Category: Side Notes

Alestorm and Epica Were Great Last Night

Enough of this depressing political drivel, I want to talk about something positive. Last night I attended the Epica concert at Station 4. What’s not to love about a concert that delivers both pirate metal via Alestorm and symphonic metal via Epica? Nothing, that’s what!

I came a bit late, catching who I believe was Insomnium in the middle of their act, which was fortunate because I really enjoyed what I heard and will likely pursue their music in more detail. During Alestorm I had the pleasure of rocking out with a couple in their mid 40’s. The most I can do is hope that I’ll be able to rock out as hard as those two when I’m their age. I also met a random gun guy. He introduced himself to me after noticing my Crossbreed holster (I conceal well enough to prevent non-gunnies from seeing my gun but poor enough that gunnies will notice I’m carrying). We ha a nice discussion about firearms between Alestorm and Epica’s acts. The floor was packed and people were going nuts during the entire show, which was good to see. Overall it was another great concert and reaffirmed my love for metal and the community that has formed around it.

If you ever have a chance to see either Alestorm or Epica in concert go for it. They both put on great shows and know how to entertain audiences.

Make Way for His Majesty

I have a pro tip for those of you who find yourselves traveling periodically for work: never arrive at the airport when the president is supposed to be there. Yesterday I was in Las Vegas, Nevada for work and, lo and behold, Barack Obama was there campaigning. When the president arrives he not only gets exclusive rights to whatever road he’s traveling on but he also gets exclusive rights to the airport.

After returning the rental car I was standing on one of the shuttle buses heading for the airport when the driver informed us that we were going to have to wait. Obama was heading back to the airport at the same time as I was but, being the king, Obama and his staff had priority. The bus driver also informed us that people in the airport weren’t being allowed to leave. Effectively the entire airport was shutdown so His Majesty could drive his army of servants to his tax victim funded private jet where he would get on board and fly to his next campaign stop. Yes, not only do we have to grant him sole use of the airport but we also have to pay him to campaign.

At least we were fortunate enough to be granted use of His Majesty’s airport after he left. There is some humor in the fact that this country’s founding fathers fought a war with Britain because they were sick of the king only to have the position of king reestablished.

The Amazing World We Live In

Yesterday Apple announced new products which means a bunch of people who hate Apple’s products have been busy furiously writing about all the stupid decisions Apple apparently made. They claim that the iPad mini is inferior to the Nexus 7 because the former’s Wi-Fi only model lacks a builtin Global Positioning System (GPS) whereas the latter doesn’t. Many angry paragraphs have been written about how horrible it is that all of Apple’s products, minus the slowly dying Mac Pro, have mobile Graphics Processing Units (GPU) and therefore are worthless for gaming. An almost uncountable number of keyboard strokes have been further spent complaining about the price Apple charges for their devices.

Why is everybody spending so much time complaining? If you think the Nexus 7 is a superior product to the iPad mini then get the Nexus 7. Do you want a gaming machine with the most powerful GPUs on the market? Build one or buy one from a company that sells a computer with the specifications you want. Is Apple charging more than you want to pay for their products? Buy products from a company charging what you think is appropriate. We live in a wonderful world where great products can be found everywhere. When you’re buying a tablet device you have to decide if you want the Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, Amazon Kindle Fire, or a tablet from another company. Hell you can even buy multiple tablets. The biggest problem facing consumers is deciding which amazing product to select.

We really do live in the future. Information can be easily and freely obtained thanks to the large group of interconnected computers we call the Internet. Data can be sent, almost like magic, through the air to most parts of the country thanks to cellular networks. Literature, music, and movies can be stored on laptop hard drives, tablets, and portable media players freeing us from carrying bulky books, CDs, and DVDs everywhere we go. I can access the largest information repository in the world from almost anywhere via a device that is so small it fits in my pocket. How fucking awesome is that?

Instead of getting angry over somebody buying a product that doesn’t fit your needs just enjoy the device you bought that does fit your needs. When Apple, Google, Samsung, Amazon, etc. release a new product let’s cheer the fact that we have so many choices available to us. We all have different needs and people are trying to ensure as many of those needs are being fulfilled as possible. The future is here, it’s awesome, and we should be celebrating that fact instead of fighting about it.

You’ll Get Half… of Nothing

I spent all of yesterday in Holmen, Wisconsin at a three gun tournament. Since I woke up at 07:00 and didn’t get home until 23:00 I didn’t have any time for blogging so you get half of nothing today. On the upside I think I shot fairly well and had a great time.

As a footnote I noticed that the spam filter went full Nazi this weekend and several comments were being held for moderation. I approved them all and made an occult sacrifice to the spam filter gods in the hopes that this won’t happen again. Sorry to everybody who had their comments held over the weekend.

Instead of a Post, By a Man too Busy to Write One

Instead of being a responsible blogger this weekend I decided to attend a three-gun competition in Holmen, Wisconsin. By the time I returned to my home base in the Twin Cities I wanted a shower and some sleep more than I wanted to write blog posts. Needless to say, unless I end up writing something for later today, you’ll have to check back tomorrow for your daily dose of zany agorist gun blog posts.

Happy Fourth of July

236 years ago the Declaration of Independence was sign. Today we celebrate this historical occasion by barbequing, shooting guns, launching off explosives, and basically being Americans. While this country has certainly gone downhill since we tossed the British out I still enjoy the holiday because it really celebrates the overthrowing of tyranny, an idea I’m entirely behind.

What better way to celebrate this day than some good old cheesy ’80’s music? Here you go, Real American by Rick Derringer:

That’s all you’re getting today, I’m going to be busy blowing shit up (or staying indoors because the weatherman said 100 degrees was going to be the high and the humidity percentage will be almost the same).