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homer

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hubskier for: 3598 days

recent comments, posts, and shares:
homer  ·  3567 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I do not support the cashless society

That's because money still exist. The discussion is about a cashless society.

homer  ·  3576 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I do not support the cashless society

Cryptocurrency will still be here. I'm not one of those "bitcoin will takeover the world" people, but it has its uses.

homer  ·  3578 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Should Germans Read Mein Kampf?

Well I wouldn't read it if you are looking for great ideas or a riveting plot, but it did have a major of influence on the nation of people who started the second world war and committed the most well known genocide ever, so for that reason it's worth reading if you are interested in history. Hitler was one of the most influential people of the twentieth century, so I would think it goes without saying that to understand the man it wouldn't hurt to read his manifesto/autobiography, especially if you are interested in the second world war. Obviously there are plenty of history books worth reading, there are enough worth reading that it's impossible for any one person to read them all in a lifetime.

Maybe I should have been more specific and said anyone who has an interest in the second world war should read the book, and that a summary would probably suffice for most people, but I definitely believe if you have any interest in history you should at least learn a little bit about the book.

homer  ·  3578 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Should Germans Read Mein Kampf?

Anyone interested in history should read Mein Kampf.

homer  ·  3580 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: HUBSKI FICTION CLUB: Call for entries

Did you ever read this? I'm on part 3 and loving this book.

homer  ·  3590 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Tiny Houses

I'm much more interested in the 20k housing project by rural studio in Auburn, Alabama. The tiny houses are cool, but I don't want to live in a trailer that doesn't actually have proper utilities. I'll take running water and a proper sewage system over their composting toilets, as well as a proper hookup to electric and cable over getting an extension cord run over to my house and relying on someone else's internet/electricity. Yeah you could go solar for power, but the benefit of being able to hookup to the utility company's line when you need the extra power is pretty substantial. Also I hope if you're living in a tinyhouse you are nowhere near any tornadoes because that's not going to be a very fun experience.

The biggest part i'm worried about is meeting code, as well as the cost of getting a well dug and septic put in with a house. The cost of water/septic will probably be as much as the actual house if I decide to build one. The reason everyone is building the tinyhouses on trailers though is to avoid all of the code violations they would have to deal with if it was a proper house. I would like to buy a big plot of land in Alabama where land is cheap and build one of the 20k houses myself though once I've saved up enough money, and eventually start up a farm to provide myself with food and possibly others who would want the same lifestyle.

homer  ·  3591 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Senator Robert Byrd: Rye Whiskey (1978)

If you enjoy this.

homer  ·  3591 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What is everyone's opinion on ebooks? Do you prefer them to physical paper books?

Well, the big advantage to the ereaders is you can throw hundreds or thousands of books on there, for free if you pirate, and be content for a number of years and never run out of anything to read. Also for those of you who like ereaders who don't have a back-lit one, holy shit is it great. I don't have to worry about lighting anymore ever, which is pretty damn convenient. If you are traveling or moving around I honestly believe the ereader is just a better choice. It weighs less than a book, and I always end up damaging my books when I throw them in bags, which I hate. You may not have that problem though.

There is still the matter of just having books around, which is the reason I still hold on to my paper books. Plus it makes it at least seem like you aren't an unintelligent buffoon. If you walk into someones house or room and there is an absence of books, it's usually a good idea to question whether you actually want to be hanging out with that person. Also sometimes you just want to read an actual book. I really don't think there is any disadvantage to an ereader though. It's more of a personal opinion/choice. I just love all the free books. I'm fucking broke right now.

homer  ·  3591 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski Collaborative Song: Half Empty with bgood79 guitar solo at end

God I love this song.

homer  ·  3594 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: An interesting pro-gun argument

Yeah, the price of ammo is getting crazy expensive. Now our 5.45x39 surplus is getting banned too. It's a good thing I haven't bought an AK74 yet or I would be pissed. You still can't even find .22, which makes shooting for cheap pretty much impossible these days.

I should mention I am against the semi-auto bans, but it's always being considered by some politicians, and if it does ever come back I wouldn't doubt if a few politicians would want to go after 3d printers too. I think you're right it's a red herring, but that doesn't mean it won't be all over tv with people pushing for regulation.

homer  ·  3595 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: An interesting pro-gun argument

Right I understand that, but it's still a difficult task to build a reliable and functional semi-automatic weapon from scratch. Most gun legislation happens due to mass shootings, and in these mass shootings it's usually a semi-automatic rifle being used, which is usually what is being regulated. A 12 year old kid can order an upper receiver for an ar-15 off the internet or from a store with no restrictions and then buy a 3d printer for a couple hundred bucks, and in the future may have access to it already as some predict they will become a household item, and have a fully functional and reliable AR-15 in a matter of a few days.

At least with homemade weapons there is some skill involved, and to build a reliable piece capable of being useful in a mass shooting would take at least a couple years for some random kid to hone the skill to build it, assuming he didn't have previous knowledge on metal working. If the problem with gun regulation being addressed is the ease of access to the firearms, then legislation for 3d-printing should definitely be considered, at least a background check for whomever purchases the 3d-printer, or changing the definition of what is a gun to include upper receivers as well.

homer  ·  3595 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: An interesting pro-gun argument

I'm not going to address the issue of gun control directly, but I think an interesting point that will be relevant in the near future is the ability to easily build your own guns with relatively cheap and accessible technology. As i'm sure many have seen, 3d printing has already proven to be a capable technology with the potential to produce polymer lower receivers or even a fully functioning firearm. As the lower receiver is the only part of a gun that is registered/considered a weapon, current access to the rest of what you need to build a fully functional rifle is as easy as a few clicks on the internet. It would even make building a fully automatic gun much easier than it currently is, which isn't extremely difficult now, but requires some machining or metal work(unless you consider the rubber band or string trick to produce a reliable fully automatic weapon too). The strength and quality of the polymers used in 3d printing is only going to improve, as well as the resolution of the 3d printer, which is already quite high. Laser sintering has even proven capable to build a complete, metal firearm, but the cost and availability for that technology will take a bit longer, I believe, to be accessible to the general public. It has also proven capable to subvert the high capacity magazine bans in states where they are banned, which isn't really as much of a new issue as driving across state lines is all that is necessary currently.

My question is, does this mean that if we choose to regulate these weapons, do we not also have to regulate the machinery that has the capability to produce a highly functional and reliable weapon as well? Obviously the machinery now is not regulated, but it takes a certain degree of skill to operate the machinery to a degree which would allow someone to build a functioning firearm, which is probably a good enough barrier for most people who would want to build a firearm for nefarious purposes. When all it takes is a $300 printer and a quick download of a 3d model for a functional and reliable lower receiver though, does that not make gun regulation pointless? Would we need to expand our definition of what is a gun to prevent the purchase of the other components necessary to build the weapon, or is that irrelevant as 3d printing can produce a complete weapon, albeit one that's currently not extremely reliable(this could easily change though as the technology improves).

I'm interested in others thoughts, especially as 3d printing is becoming more and more common as well as cheaper. Also just for reference here are some videos about 3d printed guns.

Liberator Pistol This video talks about how the gov't wants to regulate the actual file instead, which we all know how hard that will be to find with p2p distribution.

Printing of an AR15 lower

Printed metal firearm using laser sintering

Another fully 3d printed polymer firearm

Firing AR15 with 3d printed lower

homer  ·  3595 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Microsoft accidentally confirms existence of Surface Mini

I'm just trapped for JiTouch tools. I wish there was an equivalent for anything with a touchpad.

homer  ·  3597 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: HUBSKI NONFICTION CLUB: Call for Entries

I was planning on reading Homage to Catalonia if others may be interested.

homer  ·  3598 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Books that have shaken your perspective

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Once you actually learn gene centric theory and are given a large number of examples, it's kind of mind blowing.