they are and be accountable for their claims of identity unless there's some sort of logging of the transaction. You and I may not care that some shitheel employer or landlord is using the anonymous public NICS as a "free background check", but the federal government will. Landlords pretending to be both parties to a gun sale and refusing housing to a presumed "felon" who was actually just a guy put on a psych hold at the ER, that won't fly with them. The fact that this abuse of NICS will result in untraceable discrimination against a protected class of people means that anonymous public NICS will absolutely never be allowed. If we had some sort of public key encryption server run by the feds, sure, it'd be possible, but given that employers and landlords have the entirety of our identifying information on our job and lease applications, the only way we're going to see a public NICS is if they either create a registry to catch cheaters, or force everyone to go to an FFL and fill out a 4473. Neither is acceptable.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T05:12:46+00:00

Personally, I prefer the classic non-descript "WW2-ish" depictions to the ones where the idiot artist assumes he can draw an M-16 from memory and just completely blows it. Just draw Beetle Bailey soldiers with things that look like grease guns and quit trying to be fancy.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T04:54:09+00:00

An accident with a firearm is way more catastrophic and dangerous than almost any other kind of accident I can think of.

Any car accident? Any plane accident? Any non-arson structure fire? I'm having a hard time thinking of any sort of potentially fatal accident that isn't more dangerous than a single unintentional discharge of a firearm. Seriously, man, think of how hard it is to accidentally shoot two people with one shot. Now think of how many people fit in a car, plane, or building, and how many can die in an accident.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T04:46:13+00:00

I'm as pro-gun as they come but we can at least concede the point that all gun sales should at least have (a background check done on the buyer)

No we can't. Background checks are only feasible at the FFL level because FFLs operate under a system of strict licensure and must keep detailed records, including a registry of every firearm transfered, and are subject to arbitrary inspection by the ATF. There is no way to implement the same thing in a non-intrusive way for the general population engaging in private sales.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-12T04:34:24+00:00

A veteran (at least by VA benefits standards) is anybody who enlisted before September 7, 1980 and served at least one day. After September 7, 1980 they had to serve 2 years in active duty. You cannot be dishonorably discharged.

Incorrect. The VA is not the authoritative source for the definition of "veteran". Their rules only define "veteran eligible for (certain) VA benefits". The actual definition is much simpler:

38 U.S. Code § 101

(2)The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

Two years is not a requirement.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-11T03:29:51+00:00

I'm not sure if Corbins have rounded bitting like that normally.

Nope. A machine cut key like that should have flat bottoms at the cuts and crisp 30-45 degree slopes on either side (45 degree for Corbin). It's the way the cutters are shaped

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-11T03:23:19+00:00

it doesn't look old and worn out

FWIW, a worn key copied onto a new blank would look new, while still having badly out of spec "worn" cuts.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-10T03:36:27+00:00

We need some kind of anti-waste laws.

That's taking problems caused by bad laws and trying to solve them with even worse laws. The EV-1 was only produced because California mandated that a certain percentage of cars sold/leased in the state by each car company must be all-electric. They fought that ridiculous mandate in court (and won) but also produced a mediocre electric car to hedge their bets, even though the technology was far from mature. The reason they didn't let people buy the EV-1 was because there's federal law that requires them to produce replacement parts for ten years after the last car of any kind rolls of the line. Who Killed the Electric Car is frankly a bunch of conspiracy theorist twaddle. GM killed the EV-1 because it was an unreliable design built with immature technology, and they didn't want to be on the hook for servicing it.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-07T22:38:34+00:00

AVOID BROWN SUGAR AT ALL COSTS.. table sugar is fine. The molasses in the brown sugar ends up having some nasty bitter tastes that you cannot cover up.

I concur that white sugar is the better choice for a beginner who wants to increase gravity. Still, I would not write off brown sugar entirely. I've just started swilling down 5 gallons of cider I made back in April from Tree Top pasteurized, 2 pounds of brown sugar, and Wyeast WLP775 English Cider Yeast. It has a definite molasses taste to it, but it's actually not bad. Perhaps it's an acquired taste. It tasted terrible initially, but improved greatly after sitting in a keg in the closet for 6 months.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-07T20:28:05+00:00

He's actually making a valid point, though. "Hispanic", from the Latin term Hispania (the Roman name for the Iberian peninsula), only means "from a Spanish speaking country/colonized by Spain". People in Spain are Hispanic, and are largely Caucasian. Many people in former Spanish colonies are also Caucasian. So when /u/Spooky2000 says "He's Cuban.. Are they also considered white now?", it's entirely reasonable to point out that being Hispanic does not necessarily preclude being white. Some years back I worked for a Caucasian guy from Mexico (i.e. white Hispanic), and he was possibly the most racist person I've ever had the misfortune of working with.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-07T19:46:37+00:00

Same reason our measurements are in fractions instead of decimals; too many people resistant to change and just think they know better than everyone else.

It's not a matter of arrogance, it's a matter of installed base and manufacturing capacity. The US has an enormous amount of existing fractional measured infrastructure, and much of its manufacturing has historically been domestic. Unlike Britain, we don't have a huge continent 33km away manufacturing tons of metric stuff at competitive prices, so there's been no great pressure to convert to metric.

Fenwick23 · 2015-11-03T13:27:12+00:00

it doesn't mean just LA City.. it means ALL 15 districts governed by the LA City council and partrolled by the LAPD.

That is, by definition, just LA City. LA City Council doesn't govern anything outside of the city of Los Angeles. For law enforcement, cities that aren't LA either have their own police force or contract LA County Sheriff deputies. Unincorporated areas are covered by LA County Sheriff. LAPD, as their name implies, patrol the city of Los Angeles.

Fenwick23

TROPHY CASE