Akin's Journal
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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Akin" journal:[<< Previous 10 entries]
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09:44 am
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Tax returns and Ipads
So, when I get my return next week, aside from paying off my car insurance for the next year, I expect I'll likely pick up a new Ipad. While it's not a huge improvement over the Ipad 2, aside from the screen... well... okay the screen is freaking awesome and a huge improvement in and of itself.
Besides, I'll be upgrading from an original Ipad, not the two, so it'll definitely be a step up.
While I'm tempted to go with Verizon since their model can serve as a wifi hotspot, I think I'll wind up going with AT&T after all since I can transfer my existing unlimited 3G data plan over to an unlimited 4G data plan. They don't throttle Ipad data plans, either... it truly is unlimited.
Which will leave me with an original 3G Ipad... anyone know anyone in the market for one? It is truly in pristine condition... the front and back are protected by Zagg InvisiShield protective films, and the only time it's not in it's leatherish case is when it's in the cradle for charging. There are no scratches or marks on it a all...
It also has a Jobby Roger on the back, underneath the protective film.
Its AppleCare doesn't expire until June 16th, so in the unlikely event it needs support before then, I could get it taken care of if the new owner can get it back to me. It's running just fine, though, so I doubt that'll be an issue...
If anyone knows anyone who might be interested, let me know!
Thanks!
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12:21 pm
[Link] | I've censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet--a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit: http://americancensorship.org/posts/6269/uncensor
████ ████ ██████ █████ to be ███████.
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08:33 pm
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Browncoat Backup Bash day three
Saturday, December 9, 2006...
I got up way too early to get down to Burbank in time. Stopped at Kripsy Kreme along the way and picked up like four dozen donuts... they didn't last long! We were all lined up to board buses to take us to us to the Pickwick errrr an undisclosed location. We didn't want word to get out about where we were going, in order to keep folks from just showing up.
I don't believe I really did anything during the day as far as helping out, I just enjoyed the show.
I was wearing my "Boy sure would be nice if we had some grenades" shirt... as I was walking along the line, a girl jumped out with some grenades and we started talking. She took a picture...
Little did I know, I had just met what would become the love of my life.
And then eighteen happy months later, she dumped me. Basically, she scared herself into thinking that she was about to get another ex-husband... not a lot I could do. *sigh*
Suppose I should take down the pictures of her I still have up... one of these days. I feel like it would be like trying to edit away the past, ya know?
Anyway, the buses took us to the Pickwick Gardens, where a large ballroom had been rented. The hotel wouldn't let us use any of the rooms that BE had reserved, despite the fact that BE obviously wasn't there. All the dealers who had come (none of them were told that it had been canceled) set up their wares... there had been an abortive attempt to turn a hotel room into a dealer's room Friday night, but the crowds and noise led to that being quickly squashed by the hotel.
Now that I recall, the only room the hotel gave us was one on Friday, which I forgot to mention, where the costume display was set up. it was pretty cool... no flash pictures, though!
So anyway, back to Saturday. The day seemed to be filled with activity, though now I scarcely remember it all. I know the Bedlam Bards played, and there was a presentation on Done The Impossible by Brian Wiser and (I think) Jeremy Nash. A Firefly MMO was announced, and we were all given secret info on how to sign up for the beta test. That wound up being cancelled a few years later... honestly, I don't think a Firefly MMO can be made. The show is awesome because of it's storytelling; the setting itself isn't that spectacular. Ho hum, evil government, evil corporations, little guys get squashed, been there done that... the kind of storytelling that made the show shine would be very difficult, if not impossible, to recreate in an MMO. What kind of missions would there be? Go to Persephone, acquire ten beagles, bring them to Ariel, watch out for Reavers... *yawn*
I'd rather a Firefly MMO never get made, than for a bad one to come out. I shan't comment on the current effort being made. You can play as the "Reaver Faction"? Seriously?
I bought my first two (signed and numbered!) Jason Palmer prints there, this and this. They're hanging on my wall as we speak. Also picked up a copy of Done The Impossible and got it signed by Brian and Jeremy, and the Bedlam Bard's On The Drift CD and got it signed by Cedric and Hawk. It's still a pleasure every time I run into the Bards (typically only at Dragon*Con these days), and Brian and I still hang out and BS when we see each other.
I know there was more at the Pickwick, but I simply can't remember. It was awesome, but it's blurred together with the years...
We took the buses back to the hotels for a while before going out to secret location number two. James had pulled me aside and wanted to take advantage of my offer to help out, and assigned me to be The Doorman at what turned out to be the awesome party at La Cantina. If anyone doesn't know, it was Clare Kramer and her husband's new club... so new that it wasn't opening for two weeks, and they'd spent all day painting it!
I was one of the first folks to arrive, and I grabbed a couple of slices of pizza from the little shop next door... and I warned him to fire up his ovens because three hundred hungry Browncoats were on the way! He did a ton of business that night!
What can I say about that night that hasn't been said already? It was just awesome. So many BDHs showed up... I was out front and I got to greet and walk them in. Honestly, seeing as how packed it was inside (150 person capacity club, 300 Browncoats...), I think I had a better deal... well, aside from the freezing cold and pouring rain. It rarely rains like that in LA, not since the great El Nino of 1997-98... man, was I soaked! And naturally, I'd left my hat back at the hotel... those of you who know me in real life, know how rare it is to see me without a hat.
Let's see if I can try to remember who all came out for the fans that night... Nathon Fillion, Morena Baccarin, Ron Glass, Christina Hendricks, Michael Fairman, Mark Sheppard, Jonathan Woodward, either Yan or Rafael Feldman, I'm not sure which, and Robert Lee, the Fruity Oaty Bar guy... I think I'm forgetting someone, but it's been a while.
It was just way cool. There were a couple of other people helping me at the door, but one went in after a while and never returned. There were maybe fifteen or twenty groups of muggles (mainly couples) who tried to get in, not knowing it was a private party, but no problems. This was the beginning of my long history of wrangling crowds and whatnot for the CA Browncoats... I frequently get recognized at various Cons as that guy who kept the crowds in order when Joss or Nathan or Felicia or whoever was at the CA Browncoats booth...
When I finally took the last bus back to the hotel, I was done. And soaking wet. I'd gotten a room for the night, so at least I didn't have to drive home. So, after a hot shower, I collapsed. I understand some folks stayed at the bar until late and had a great time.
OH something I almost forgot... anyone remember the hi-larious Notes On A Fridge On A Spaceship? Well, print-outs of a new page were already going around by then... so cool!
And so ended the first "official" day of the Browncoat Backup Bash.
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05:29 pm
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Browncoat Backup Bash five years later, day two
EDIT: ipads really suck for creating content! When I have a chance to get to a real computer, I'll clean this up... making this damn post has taken four or five times longer than using a computer, and I've tried to fix the spacing issue three times now without success...
EDIT EDIT: WTH, I can't fix the spacing issues? Way to Fail, Livejournal...
Friday, December 8, 2006... if memory serves, I'd been in contact with James by now. I didn't know him back then, though he had gotten me in to the Red Carper Premiere of Serenity at Universal CityWalk. I'd offered to volunteer in any way needed. By then, I'd given up on ever getting anything out of the $800+ I'd spent on my excellent seat and all the autograph and picture sessions. Honestly, I don't think I did much on Friday aside from hang out. Well, I think I helped carry stuff in for James and Lynn... I spent most of the evening hanging out with a crew of fine folks, two of whom I'm still in regular contact with (Tabin and Kimie). I also met the Bedlam Bards, who got royally screwed over by BE as well. Cedric let me upload his latest (at the time) song... I'm writing this on an ipad, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get the embed code, so here's the link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9fCcPJfxasIt was also the first time I ever wore my costume, complete with an old AbbyShot Browncoat that frankly didn't look too great, especially when compared to my current one. But man, did the BDHs show what they were made of! Mark Shepperd had been hanging out for a while by the time I arrived, and I was able to get a picture taken with him.
Jonathan Woodward was also there, looking pretty good for a dead man...
Then, Christina Hendricks... Oh. My God. When I brought a hardcopy of this pic to have her sign at a later Con, she said "Oh my, isn't that a busty picture!". Yeah... she gave me a far more...errrr, satisfying, hug than a mere fan has any right to expect. If I weren't parked in a patrol car off a side street right now as I type this, I'd... be in my bunk...
Then, I was hanging out in the Lobby when Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyck showed up. By now, we all know how Alan flew in from Arizona where he was filming 3:10 To Yuma just to hang with the fans for a few hours...literally. He had to fly back later that evening.
Nathan famously brought a box of stuff from his closet to hand out to fans in the bar. At one point, he asked something to the effect of, "who had done something interesting for Firefly", and I shouted out that I'd found the ambulance from Ariel in the desert... he pointed at me with what I like to believe was a look of recognition, as if he'd been fallowing what was, at the time, big news in the fandom, and he gave me a screener VHS tape of Bushwhacked.
Errr... I still haven't watched it. Haven't had a VCR in many years... but I still have the tape tucked away somewhere... Anyway, Nathan and Alan hung out in the bar for a while, then a line formed for group photo ops before Nathan had to leave to take Alan back to the airport. I finally left way too late for the hour drive back to Palmdale, where I hastily prepared this LJ post, then i got maybe three or four hours sleep... |
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06:46 pm
[Link] | I was interviewed in the latest Sending A Wave podcast... https://sendingawave.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/december-bonus-shows-b3-remembered/
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06:03 pm
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The Browncoat Backup Bash, Pt. I
Five years ago today, I'd been able to finagle getting off work early and my plan was to go down to the Burbank Airport... errr, well it's a Marriott now, what was it back then, a Hilton? Anyway, I was going to pick up my pass during early reg for the Flanvention II. I had a pretty freaking awesome seat...
Well, by now we all remember how that went... despite some drama earlier, we'd all been promised that it was good to go. Then, not so much... emails had been coming in for a while that the Flan II had been cancelled. I was kinda bummed out... and instead of going down there to hang out, like I should have done, I just went home to Palmdale.
Well, as we all know, Adam Baldwin demonstrated what a Big Damn Hero really is and showed up Thursday night and hung out with the Browncoats for three or four hours. That was just the beginning of the coolness... but I missed out on it.
Some LJ entries from back then... here's one were I was looking for pics of Adam Baldwin for my autograph session with him (I'd purchased a autograph sessions with everyone)...
Completely unrelated... that was the week when Britney Spears visited the zoo and we were invaded by paparazzi! My entry from the day...
Looks like she's visited several zoos since then, and I was only able to find one video. Unfortunately, some ass added a lame soundtrack and moronic commentary... and, genius, the Los Angeles Zoo is in Los Angeles, not Glendale...
While you can see me on my bike (at around two minutes), you can't see my face; and while in the original videos you could hear me quite loudly and clearly, in this one you can only hear me at the end when I say "Okay, you're clear!"
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09:04 pm
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Sons of Guns
Finally got around to starting Sons of Guns. It's been recommended by a number of folks that I know, and it looks interesting so far. That is definitely one job I could seriously get in to! That, or working at a Hollywood armory... I've got the know-how for it, or at least to make a serious start in the field... but you really need contacts, which I don't have. :-/
Anyway, on S1:E1, they've started out with a "problem" of how to make a door-breaching tool for the point man on an entry team. Typically, a shotgun is used for this, loaded with "breaching rounds"... the "projectile" is some species of powdered metal in wax or something. When you fire it, it very quickly turns into, well, powder...you surely don't want to be close to the muzzle when it goes off, but if you were several feet in front of it, you'd be safe. Well, except for being coated with powdered metal and wax residue... oh yeah, and maybe burned and deafened from the muzzle blast...
But, things that are close to the muzzle get messed up... there's typically a muzzle brake with big side vents and "teeth" around the front, so it can literally be rammed directly against the door, usually at the hinges and/or between the doorknob and the jamb, and BOOM, the door isn't locked anymore. The teeth on the muzzle break help ensure that when you shove it against the door, it'll stay where you want it to, and the side vents allow the force of the muzzle blast to harmlessly escape without damaging the weapon. The powdered metal quickly dissipates into harmless, uh, powder, so there's little danger like there would be if buckshot were bouncing around everywhere.
So anyway, the problem is that when the point officer breaches the door, he needs to switch to a usable weapon after the door's down... as mentioned, breaching loads aren't really effective if someone on the other side of the door decides to take issue with your unannounced entry.
What to do, what to do... how can this dilemma be solved?
Wait, an idea! What about mounting a shotgun underneath a rifle, like a M203 grenade launcher? BRILLIANT! Now to get to work on the problem of making this possible!
Errr... but, uh, this problem has had a solution since the eighties. In fact, he even mentions it... the "Masterkey". A Remington 870 shotgun mounted underneath an M16. Knight's Armament has been selling them for a very long time, and they aren't the only manufacturer.
Did anyone else ever watch Predator? They had at least one Masterkey M16/870 in that film...
Still, looks like a cool show. I'll continue catching up...
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04:41 pm
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Oh. My. God.
"Matt Mogk, founder of the Zombie Research Society, wrote a delightful children's book called That's Not Your Mommy Anymore. It teaches children how to recognize a zombie outbreak and take steps to protect themselves."
WANT!
https://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/7-13-years/ea24/
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08:01 am
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Mountain Lion encounter
So, last night I had a close encounter with a mountain lion.
I'm not sure who was more surprised, him or I, as I walked around the corner of the access road at the site I'm assigned to. For half a second, I thought a big dog had gotten in to the perimeter somehow... but no, the way he was moving and just his feline appearance quickly dispelled that. Besides, that'd be a BIG doggie... heh...
Anyway, it's true what they say, that if you surprise a big cat and shine your light into his eyes, he'll padd right up to you. He's completely blind, but he doesn't connect not being able to see with the noises he can hear over there, and being a curious cat, he'll walk over towards the sounds to try to figure out what they are.
Once I realized he was coming right at me, I started waving my light across his eyes instead of keeping them shined directly in them, and whooping and hollering and the poor guy ran for dear life into the bushes. I retreated a bit back towards my booth, and then shined my light around and quickly found him looking at me, likely trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. You can see his eyes glowing in the beam of my flashlight, just above and to the left of that orange traffic cone in the middle of this picture...
So I went inside and called my supervisor to see if he wanted to end out Animal Control or anything. If this kitty were still around when staff started coming out, there could be problems...
They acted like they didn't know what to do. *sigh*
Then I looked up and saw him watching me, from a safe distance, through the window. I quickly set my phone up for video, but you can barely see him...
He saw me moving and dove for the bushes. Then I got in my car, turned on the overheads and the siren, and drove around making as much of a show as I could... I'm pretty sure that scared him away. The last thing I want is for such a beautiful cat to have to get shot!
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01:21 pm
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So, Farscape.
I'm only six episodes in, so it's too early to decide if I like it or not. So many of my friends rave about it that I'm sure it gets much better.
But so far, I'm having a real problem with Claudia Black's character, Officer Erin, or whatever. She's supposed to be this bad-assed soldier from the galaxy's most baddest baddasses, but damn... oh no, a fire-breathing bipedal toad is slowly lumbering through this derelict spacecraft, heading towards my friends, and I'm trapped up here safely out of harm's way in the catwalks, with nothing but this HUGE-ASS DEATH RAY! What am I to do? I can clearly see the toad as it slowly waddles along, and all I have is this gun that is easily capable of literally blowing it into teeny-tiny flaming bits! Oh noes, it's stopped in front of the door to the compartment my friends are in, and it's not moving at all as it slowly melts its way through the door with its fiery breath, with its back to me! However can I save my friends using naught but this long-range mutilation machine?!? I better wait until it breaks into the room and makes its first attempt to murder my friends before chain-rappelling down directly into its line of fire and FINALLY shooting it! Yes, this is obviously the best course of action!
Or even better... egads! This crowd of brain-washed red-skinned aliens wants to kill my friends and I, good thing I can hold them all at bay with my carbine and I OH WTF the biggest, most dangerous member of the crowd, the one I've been paying the most attention to like any good soldier would, just walked up and yoinked the weapon right out of my hands?!?! Damn, I suck at this!
I realize this is just poor writing, and not the actress' fault... but it's annoying the hell out of me nonetheless...
I'm sure it'll get better; I just hope that if they want to pretend someone is a badass, that they start writing them as a badass...
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