Posts Made By: Thomas Holst

I'm looking to buy a second hearing protector (simple, passive, earmuff type) to provide to my shooting companion (wife/daughter/friend) when I go out on target shooting excursions. I've got a David Clark model 10AS (see attached photo) that I've used for 30 years (sturdy and works well), but I'd like to hear others' experience with other brands and models. I'm not ruling out electronic hearing protectors but I've read a lot of reviews that indicate many are problematic and rather fragile, aside from being expensive.

I've found that ear plugs are not enough when shooting my .45's and I usually combine earplugs with my earmuffs at the indoor range.

Also, I noticed that although Anacortes sells a number of different high power firearms, they offer only one form of hearing protection; a baseball cap with a pair of captive ear plugs attached to it. What's up with that?

Just another reminder that it is, in fact, illegal to illuminate aircraft with lasers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35067261

Upon checking today's mail, I found a letter sent to me from one of the State Representatives for my legislative district. (BTW, I did not vote for her.) Click on the attached file and read this letter. The highlights and corrections are mine but the text is all hers. If this is the way she puts her best foot forward to her constituents, I think we're in trouble.

While on a road trip this weekend, I spied the following message on a readerboard in front of a small rural church.

JESUS CHRIST
EXCEPT NO
SUBSTITUTE

Anybody here watching the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver? What are your favorite/least favorite events? I like most everything except snowboarding.

During my last visit to California, I noticed something new outside the San Jose Airport Terminal; Solar Trash Cans. Having lived the last 30+ years in podunk Boise, Idaho, I had never seen one of these marvels of modern technology.

After several minutes of staring at it like it was some type of being from another world and taking a cell phone picture of it (attached), I finally surmised (correctly) that it was some type of solar powered trash compactor. I also assumed (correctly) that its intended purpose is to reduce the number of times it required a visit by a human being to empty it, thereby saving money and probably putting one or more non-English speaking workers out of work. (I wonder if Hilda Solis knows about this yet.)

At first they seemed to be a good idea, until I spent some time thinking about it. I finally got around to doing a little research on this new invention and here's what I learned.

1. They cost around $3500 to $4000 each and the San Jose airport has a bunch of them. This must be part of the reason for the ridiculous fees added to airline fares and car rentals at the airport.

2. They require special "compactor" bags, as opposed to regular trash bags, which surely cost more.

3. Since they require exposure to sunlight to operate, they must be placed out in the open and not under awnings, overhangs or between buildings. This means that in a pouring rain, you have to get drenched in order to dispose of your trash.

4. The rechargeable battery hidden inside is supposed to require replacement every 3~5 years. In reality, we all know that rechargeable batteries only last half as long as they're supposed to, are always of some unique design and are expensive.

5. Being much more technically complex than a traditional trash can, these solar trash cans require maintenance and repair by a specially trained and competent human, equipped with a van, tools and replacement parts. You can bet that isn't cheap.

6. Because of their high initial cost, several large cities have replaced many regular trash cans in public areas with only a few solar trash cans. The result is that since it's harder to find a trash can when you need one, more trash ends up on the street.

7. New York City prematurely ended its trial with solar trash cans after too many complaints from people who put mail into them, only to find out later they were not mail boxes. (Once you put something into it, you can't retrieve it.) Can you imagine mistakenly putting your State and Federal Tax Returns into a solar trash can? And why New York?

Although I couldn't find a documented incident, it's only a matter of time before some lady's diamond ring will fall off her finger while disposing of a Starbucks cup or a guy will lose his gold Rolex GMT II in the same manner.

So, whaddaya think about solar trash cans?

While surfing the Net, I happened upon the attached graph which pretty much sums up the Science vs. Religion arguments I've been reading lately on this forum. The numbers are pretty hard to argue with.

Please refer to the attached photo. What is the correct name for the flip-lever screw that allows you to tighten a TeleVue clamshell. I'm working on a project where I need a commercially available example of this type of fastener but I can't find it because I don't know its correct name. Any guesses?

As I mentioned recently on another A-mart forum, I've been working on a way to make attaching a scope to a TeleVue Telepod or Gibraltar mount quicker and easier. I've completed the project and it works. You can see this DIY project here: http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=774

If anyone has any ideas for improvement on this modification, I'd like to hear them.

After watching CNN this afternoon, I've learned that if Congress and the President don't reach a budget agreement by midnight Friday, April 8, the federal government will shut down.

If the Federal government shuts down, among other things, US Military Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan will not be paid, or at least not on time. However, Congress will be paid and on time. Excuuuuuuuuse me?!!!

I am absolutely dumbfounded! I don't know what to say. My head is about to explode.