According to the news, the entire worldwide digital audience has been severely mentally/socially/morally damaged by Social Media. Of course, late comers like yours truly, don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. Until quite recently (like last month for instance), words like Facebook/Instagram and YouTube had little or no meaning here. This was because some folks assign value to every minute of our day so an effort at maximizing output is made by cutting down on unproductive screen time. Unfortunately, all of us eventually fail to achieve maximum productivity and find ourselves sucked into those platforms. Suddenly we’re awash in sometimes interesting, more often useless, information and advertising snippets. Without trying, we find it to be sometimes interesting and often habit forming. Scanning down through Facebook reels shouldn’t be allowed. It’s a borderline narcotic.
The above is further compounded by the simple, but enormously effective, fact is that today, simply asking Mr. Google a question of any kind using any words, means that within seconds, AI plows through the entire digital universe and salient, often worthwhile facts/information lands in our lap. As much as some of us resisted all of this, it’s amazing what’s out there floating around. So, yes we’re now hooked like everyone else.
Unfortunate, being an information junky I can’t resist saving much of what I stumble across which I find interesting just because it’s interesting. Other bits of information might possibly be useful so I pass them along to those I think would like to see it. That’s what this Thinking Out Loud is about: I’m tossing a bunch of links at you I found interesting, useful or out and out unbelievable but true.
Presidential Security
Ignore that fact that Trump’s name is in what follows. It’s not political. It is just an explanation of what happens in the back ground every time a President, regardless of who he is, goes overseas. It’s unlikely the general population has an inkling (what a weird word) it’s happening. I’m certain part of this process applies when a President goes anywhere although, when in range of US bases, I imagine it is simplified. Try not to think what this costs tax payers. It’ll depress, but amaze, you.
The following is the single sentence I sent to Google. Click on it and see what came back. This is about 20 minutes long. I sat my phone next the stove while I was making breakfast. Amazing stuff! This is the link. Click on it. If you dare!
on Trump’s China trip is it only the one Airplane going or does it have escorts
And Then there is the Kermy Cam.
Kermit Weeks (if you don’t know who he is, you should) has put out a bunch of really fun aviation related videos. Here are a few. Google Kermit Weeks on Youtube for the rest. There are dozens.
B-25B-exact same model that hit Tokyo. B-25B
Moving his Constellation. BIG MOVE.
YMF WACO - he looks at a WACO bipe.
Kermit visits Pat Harker’s Museum, restoration shop. HARKER https://www.facebook.com/reel/1316806820184398
Kermit and Steve Gray’s P-47, JUG
Drone MQ first flight. Just so you know how some of our tax money is being spent. Pretty damn wild!! DRONE
Rounded Square Tube Corners - I absolutely love this! I weld a lot and this works really well and I would have never thought of it.
Knife sheath - I have my own methods but these are okay. SHEATH
Bowie Knife - I’ve made a handful of my own but I like the history and seeing how other guys do it.
M-1 Carbine - People put it down as being a pipsqueak caliber but it has the muzzle energy of a .357 magnum at 100 yards, which is usually enough. I bought mine as a modified civilian carbine being sold through Popular Mechanics. A good trunk gun.
Sten Gun - it’s about as crude and simple as a submachine gun can be (Our M3 Grease gun is the same) and it’s fun to read about it.
Making coil knife - I wish I could forge steel but my wrists and elbows/shoulders wouldn’t be too happy. This is fun to watch.
Rusty-chisel knife - Another fun project.
U-BOAT - I love undersea exploration and retrieval stories. These are both good. I wouldn’t have thought they could have saved the second one.
Wildcat wrecks - The waters around Kwajalein Atoll are carpeted with ships and aircraft of both sides. All of them interesting.
History of Rock n Roll, 1950s - Yeehaw! This is fun! I graduated high school in 1960 and the 50s/60s were the formative periods of rock and roll. My sister taught me to dance to a mixture of Benny Goodman/Glenn Miller, Bill Haley and the Comets and eventually, Elvis. They were part of me during the years I was running around the country playing guitar.
F14 vs F18 - this is terrific and answers a lot of questions as seen from the cockpit about two legendary airplanes.
Abandon airbase in France - I’d hate finding something like this if I can’t have a tractor pulling a low-boy trailer with me. It would drive me nuts to leave so much neat sh*t in the weeds.
Abandon tank - see the prior note. Ditto on Neat Sh*t!!
3.2” Model of 1885 Artillery Piece Firing-I owned an artillery piece exactly like this one until recently when I realized it would take the rest of my life to restore it and these days, that wouldn’t be long enough.
Russian T-34s Don’t Float -I’d kill to be working on this project!!
Amazing wooden yacht rebuild - I can’t believe this guy actually pulled this off! Talk about determination!!
Age and Time - An interesting outlook on life and getting older AGE
Remington 100 comparison to Mauser and 03 Springfield - I’m guessing maybe 2% of readers have any interest in this but I’m glad to have it all in one place. I’m a Mauser builder but am open to new ideas…as long as they start with a Mauser. REMINGTON-
Flying U-control at 93 – not sure why, but this choked me up. Maybe the concept of keeping at it right to the end. U-Control
Glue plane – looks good- $50 -PLANE
WELDING MASK - I like this enough to maybe buy one but at the price I’ll bet it doesn’t work or isn’t safe. MASK
Dowel centerline drill jig $23, looks good DRILL JIG
Electric gouge - $49 - This “might” work. Maybe I’ll try it GOUGE
Mini levels $30 - I think I like this enough to buy one after sending this - LEVEL
https://youtube.com/shorts/MrHoNs4-dgo?si=dhKPV1Ec0fzr4ihf
Seamless tubing - all seamless tubing, 4130 included, starts this way. I’m not sure of current production, but I don’t think we produce any of these raw pigs and import them from Japan or Germany. TUBING
Brake press conversion of HF press like I have. I’m definitely going to do this.
Some of this stuff is esoteric and of little use to gadget addicts like me who like finding new ways to make our hands dirty. This is actually just me expressing amazement at what has been on the web forever and I’m just now finding it out. ‘Never claimed to be smart!
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