I'm not a huge car guy, but I can appreciate the finer things in life, like nice cars, along with the fun and iconic movie car. My all time favorite still being the Black on Black Interceptor from Mad Max.
Anyways, I saw this picture on the *name redacted* subreddit today, and figured I have to post while it's still fresh. The title of the post was "That's not right" and most of the comments insisted it was an intentional troll. See if you can find what's VERY wrong with this picture:
Trick question. There are TWO things wrong with this picture. One, the Ectomobile shown in the pic is from the 2016 movie, which is garbage that no one cares about. Two, is that they show the Spinner from the crappy Blade runner 2049 garbage movie, and not the iconic classic from the original 80's film. Original reddit post here.
Also, just to make you're not missing out on a good laugh, here's the funniest thing I've seen all month (even though it s few days old by now):
Thanks for the pro-tip, Austin.
Look, I've always been of the opinion that you can do what you want with your life as long as you aren't hurting anyone, including yourself (screw you, libertarians). But being delusional about your reality then insisting that others buy into it, is nothing short of a class of mental problems. To those in professional circles, that is either a "Delusional disorder" or straight up "Psychosis".
Feel free to make believe all you like, but to insist that some guy is a girl, is the result of only four things I can think of: abusive parenting, some form of trauma (or other abuse), a horrible trick/joke, or straight up delusions. All of those things in and of themselves are hurting the individual who is claiming to be what they aren't, and they need help.
So, sorry that I'm not sorry for laughing my ass off at someone who just got a nice pimp-slap full of reality to hit them right in the face (pun intended).
It just hit me that I'm old enough that if I try to use that word in the title of this post with someone half my age, they will have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. Fun.
As for the music this week, I'm putting up a double feature of a couple of the coolest video game themes ever made. Because I'm pretty sure I've posted it here before, but so many of my older music posts are broken, and I could't see any with them in it that were working, so here ya go:
Max Payne Theme
...and of course, the sequel version:
Max Payne 2 Theme
As I said before, the first two Max Payne games were some of the few games that I played for the story they were so good. The gameplay was revolutionary and it's what got me to start playing, but the story is what got me to complete it.
For all the cool crap that is shown off at SHOT show every year, there's an equal (if not greater) amount of puzzling, odd, or outright dumb things shown off there too. Here's all the stuff I saw that was either confusing to me, had an indifferent reaction, or were just outright silly:
There seem to be a lot of people introducing (or-reintroducing) their own PCC/SMG type guns that really want to chase that HK MP5 (and clones) market, but to me offer no real advantage over it. I got no problem with competition, but these are kinda puzzling to me.
The first one is just WTF territory IMO. The YKMF-5 is just kind of silly, in that it's meant to just LOOK like an MP5. It uses MP5 mags (so there is no bolt hold open), and is straight blowback, so recoil is likely to be worse. It comes with no sights, and retails for nearly $1800, so you're better off just getting a PTR MP5 clone for cheaper that likely shoots far better (and sure as hell looks better). What market did they think they were going for? The more money than sense people? Same goes for the Dead Foot Arms MP5-like thing.
Why make an MP5 competitor if it has literally no advantages over the MP5, not even price?
Another that's on the "but why?" scale of MP5 wannabes is the MDP-9. Now, don't get me wrong, it seems like a straight up high quality product. It's part of the concept that puzzles me. Why make a PCC/SMG type weapon if you are gonna use freaking Glock mags, unless the sale price is super cheap, like the AR PCCs? There are plenty of better alternatives out there (like CZ Scorpion 2 mags), but people keep doing it. That, and for this particular gun, you are again getting something that'll cost you a ridiculous amount (MSRP $2700), so I'd still rather straight up buy a freaking G36C or an actual HK SP5 for nearly the same price (or a Pistol AR for far, far cheaper). Same goes for the Czech CSV-9 Four Peaks is importing. Really cool gun, just stupid that I'm stuck with those Glock mags.
To continue on the same topic, the excellent company B&T has again released a new PCC/SMG, that being the SPC-9. It's another high quality gun (I mean, it's Swiss, of course it is), but the thing I just don't like about it is the same thing as the MPX or MP7. Why in the world do you use that same charging handle style from the AR? It's just an awful feature on an otherwise amazingly great gun.
Another thing that was still pretty surprising (or at least WTF) in the world of rifles, was the announcement that the other competitor in the Army's NGSW program, the bullpup RM277, will also be offered for civilian sale soon. Gosh, that thing is ugly, and I'm still just not a fan of bullpup rifles at all, despite the advantages they offer.
On a related note, I mentioned earlier that the RM277's competitor the SIG MCX SPEAR is also coming to the civilian market, but I only now found out the price. It's also going for the outrageous MSRP of nearly $8000; and that's for something that ultimately equates to nothing but a fancy AR upper, so I can't imagine the price the RM277 is going to go for. Freaking idiots.
Just a big "I don't really care" from a lot of the stuff at this year's show, unfortunately.
I don't hate the 5.7mm cartridge, and I am kinda glad to see more people making new platforms for it, but as for buying one, I still just shrug my shoulders at it. So I guess the new PSA 5.7 Rock pistol, despite looking really good, even better than the kinda dumb Ruger 5.7 pistol, it gets just a big 'meh' response from me. That, and I don't exactly equate PSA with anything resembling "quality" after a few incidents experienced by myself and friends.
Then there is Fabrique Nationale re-releasing their semi auto M249S for the civilian market. Not only that, but they are also offering a para model as well. I guess I'm just on the fence with this one too, as I love the idea of a belt-fed gun without a tax stamp, but being that it's not full auto just kinda takes all the fun out of it along with the very point of a belt-fed.
Another thing is all the Glock kits, clones, and custom Glock parts. Glock is a good gun, I just don't like 'em at all, so I just think "ho hum" whenever I see the ever increasing onslaught of those kind of products at SHOT, when they really don't do much than just offer a copy of the same ergonomics, takedown, trigger, etc. I didn't link to any specific examples, as there's just too many being announced/shown to even list them here.
Going back to FN Herstal, remember the really nice new Hi-Power they were re-releasing? Well, I finally got wind of the MSRP for those things and it's gonna be a whopping $1270-1370 for that effing dumb thing! I'd rather buy a freaking used Desert Eagle or anew USP .45 Tactical, or a really nice rifle for that price! I was expecting it to be pricier than the other offerings out there, but jeez! So, screw those guys sideways at FN for making you pay for their name and not the gun.
Everyone's reaction when FN says they'll make the Hi-Power cost more than novelty and gucchi guns!
Although not really a big thing at SHOT show this year, the Springfield Saint Edge ATC was recently reviewed by the Military Arms Channel. Just a shame it appears to be a bit a of a disappointment, as I had high hopes for that one.
SHOT show is freaking huge, and a single person or company can't really cover all the things seen there. That being said, I do love the coverage offered by The Firearm Blog, In-Range, Brownells, and Forgotten Weapons. So here are all the things I loved most from the coverage of SHOT show 2022:
AKs are just great. Even better is when they are official. All images obviously ripped from TFB blog.
Another cool thing is that the 'ol 44 AutoMag is being re-released and the company is not just shoveling out the same old broken gun, but they have been trying to implement significant improvements to increase reliability. I'm not really interested in getting one at all (until I have more money than sense), but it's nice to see they are trying to improve the old classic:
I've always said an AR15 is better for new shooters because it's so easy to use, but they are far more complicated to clean or disassemble beyond field stripping than most. So, a silly, little thing that makes dealing with ARs easier, is the Magpul AR ejection port cover:
Magpul X4. So cool, but likely to be hideously expensive, I assume.
The Magpul X4 system, which is an optic mounting system that allows for a Heads Up Display to be used on a variety of optics. It's one of the few things I thought was super cutting edge at the show and I really think stuff like this is the future of firearms: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/01/18/shot-show-magpul-x-maztech-x4-system/
I think the only PCC/SMG type gun at the show I thought was kinda cool was the POF USA Phoenix. It's cool in that you have AR style fire controls (including bolt hold open), 35 round mags as standard, forward HK-style retractable charging handle, and all for an MSRP of under &1700. Kinda cool, but would still have preferred some kind of delayed blowback system instead of straight blowback:
Also, Brownells FINALLY came out with their AR-18 style folding picatinny mounted stock for the BRN-180, and I'm glad to see that actually come to market after so long. I'm totally buying one at some point.
Man that thing is pretty cool and it MSRP's for under $500? Wow.
Rock Island Armory is always selling great stuff for low prices and the crazy VRF series of shotguns do seem like a really good alternative to the hyper expensive 12 gauge AK/Saigas out there. Also, soon to be made in Cedar City Utah.
Lastly, the other really interesting thing of the show is the Desert Tech AR lower specifically made to accommodate quad stack mags to make them more reliable. Hooray for cool Utah companies.
Another neat thing is RIA's STK100 that has an extremely high level of parts compatibility with the standard Glock. I generally hate the Glock; the crappy trigger, the terrible grip angle, and the awful takedown method. So, it's nice to see that this gun seems to solve a lot of my issues with it. It has a more 1911 style grip angle in an aluminum frame, and allows for drop in triggers. All for an MSRP of only $499. Nice.
Another handgun that caught my eye was the Alpha Foxtrot 15rd 9mm 1911-S15. Really neat that they manage to make a double stack compact 1911 that is slimmer than a regular single stack full size model. Pretty cool.
Just found out today about a youtube channel that helps validate my point earlier about Nazi Germany's Ho229 and how it's stealth properties are complete dumbassery. Here is LazerPig's video about the same subject: The Majestical Horseshit of the Horton 229: Hitler's ""Stealth"" bomber.
After you're done watching that one, go ahead and check out his video on the Russian T-34 tank from WWII, and how it wasn't that good. I've long said the universal praise that tank gets is complete crap. The reasoning being that the way the statistics were measured, gathered, and defined between the different countries participating in WWII were completely different. Add to that the misinformation by propaganda (on both sides) and the fact that production quality was nowhere near the initial design spec in wartime USSR, along with the typical socialist quality problems. So, sorry T-34 fanbois, your tank sucks. Shermans were among the best tanks of the war, just check with the Chieftain!
Although, I will fight him about his video about the A-10, as he does make some basic errors in his logic on it, as he himself pointed out, "War always changes" and sometimes a whole new mission set will give an airframe new life, and as ComNavOps always says, "systems and payloads over airframe". This means that older airframes CAN still be upgraded and refurbished to allow for newer tech and capability, sometimes at a better cost UNTIL a new sheet design can be perfected. So, maybe I'll make a post about that later.
Though, I am appreciative of his takedown of James Burton and Pierre Sprey, as they are generally full of a lot of hot air and arguments with a silly premise.
Cool, but they need to add that dang G36 into the game already.
The spiritual successor to the SWAT series of games is here and it's better than ever. In Ready or Not, much like the SWAT games, you are a police officer who is a member of a SWAT team. Your goal is, in a variety of situations and maps, to bring order to chaos, control the situation, secure all evidence, apprehend all suspects and bystanders/hostages.
The big difference between this and any other shooter out there is that it's the only shooter game who's ultimate goal is to NOT actually shoot people. Granted, much like the Hitman series of games, you certainly CAN go around like a psycho shooting up everything that moves (other than the innocent) and technically pass the level. Here, however, the best scores are reserved for those who take the time to avoid lethal force and actually apprehend all threats, so they can stand trial. Unlike Rainbow Six though, this game also gives you a huge arsenal of less lethal equipment to help you do so.
This is the first level I played and I still haven't passed it yet.
It's really cool, and not only improves upon the visuals, but a lot of thought and effort was put into making the game more challenging as well as realistic. With the bulk of the gameplay improvements being done by improving the AI and their behavior. People will run for their lives, suspects will fake surrendering, then pick up weapons, some will be resistant to less-lethal weapons, some will go to warn others. It's fantastically good.
The game is still in an unfinished state, as it is still in early access, but I would still encourage those with a love for the old (actually good) Rainbow Six games or fans of the SWAT series to pick it up immediately. The devs also appear to have a genuine passion for what they are doing and I have no doubt they won't just grab the money and run. They genuinely love getting feedback from the community to improve the game before it is officially released, and they are constantly pushing out updates.
Element: Breach, bang, and clear!
Despite the game not even being officially released yet, it already has nearly 50,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews from users on Steam and is nearly unanimously praised. It just goes to show what I have been saying for years, that the gaming community wants true tactical shooters that are not dumbed down to the point of being nothing special. The community is starved for this kind of gameplay and is now finally getting what it wants again, now in a higher quality than ever before. Take note, Ubisoft and Red Storm, you morons.
Maybe because I'm a stereotypical nerdy guy, there aren't many musicals I enjoy at all. Even rarer is the musical that I don't get tired of. One of those in that category is the 1962 film adaptation of The Music Man, which I do love very much, and no other version comes close.
Some other musicals I love off the top of my head are: My Fair Lady, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeny Todd, the 1961 version of West Side Story, and of course, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.
So color me surprised when I found out the missus (who is crazy about musicals) had never seen it before I introduced it to her a couple months ago. It's just one of those little things in life that bring you joy: to share something you love with the person you love to find that they enjoy it as well. 😊
As for the film itself, I love it because (imho) unlike most other musicals, it doesn't come across as pretentious and doesn't take itself too seriously, while at the same time being a very heartfelt, yet fun story.
Unlike the insufferably pretentious, self important, and brain-dead modern trash like La La Land or Tick Tick Boom (wish I could scrub those from my brain) or the terrible new version of West Side Story that should have been given the film equivalent of a postpartum abortion.
Anyways, back to the good film here. A fun bit of trivia I didn't know about The Music Man until recently, is that despite Robert Preston being the person to not only portray the main character on Broadway, but help write and develop the character, the studio making the film version didn't actually want him in it! Can you believe that?
Robert Preston and Buddy Hackett are the best parts of the film. Another fun bit of trivia is Robert Preston's character in The Last Starfighter was written for him specifically and is a deliberate tribute to his character in The Music Man.
Come to find they approached several people to lead as Harold Hill, with the studio wanting Frank Sinatra (of all people). Bing Crosby was also offered the role, and also Cary Grant was asked to star as Hill. Thankfully, Cary Grant refused the role saying, "Nobody could do that role as well as Bob Preston" and reportedly told the studio that he wouldn't even bother to see the film unless Preston was in it. I knew I liked Cary Grant for more than just his acting ability.
Anyways, here's my favorite song/piece of the film production, Marian the Librarian. As a fun little note of personal history, as a full time missionary, I practiced the bit of choreography seen when they are sitting on the bench in this segment with three other missionaries I served with. Just for the sole purpose of messing with random people's minds when they passed by us all sitting together. As I said, it's the little things.
With the release of a free AAA quality A-4E Skyhawk mod for the DCS flight sim just a few weeks ago, there are fewer and fewer reasons for me to not devote the rest of my life playing that game. Behold the release trailer for the mod:
Though, despite the lovely Scooter now added for free and an F-4 phantom rumored to be in the works, I'm still waiting for someone to announce an F-105 Thunderchief for the game.
Also, that song is awesome. Suffer City Blues by Suffer City if you are wondering.
Since we've been talking tin foil hats, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear research and defense, along with missile testing this week, here's a fun little diddy from days past:
Ah, Rooster Teeth. Back in the day they were pretty funny...not so much now. But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about today, I'm just posting a video on how to live your life. I realize that I'm likely the minority here, but it ain't no secret to anyone who knows me that I ain't a fan of tattoos at all. I ain't gonna make it my business if someone decides to get one, but I'm not gonna tell them it looks good at all.
I still have yet to hear of a good excuse for a tattoo, with the sole exception of it being involuntary. You know, like Jews that lived through WWII in Europe.
The CEO of FN America stated “Rather than introduce a clone of the original, we had to deliver much more than other brands, knowing the FN High Power would be held to a higher standard." No kidding.
As opposed to other offerings now on the market, this one features some unique new improvements such as:
-A 17+1 round capacity (which is rather impressive). -Fully ambidextrous controls (also cool). -New grip shape and frame texturing to improve handling (much needed). -A complete change in how the pistol is field stripped to be far simpler (also impressive).
Please tell me the grips on the black model on the far left is actual wood, otherwise they screwed up.
I know I've harped on this type of gun too much already, but I think they stole the show on improved Models of Hi-Powers being offered now. The only thing I'm left wondering though, is both the price and what the parts compatibility there is with older models (if any). Cause unlike the other Hi-Power remakes on the market (or even FN's other pistol offerings), I'd actually want to straight up own this one, as long as it ain't too expensive.
The old original entrance gate from back in the day.
To put is succinctly, I'm not a fan of the peacenik idjiots who protested (successfully) to prevent ICBMs from being stationed in Utah. No only because they robbed us of some cool real estate one they would eventually be retired, but they also helped likely prevent other nuclear projects in Utah, such as nuclear power plants, which would have vastly improved the air quality if used instead of coal plants.
An interesting logo/patch for the Deseret Test Center headquartered at Fort Douglas.
In my opinion, chemical and biological weapons and warfare are far more terrifying than the dreaded nuke could ever hope to be. Partially because the nuke is no destructive, so final in it's ending of life, it makes a great deterrent. No sane person would want to be the cause of ending the world, or be seen as being responsible for it. Chemical and biological weapons on the other hand, seem to encourage those in power to play god to find out just how far they can take it. To see if they can engineer something to fit their needs, to scale it to just how fast they want it to spread, how far to spread it, what the effect will be to the targets, whether it makes people docile, disabled, dead, sick, insane, or even gay.
What the main gate looks like today. I miss the big lettering on top of the gate. It was much classier.
It's especially terrifying in that because it's not perceived as so destructive and more malleable than the nuke, so it's often seen as a more viable, usable weapon on an unsuspecting public. Even if it's not lethal, it can be used to terrify and sway the public perception and behavior for political or other nefarious ends (see the commie cough, which is now established as being modified/weaponized in a lab).
Not only that, but despite some accidents and security breaches with nukes and nuclear power plants, they don't scare me as much as the security problems and accidents with chemical and biological weapons. Even good natured research into solutions to chemical and biological threats can yield some pretty scary results and accidents. See the following short documentary on the Dugway Proving Ground's accident history:
Now, I'm not even overly anti-chemical or biological warfare research, particularly in defense research from it, but I'm still fuming at the morons who screwed the rest of us Utahans out of the far safer and more practical civilian applicable alternative of good 'ol nukes.
If you got two roads to go down, I choose the bomb.
If you allow for indulging me for just a post here, I have mentioned before that I do love the old Unsolved Mysteries show back in the day, and am greatly intrigued by most of the stories presented on it. Even though the show isn't quite the same today, my replacement has been the Unresolved Mysteries subreddit to fill the void.
So, without getting into conspiracy theory territory, nowadays we do have some pretty crazy unsolved cases that can be pretty unsettling. So strap yourself in, put on the actually good metal cover of the UM theme in the background:
You listening to it? Okay, now you're ready to read/watch the following:
On a desolate stretch of I-80 in western Utah, there lies the ghost town of Knolls. There ain't much left of it, and there certainly isn't much to see, but what we are interested in is roughly five miles north of that. At that spot, just beyond a hazardous waste site (Clean Harbors waste site, also known as the Grassy Mountain Hazardous Waste Site), on the north side of said waste site, is nestled a small spot of desert land. On that bit of land, there lies a concrete pad, the remains of a bunker, and a Utah State History Division plaque to denote what the National Register of Historic Places calls "The birthplace of the United States Air Force supersonic missile flight test program".
A Google maps picture of the site.
Here is located the site of America's first ever Surface to Air Missile launch. I've briefly mentioned it here before, but figured it deserved a bit more attention.
Developed in the late '40s, with a total of 38 launches of unguided booster test motors from this location starting in June of 1946 by the Boeing Company. They launched from this site into the Wendover Bombing and Gunnery Range on the south side of the current Interstate 80. A funny note here is that, as stated in my previous post about it, they did not have any successful launches until 1947; how many were successful as opposed to not, I did not find out.
The missile itself was called the SAM-A-1 GAPA (Ground-to-Air Pilotless Aircraft), also known internally at Boeing as project MX-606. It had a ramjet booster motor attached at the bottom of a solid fuel missile that was proven to reach speeds up to mach 2, a max range of 30 miles, and max altitude of 59,000 feet.
A picture of the test missiles. I'm also digging the prominent lab coats on the personnel.
The rest of the program was later carried out at what was known then as the Alamogordo Guided Missile Test Base, but now known as Holloman Air Force Base. There, the missile was refined further to test it's radar beam riding (initial guidance) and active radar homing (terminal guidance) systems. An additional 114 test launches were carried out there until the program was ended in 1950, as the GAPA program was cancelled due to losing out to another competing missile program that I mentioned before, the Nike.
All was not lost, as it provided valuable data for not only the military and Boeing, but eventually it would serve as the base of knowledge that would go into developing the later (and totally bonkers) CIM-10 Bomarc nuclear warhead SAM missile program and Project Wizard. This in turn, would form the basis of the engines used on some other crazy cool programs like the Lockheed X-7, the Lockheed AQM-60 Kingfisher, and the Lockheed D-21.
This Bomarc is on display at Hill Aerospace Museum.
This also isn't quite the end of the story either, as the site was pretty much forgotten by the public at large (though, it's still pretty unknown) until 1979, when R. Gilbert Moore (General Manager of the Thiokol Corp. Utah facility at the time) and Richard H. Nelson (Project Engineer for the GAPA program from 1946-1947) visited and photographed the site to submit to the National Register of Historic Places. They did this at the same time that the space shuttle boosters were being developed and tested at Thiokol. I have to wonder if Scott at the Unwanted Blog knows anything about those guys, as he's got a huge repository of knowledge on aerospace and the area around Thiokol.
Pictured here is Richard H. Nelson standing on the launch site in 1979, R. Gilbert Moore was the photographer.
Great times are here again, as you can now play the game that got me into gaming, one of my favorites of all time; except now, it's even better. Over on Mod DB, you can get Rainbow Six: Black Ops 2.0 for free! The only thing needed to install it is the equally free 7zip tool.
The mod was released last September and is a standalone installer, as in you don't need disks or the original game to play. The best part is that it includes the following original Rainbow Six games and expansions (including an exclusive Korean-only release) reproduced into their latest build of the (Black Ops v2.61) game engine:
- Rainbow Six (1998) - Rainbow Six: Eagle Watch (1999) - Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (1999) - Rainbow Six: Urban Operations (2000) - Rainbow Six: Covert Ops Essentials (2000) - Rainbow Six: Black Thorn (2001) (including the alternative (US release) story as an activatable mod) - Rainbow Six: Take Down – Missions in Korea (2001)
If you ain't paying attention, that's 4 games and their expansions for the price of none (beat that, Phil Swift)! But, even beyond that, this release of the game has a plethora of improvements and new features, including but nowhere near limited to:
- Native Windows 10/8/7 and x64 compatibility/support with no additional steps.
- A large overarching singular campaign spanning all the aforementioned game's content. - Further bug fixes and refinements to prevent crashing, errors, glitches, and gameplay issues. - Graphical refinements to environments, skyboxes, lighting, and a plethora of much higher resolution textures for just about everything. - Correction of many minor errors and inconsistencies with sounds, weapons, descriptions, and mission conditions. - Adding new variants of existing weapons, and correcting old issues with existing weapons. - Improved UI textures and functionality fixes for many game mechanics across the board.
From what I understand, the multiplayer features are not currently working in the current build, but it is planned to be functional in the next release, as the modders are planning to continue to work on it. I'm hoping they follow through, as it's still one of the best cooperative gaming experiences ever made.
I am so glad for this, not only for the nostalgia and literal stealing price, but because CQB tactical shooters with a slower, more methodical pace before starting the chaos is still a rare thing these days. Even more rare is a shooter with a planning phase that makes the shooter portions completely optional. The only other game similar to the original Rainbow Six concept of recent memory is the excellent Ready or Not, which is still in itself a spiritual successor to R6's only real competitor, the SWAT series of games, but that's a topic for another day.
It's nice to see the revival of the one that started the tactical shooter genre to begin with. It's also sure as hell a better gaming experience than that joke of a commie kowtowing crap game that besmirches Clancy's good name known as Rainbow Six: Siege (seriously, screw you Ubisoft). Even the little things were better then, and I still say the expansion pack Urban Operations still has the greatest intro of all time:
Even though the mod devs have promised to continue to work on it and release newer versions, I'm still of the opinion the original games are a perfect fodder for a reboot/remaster in a brand new (ie. modern) engine with a slew of modern improvements, but keeping of the old playstyle/philosophy.
With the originals, even in the mod, you can tell it's limited by the technology of the old engine and by the time/money/technological constraints of the devs (both original and the mod). Still, I won't complain about the mod release, as it still nothing short of excellent and it's certainly the next best thing. So go out and get it, it literally cost you nothing but all the time you can sink into it!
UPDATE: It appears that two days after posting this, the devs released another update with even more refinements, bugfixes, and improved textures. Nice.
Since I was on the topic not too long ago, here's the Main theme/menu music for Hunt: Showdown as our weekly tunes:
Hunt Showdown: Rise Up, Dead Man
On a completely unrelated note, I've mentioned that I tend to only post once a day, as I have an issue with having various short bursts of creativity and far more lengthy droughts of ideas that can last ages. So when I do have the creative bursts of writing a couple weeks worth of posts all in a few hours, I tend to save them to post later. Though, I think all the energy and creativity this week is due to a massive infusion of caffeine from the new(ish) tasty flavors of Mountain Dew:
As much as I like them, I'd still huck 'em in the fire if they'd just give me back my damned Pitch Black or Supernova (not diet) flavors! You hear me Pepsi? Democracy is not a mistake, it won a national poll!
Right after I post about odd gun stuff going on, the embargo for SHOT Show news seemed to lift for Springfield Armory's new product, the Springfield "Hellion" (the HS-Produkt VHS-2). Much like Springfield's other products that aren't 1911 handguns and M14 rifle clones, this is another re-branded Croatian gun they are importing to the American market.
Behold, the HS-Produkt VHS-2...um...I mean...the Springfield Hellion? Taken from the Forgotten Weapons site.
Now, I don't disparage the Croats, as they are a surprisingly adept country at firearms development and production. I do disparage Springfield Armory for trying to market the Croat guns as if they are American guns, which they blatantly aren't. If I were them, I'd stop with the re-branding of everything and just lean into the fact that they are foreign guns, but what do I know? After all, I'm just some guy.
Anyways, the Croatian VHS-2 (be kind, rewind) rifle is, in my mind, basically a bullpup version of an HK G36 rifle. Yes, there are significant differences in the internal components and other details (with no interchangeable parts other than the mag), but hear me out. The similarities are:
1. It's basically an AR-18 style short stroke gas piston system, like the G36. 2. The military version in Croatian service uses G36 magazines and supposedly HK had a hand in it's development, to help with the magazine integration.
3. The charging handle operates exactly like the G36 and is in the same position/configuration, as with it's carry handle and top rail. 4. The gun also uses the same symbols on it's selector lever as HK firearms. 5. The trigger is contained in a modular pack much like nearly all HK rifles and SMGs.
6. The magwell can be easily swapped to to use AR style mags, much like the G36.
7. It was designed with the idea of using an integrated optic in one version of it's carry handle like the G36.
The HK G36 (this one is a K model). I'd still kill to own just a few of these suckers. Taken from HK's USA website.
Again, I don't say this to disparage the Croats, but rather as a compliment, as I hold the HK G36 in high regard (despite the dumb controversies). However, the VHS admittedly has several improvements over many other bullpup and traditional rifles, as it can be configured to eject casings from either side very quickly, has adjustable length of pull (a rarity on bullpups), and has some actually good iron sights included.
A pic illustrating the big advantage of bullpup designs, pic taken from Springfield's site.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the whole thing to me, is that it seems like the rifle isn't neutered in any form or way from the military version. Other than the obligatory changes to prevent any full auto mode (necessary for import by law), the only other differences appear to be the Springfield company markings on the rifle, it has the AR-15 magwell included by default, has no integrated optic carry handle, and has a setting for a suppressor on the gas regulator instead of a shutoff setting for rifle grenades.
Yeah, that's pretty much what you are getting, other than the grenade launcher and the integrated sight handle. From the HS-Produkt website.
Overall, it still suffers from some of the disadvantages of bullpups, namely a garbage trigger, and already long length of pull, and you still need to take it apart to change the case ejection. However, I would still dare to say it's the ONLY bullpup service rifle I would really be interested in trying out. But...considering the incredible price it's going for (MSRP of around $2k), I'd likely just pay the extra $900 to buy a G36 from Tommy Built instead.
That, and as much as I like the name, I don't think it lives up to the level of coolness established by the Judas Priest song (shame on Springfield for not using/licensing that song in every freaking marketing blurb imaginable).
Also, with SHOT show coming up, I'm sure I'll be offering a flood of more boomstick related content here soon.
Come to find just earlier today that the documentary What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is now free to watch on youtube. Despite a cringe section of them actually going through a dumbass woke checklist for progressive ideals, the rest is still really cool if you were a fan of the show at all, and it's not worth missing.
Sorry for the embed not working, didn't realize that youtube had it age-restricted. Phooey.
Hunt: Showdown has got to be the most enjoyable multiplayer game in recent memory for me. For a long time, it seemed everyone was on the bandwagon of either ripping of Call of Duty, or Ripping off PUBG's Battle Royale. Neither of which is overly interesting to me after very short order and both seem to be full of all sorts of balance and quality issues.
Hunt: Showdown on the other hand, has not only a really cool setting and style, it's also got a pretty unique spin on the Battle Royale formula. It takes place just before the turn of the last century in 1895 Louisiana, so you get a really cool mix of old-west like aesthetics and near WW1 type weaponry. The land is infested with horrific monsters conjured up with voodoo magic, and it's obviously your job to take them down. In particular, there are bosses you defeat to complete a job/contract to win.
Concept art for one of the recently added bosses to the game
However, you don't have to be alone in this endeavor, you can team up with up to two other people besides yourself to take them on. The monsters aren't the only threat though, there are several other teams inserted into the map with you who are tasked with the same goal. Stealth is of the utmost importance in the game play to evade not only the more powerful monsters littered about, but also other teams of players.
You go about uncovering clues to the location of the boss monsters, evading players and monsters, along with all sorts of environmental elements that can give away your position, such as flocks of birds, or wounded animals that can alert others to your presence. The best part is if someone has beaten you to the boss and defeated it, you don't have to fight to the last man, and have the choice of leaving to save your character for another day, as progression and survival being rewarded greatly.
You choose between various randomized characters to play as, and you can customize them with all sorts of gear. They also offer hero characters, with some even based off real historical figures.
To be honest, the only weak part of the experience is the PvP combat, as it does feel a bit clunky. To add to that the weapons are a bit oddly balanced, I mean, even an old coach gun would have a longer range than just 10 meters, Crytek! Just bump the shotgun ranges to 20 meters already! Also, the variety of boss monsters is pretty low, with there only being four types at the time of writing. Some suggestions to Crytek, totally add some bosses that are quintessential to the bayou, like a an Alligator type boss or a giant snake of some kind would be cool, too.
But griping aside, the game is a ton of fun and has been far more enjoyable than most other multiplayer games as of late. Give it a shot if you are into that sort of thing.
All the news I've been hearing in the gun world recently is making me check the calendar to see if it's April 1st or something, because there's been some straight-up bizarre announcements by some gun companies. The roundup of odd stuff I've heard includes:
But the one that takes the cake is that SIG USA is releasing their new NGSW MCX-SPEAR commercially to the public. If you aren't familiar with it, it's the SIG offering to the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) trials to replace the incredibly long lived M16/M4 platforms.
Way cooler looking that the bullpup configured competitor's weapon, but it still gets a big "Meh" from me.
On the one hand, it makes sense since it's basically an upper that is compatible with the standard (.308) AR lower receiver. On the other hand, I wonder if this means they already know they've lost the program, as generally most companies don't care about meager civilian sales when tooling up for a huge government contract. I also forgot to mention that they are releasing it in a variety of calibers including the new one for the Army tests, 277 SIG Fury (6.8 x 51mm). Which is confusing, as I don't remember it being listed as a SAAMI cartridge and the Army generally doesn't like it's latest and greatest to be available commercially. Stuff to think about.
The War Zone section of The Drive's website is a daily haunt for me and always has something to peak my interest. My normal fare is usually something military related, but this time around an actual civilian project caught my eye. Behold the Eviation company's Alice all electric aircraft:
That is one gorgeous aircraft!
I won't steal another site's thunder, so I'll just link to the original article here. Be sure to check it out for the extra pictures of the plane alone. It's some fascinating reading about the program, troubles and all. More than anything I'm just struck with how great this thing just looks. Most experimental aircraft just end up looking weird or ugly to me (unless designed by Burt Rutan anyways), but this thing is darn pretty and actually looks like I would think the future of aviation would be.
Ooh that's good looking!
Much like the electric car, I think this won't be a real breakout success without a blatant revolution in battery technology to make it truly practical and affordable. Nay-saying aside, I hope for their sake, that the program is hugely successful, and spawns more development and evolves the technology.
...and great was the fall thereof. I actually rather liked Studio C back in the day. If you aren't familiar, it's the BYU produced, family-friendly skit comedy show. Think of Mormon SNL, except it was actually funny on occasion. For a while there, they were actually doing a lot of good in not just making a great show, but doing some good PR for Utah and Mormons in general.
As most good things, it all came to an end, just sooner than I thought. It all changed when the actors involved decided to use their youtube channel to make a political statement in favor of BLM. They uploaded a video that was nothing but a black screen with breathing to signify the time it took for George Floyd to die while under an officer's knee.
Their actions pissed me off to no end. To the point that I hope they have no entertainment career to speak of in very short order and are reduced to flipping burgers. To use something primarily for kids and and financed by an overtly anti-communist church, to push their crappy political views is complete crap.
A smiling bunch of dumbass commie racism sympathizers right there.
Not only that but the allegiance to BLM is also troubling because it makes them also seem stupid, but I repeat myself, as they are actors. I'll outright say BLM is pure bull and can go screw itself.
Now, did George Floyd deserve to die? No. Is there an issue with police training, discipline, oversight, and punishments? Hell yes! Do black lives matter? As strictly the phrase goes: yes! Any idiot can agree with all of that, and I think almost everyone would.
That being said, Was George Floyd a good guy? Hell no! Is there a problem with systemic racism? No! Otherwise the system wouldn't have enacted laws over it, that are punishable in a court of law. Does law enforcement disproportionately kill back people? No. Do black people commit a disproportionate amount of crime? Yes. Is BLM a blatantly communist organization? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Even if they weren't, do they promote equality in rights and treatment? No. Are they a racist organization themselves? Yes and yes.
Number of people shot to death by police for the past five years, from the NAACP's website.
So, do back lives matter? Yes, and so do red, white, brown and yellow. Even if you think black lives are particularity discriminated, black supremacy, communism, and discrimination against others is not the answer.
So good job, Studio C. Good job on using a platform primarily watched by kids to shove a bullcrap political message down our throats. I don't care if BYU fired the lot of them, I'm never watching your crappy show again.
