Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I was thinking of getting an attack cat to solve the problem. Unfortunately we have a wimpy dog and don't want to sacrifice it just to get rid of the birds. Also thought of installing a snake pit under the deck. There probably is something in the HOA covenant prohibiting it. I'll have to look into it.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
If you are out there often, you could get one of those little guns that shoot a gram of salt. Normally used to shoot flies and mosquito's. They are fun to play with and probably wouldn't hurt the birds, but if you scare them away enough times, they will learn, Don't Mess With Yogi! 
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I knew they were more liberal about gun down here in Missouri compared to up north, but really? They sell guns to shoot mosquitoes?
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Here is the website of the inventor, they have a few different models to choose from, and a quick video to show it in action. Just don't get the salt into your electronics, hi hi. They cost anywhere from 30 to 50 bucks depending on the options you choose. The laser light is like 12 bucks extra unless it comes on a particular model.
https://www.bugasalt.com/
https://www.bugasalt.com/
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
There is a gun shop 7 minutes away from here that sells those things. 
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Many years ago, I had a little .177 pellet pistol you cocked to shoot.
It was kept with my fishing gear, and although I cleaned and oiled the outside.
Being stored in the garage, and probably with things that got wet, the inside of the barrel got rusted.
It couldn't shoot a pellet, since it was so low powered, and it would stick in the barrel.
I had this bright idea that I could shoot some white sand out of it enough times to clean the inside of the barrel, since the gun cleaning kits brushes couldn't get it out.
It only took a few times to learn to stick a balled up piece of tissue in the chamber before adding a pinch of sand to get it to shoot the sand out rather well too. The sand wouldn't hurt anything but from about 5 feet away could knock over a pack of cigarettes or from 3 feet away knock over an aluminum can.
While out fishing one night, after we built a fire, a swarm of Willow Moths tried to take over our area.
My cousin and I took turns shooting them with the sand. We didn't really need to because they headed straight into the fire and burned up. About an hour later, the swarm got so heavy, they almost put out our small fire or what was left of it.
In any case, after about three fishing trips of shooting sand out of it, it would finally shoot pellets again, with one caveat. It shot everywhere except where you aimed, well it had about a 3 inch pattern at 10 feet using a block mount, hi hi.
I had another small .177 rifle called a Backpacker, made by Crossman. It had a nylon seal that seemed to break quite often so the gun wouldn't work. Any O-ring you could fit into the groove was too thin to work, and you couldn't stack two of them on top of each other and keep them in place, even gluing them together first.
I was at the hardware store and spotted a thick-walled rubber tube (hose) larger than a window washer hose in your car. I had to buy at least a foot long piece to get it. I lucked out, it was the right diameter and fit snug. Took me a few tries at cutting the right length so it wouldn't be pushed out when you closed the rifle, but I did and it worked great.
This rifle came with small .177 darts, lead BBs, and of course pellets.
We discovered if you take bamboo skewers and hammer the opposite end as the point it flares out like a feather end.
They shot really great, but not accurate since the pointy end was smaller than the barrel.
My cousin pops up with a whole box of tiny wooden beads I would guess to be .170 in diameter. If you tilted the barrel down, they might roll out, might not. Back to adding a wad of tissue in the barrel, then the wooden bead. Used those up shooting at stuff of no consequence. Leaves floating down the river, etc.
Then we found some hardwood dowels at the hardware store on sale because they were warped.
They fit fairly snug, but not too snug. Bought over two dozen of these, then cut them in varying lengths from about 1/2 inch up to 2 inches on the band saw, and kept about a dozen of the ends that were 3 inches long.
We didn't have many that were between 3/4 and 1 inch long, and it figured, those were the two sizes that shot the best.
Too much work, we went back to buying pellets after that, hi hi.
Note: I would have never done that with a gun or rifle in good shape!
It was kept with my fishing gear, and although I cleaned and oiled the outside.
Being stored in the garage, and probably with things that got wet, the inside of the barrel got rusted.
It couldn't shoot a pellet, since it was so low powered, and it would stick in the barrel.
I had this bright idea that I could shoot some white sand out of it enough times to clean the inside of the barrel, since the gun cleaning kits brushes couldn't get it out.
It only took a few times to learn to stick a balled up piece of tissue in the chamber before adding a pinch of sand to get it to shoot the sand out rather well too. The sand wouldn't hurt anything but from about 5 feet away could knock over a pack of cigarettes or from 3 feet away knock over an aluminum can.
While out fishing one night, after we built a fire, a swarm of Willow Moths tried to take over our area.
My cousin and I took turns shooting them with the sand. We didn't really need to because they headed straight into the fire and burned up. About an hour later, the swarm got so heavy, they almost put out our small fire or what was left of it.
In any case, after about three fishing trips of shooting sand out of it, it would finally shoot pellets again, with one caveat. It shot everywhere except where you aimed, well it had about a 3 inch pattern at 10 feet using a block mount, hi hi.
I had another small .177 rifle called a Backpacker, made by Crossman. It had a nylon seal that seemed to break quite often so the gun wouldn't work. Any O-ring you could fit into the groove was too thin to work, and you couldn't stack two of them on top of each other and keep them in place, even gluing them together first.
I was at the hardware store and spotted a thick-walled rubber tube (hose) larger than a window washer hose in your car. I had to buy at least a foot long piece to get it. I lucked out, it was the right diameter and fit snug. Took me a few tries at cutting the right length so it wouldn't be pushed out when you closed the rifle, but I did and it worked great.
This rifle came with small .177 darts, lead BBs, and of course pellets.
We discovered if you take bamboo skewers and hammer the opposite end as the point it flares out like a feather end.
They shot really great, but not accurate since the pointy end was smaller than the barrel.
My cousin pops up with a whole box of tiny wooden beads I would guess to be .170 in diameter. If you tilted the barrel down, they might roll out, might not. Back to adding a wad of tissue in the barrel, then the wooden bead. Used those up shooting at stuff of no consequence. Leaves floating down the river, etc.
Then we found some hardwood dowels at the hardware store on sale because they were warped.
They fit fairly snug, but not too snug. Bought over two dozen of these, then cut them in varying lengths from about 1/2 inch up to 2 inches on the band saw, and kept about a dozen of the ends that were 3 inches long.
We didn't have many that were between 3/4 and 1 inch long, and it figured, those were the two sizes that shot the best.
Too much work, we went back to buying pellets after that, hi hi.
Note: I would have never done that with a gun or rifle in good shape!
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Your experiences with that pallet gun gives a whole new meaning to the term "sand blasting" 
I worked with a real sand blaster in the foundry shop I had to take in high school. It's ability to clean the crud off castings amazed me to say the least. I never figured that sand could be such an abrasive in that my only previous experience with it was using sandpaper., My guess is that your pistol could have been re-bored to eliminate the rust, but why bother. You had way more fun doing things the way you describe.
My only experience with guns involves rifles. A buddy of mine felt he had to have a rifle after he served a term of duty in Viet Nam. He bought a .22 caliber rifle shortly after he came home. We went to a shooting range with it a couple times and I must say I was pretty bad at it. LOL The guy next to us had what looked like a .45 pistol. That damned gun shook the floors when he fired it. The only other rifles I've shot were at carnivals. Those were also .22 caliber I believe and was really bad there too. Then again, I'm certain they did something to the sights to be sure I didn't win too many prizes. A pal of mine in high school also had a rifle that shot BB's. We spent one afternoon in his back yard demolishing tin cans and plastic model air planes. Haven't so much as touched a gun since the 60's. I could get interested in target shooting, but from what I can tell it's a terribly expensive hobby. Think I'll stick to computers. Much cheaper.
I worked with a real sand blaster in the foundry shop I had to take in high school. It's ability to clean the crud off castings amazed me to say the least. I never figured that sand could be such an abrasive in that my only previous experience with it was using sandpaper., My guess is that your pistol could have been re-bored to eliminate the rust, but why bother. You had way more fun doing things the way you describe.My only experience with guns involves rifles. A buddy of mine felt he had to have a rifle after he served a term of duty in Viet Nam. He bought a .22 caliber rifle shortly after he came home. We went to a shooting range with it a couple times and I must say I was pretty bad at it. LOL The guy next to us had what looked like a .45 pistol. That damned gun shook the floors when he fired it. The only other rifles I've shot were at carnivals. Those were also .22 caliber I believe and was really bad there too. Then again, I'm certain they did something to the sights to be sure I didn't win too many prizes. A pal of mine in high school also had a rifle that shot BB's. We spent one afternoon in his back yard demolishing tin cans and plastic model air planes. Haven't so much as touched a gun since the 60's. I could get interested in target shooting, but from what I can tell it's a terribly expensive hobby. Think I'll stick to computers. Much cheaper.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I had a sand blaster in my garage workshop. Built it when I lived in Des Peres, and took it with me to Creve Coeur.
I took an old metal cabinet Motorola TV cabinet, which was perfect for a sand blasting cabinet. It had two opening at the bottom of the front of the cabinet where the controls used to be, one on each side of the cabinet front. Above that was the glass panel that covered the picture tube.
I installed two large blowers on the outside of the cabinet, one was on the top front right side and adjusted to blow down across the glass to help make it last longer, and the second blower was mounted on the back rear of the cabinet and set to exhaust the sanding dust through a 4" plastic shopvac hose to outside. It also had two light installed inside the cabinet one on each side, about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom where I placed a BBQ grill to set things on I was sandblasting.
I drilled four holes in the bottom across the back and inserted some black ABS pipes turned so they all landed in the top of a funnel, and the funnel then directed the sand into the recycling drum for the sand. The drum was covered with two layers of window screening to keep debris flakes from getting into the drum.
The bottom of the drum was on a short flower pot stand and had a hose from it to the sand blast gun. A hole was in this hose near where it connected to the drum to let air in to dilute the sand to the gun.
I used to buy nozzles for this gun by the dozen hi hi. It got a lot of use too. Had to replace the glass front a few times.
Oh, inside the holes where the controls used to be, I used the legs from a pair of bluejeans, of which I put an elastic band around the foot end seam so they fit snugly around your wrist.
By using the size blowers I did, as the sand wore down to useless dust, it was carried outside by the exhaust blower, so my sand always stayed good and sharp, albeit I had to add sand quite often. I used white quartz sand because it cleaned the best, much better than river sand. Sometimes red quartz sand because it was cheaper, but it was harder to find.
We used to have a few Red Ryder BB guns, cheap, low power, but strong enough to break Xmas tree and outdoor Xmas lights. Not usually strong enough to break a soda bottle though, unless you were lucky. Had a lot of phun with these little toy guns over the years. I only owned one pellet gun that used CO2 cartridges, too expensive to use. However, I adapted the lid where you put the CO2 bottle into the gun so I could fill that chamber with liquid Nitrous Oxide, it was nearly as powerful as a new CO2 cartridge and I had almost free access to Nitrous. Still was a pain to do though. And probably dangerous, hi hi.
All the rest of my pellet guns were either pump or break action. I have two now that are break action.
One is super accurate and I can hit a bottle cap at 75 feet. The other is wild and you can't hit a soda can at only 50 feet with it consistently.
I took an old metal cabinet Motorola TV cabinet, which was perfect for a sand blasting cabinet. It had two opening at the bottom of the front of the cabinet where the controls used to be, one on each side of the cabinet front. Above that was the glass panel that covered the picture tube.
I installed two large blowers on the outside of the cabinet, one was on the top front right side and adjusted to blow down across the glass to help make it last longer, and the second blower was mounted on the back rear of the cabinet and set to exhaust the sanding dust through a 4" plastic shopvac hose to outside. It also had two light installed inside the cabinet one on each side, about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom where I placed a BBQ grill to set things on I was sandblasting.
I drilled four holes in the bottom across the back and inserted some black ABS pipes turned so they all landed in the top of a funnel, and the funnel then directed the sand into the recycling drum for the sand. The drum was covered with two layers of window screening to keep debris flakes from getting into the drum.
The bottom of the drum was on a short flower pot stand and had a hose from it to the sand blast gun. A hole was in this hose near where it connected to the drum to let air in to dilute the sand to the gun.
I used to buy nozzles for this gun by the dozen hi hi. It got a lot of use too. Had to replace the glass front a few times.
Oh, inside the holes where the controls used to be, I used the legs from a pair of bluejeans, of which I put an elastic band around the foot end seam so they fit snugly around your wrist.
By using the size blowers I did, as the sand wore down to useless dust, it was carried outside by the exhaust blower, so my sand always stayed good and sharp, albeit I had to add sand quite often. I used white quartz sand because it cleaned the best, much better than river sand. Sometimes red quartz sand because it was cheaper, but it was harder to find.
We used to have a few Red Ryder BB guns, cheap, low power, but strong enough to break Xmas tree and outdoor Xmas lights. Not usually strong enough to break a soda bottle though, unless you were lucky. Had a lot of phun with these little toy guns over the years. I only owned one pellet gun that used CO2 cartridges, too expensive to use. However, I adapted the lid where you put the CO2 bottle into the gun so I could fill that chamber with liquid Nitrous Oxide, it was nearly as powerful as a new CO2 cartridge and I had almost free access to Nitrous. Still was a pain to do though. And probably dangerous, hi hi.
All the rest of my pellet guns were either pump or break action. I have two now that are break action.
One is super accurate and I can hit a bottle cap at 75 feet. The other is wild and you can't hit a soda can at only 50 feet with it consistently.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I'm sure the school with the sand blaster I used got it as a donation from some company looking for a tax deduction. I seem to remember the box having two holes in front with gloves. I may be wrong but it seems as if they were some kind of black rubber. In any case the blasted sand didn't affect them much. I also believe the source of the sand was a hose that we could aim at the target at the bottom of the box. It's all kind of a fuzzy memory now. I did't like foundry shop, but we did make some cool things there.
The BB gun I used with my buddy was a pump action rifle. I also recall laughing a lot because you never knew where the BB was going to go. We mounted the gun on a chair (I think) to make it stable, but those little balls never did go to the same place twice. They were close at times, but unpredictable.
I'd not feel bad if they repealed the 2nd amendment and imposed some really tough requirements on the use of guns. Not sure how I feel about disallowing them altogether, but for sure I have no attraction to them other than a curiosity. I know I'm an oddball, especially here in Missouri, but as you now know I've not had much exposure to guns and would not miss them at all if they didn't exist.
The BB gun I used with my buddy was a pump action rifle. I also recall laughing a lot because you never knew where the BB was going to go. We mounted the gun on a chair (I think) to make it stable, but those little balls never did go to the same place twice. They were close at times, but unpredictable.
I'd not feel bad if they repealed the 2nd amendment and imposed some really tough requirements on the use of guns. Not sure how I feel about disallowing them altogether, but for sure I have no attraction to them other than a curiosity. I know I'm an oddball, especially here in Missouri, but as you now know I've not had much exposure to guns and would not miss them at all if they didn't exist.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
History has already proven, when the guns are taken away, the citizens are rounded up and exterminated.
The intent of the 2nd amendment was for the people to be able to defend themselves against a government turned tyrannical. Which means the citizens should be able to own the necessary firepower to counter an attack on them by their own government, and to protect us from invasion by other countries.
If we did not have guns, we would all be speaking Japanese. They didn't dare attack the mainland because as their military leader said, there is a gun behind every blade of grass.
We are a free country because of guns. Get rid of them and the country becomes socialist/communist almost instantly.
The more restrictions placed on guns, the higher the crime rate goes.
Chicago is an excellent example of what happens when gun controls are initiated.
No one can protect themselves, and the criminals with guns quickly take over.
Chicago has the highest gun crime rate in the nation, and the hardest gun control laws.
The intent of the 2nd amendment was for the people to be able to defend themselves against a government turned tyrannical. Which means the citizens should be able to own the necessary firepower to counter an attack on them by their own government, and to protect us from invasion by other countries.
If we did not have guns, we would all be speaking Japanese. They didn't dare attack the mainland because as their military leader said, there is a gun behind every blade of grass.
We are a free country because of guns. Get rid of them and the country becomes socialist/communist almost instantly.
The more restrictions placed on guns, the higher the crime rate goes.
Chicago is an excellent example of what happens when gun controls are initiated.
No one can protect themselves, and the criminals with guns quickly take over.
Chicago has the highest gun crime rate in the nation, and the hardest gun control laws.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
You might be right about Chicago, but it would not be true if guns were not in the hands of the general population.
From what I recall without looking it up the 2nd amendment provides for a militia and not for individual gun ownership. There have been Supreme Court decisions interpreting that original intent to bring us to the point we are at today.
Most of the world's countries are populated with severe restrictions on gun ownership. You might dispute the civility of Western Europe, but I can't think of any country there that is without severe gun restrictions and is socialistic or communistic. You might point out Scandinavia in rebuttal; they do seem to have a lot of socialistic ideas. I've not heard of any people complaining about that lately. Should guns be taken away altogether here in this country, it won't go socialistic. It will go tribal and insurrection will be the order of the day. That's why regulations are needed not banning altogether.
From what I recall without looking it up the 2nd amendment provides for a militia and not for individual gun ownership. There have been Supreme Court decisions interpreting that original intent to bring us to the point we are at today.
Most of the world's countries are populated with severe restrictions on gun ownership. You might dispute the civility of Western Europe, but I can't think of any country there that is without severe gun restrictions and is socialistic or communistic. You might point out Scandinavia in rebuttal; they do seem to have a lot of socialistic ideas. I've not heard of any people complaining about that lately. Should guns be taken away altogether here in this country, it won't go socialistic. It will go tribal and insurrection will be the order of the day. That's why regulations are needed not banning altogether.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
They can write all the laws they want, but they don't have the ability to enforce them.
Look at all the laws they write about Drugs, yet more drugs pour into this country than ever before.
You can't take away what the people want, it's as simple as that.
They tried it with Prohibition and failed miserably.
They are trying it with Drugs and still failing miserably.
The supply and distribution system for Drugs is the best and most efficient system there is, and it all is done under the radar. Only very flew slip-ups seem to occur where someone gets caught.
Sometimes they manage to get back to a kingpin, but there are a dozen in line waiting to take over for them.
I'm afraid if they try to take away, or even register our guns, we will see another civil war the likes the world has never seen, which may even escalate into WWIII if they ain't careful.
The 2nd Amendment needs no interpretation, the phrase "Shall Not Be Infringed" is quite clear.
And nearly every state and city is infringing on our rights as much as they think they can possibly get away with.
It is coming to a head, and shortly too, if they don't stop infringing on our rights.
I'm 71 years old, and will defend my constitutional right to my death of need be!
And there are probably more than a million exactly like me, ready and willing to fight for our rights to be maintained.
Taking away our rights is taking away our Freedom, and we won't stand for it.
Look at all the laws they write about Drugs, yet more drugs pour into this country than ever before.
You can't take away what the people want, it's as simple as that.
They tried it with Prohibition and failed miserably.
They are trying it with Drugs and still failing miserably.
The supply and distribution system for Drugs is the best and most efficient system there is, and it all is done under the radar. Only very flew slip-ups seem to occur where someone gets caught.
Sometimes they manage to get back to a kingpin, but there are a dozen in line waiting to take over for them.
I'm afraid if they try to take away, or even register our guns, we will see another civil war the likes the world has never seen, which may even escalate into WWIII if they ain't careful.
The 2nd Amendment needs no interpretation, the phrase "Shall Not Be Infringed" is quite clear.
And nearly every state and city is infringing on our rights as much as they think they can possibly get away with.
It is coming to a head, and shortly too, if they don't stop infringing on our rights.
I'm 71 years old, and will defend my constitutional right to my death of need be!
And there are probably more than a million exactly like me, ready and willing to fight for our rights to be maintained.
Taking away our rights is taking away our Freedom, and we won't stand for it.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
The way things work in this country is that the constitution is viewed as a guideline. The laws derived from those guidelines are the results of interpretations given by the Supreme Court. The interesting thing is that even the Supreme Court rarely comes to a consensus on any given constitutional issue. Such is the case with the aforementioned 2nd amendment. The constitution is not clear on several issues and gun control is a good example of that. Today's laws are the result of former interpretations. Don't kid yourself about that.
We as Americans certainly do have the right to defend our freedoms. Millions of our citizens died for that cause. I'd just point out that if constitutional scholars, and Supreme Court Justices cannot come to a unanimous conclusion about exactly what our rights are, far be it from the average citizen to be capable of making such a judgment. You are right about the fervor over gun ownership being so intense that insurrection could be in the making. However, hat doesn't change the intent of the constitution.
We as Americans certainly do have the right to defend our freedoms. Millions of our citizens died for that cause. I'd just point out that if constitutional scholars, and Supreme Court Justices cannot come to a unanimous conclusion about exactly what our rights are, far be it from the average citizen to be capable of making such a judgment. You are right about the fervor over gun ownership being so intense that insurrection could be in the making. However, hat doesn't change the intent of the constitution.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Unfortunately, many of our laws had nothing to do with the constitution or congress. It seems today judges make up the laws as they go by claiming a different interpretation than congress did. And they are NOT supposed to be making laws.