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High Maintenance Woman, eh?
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Eight months ago I ordered a new rifle from a favorite vendor; it still hasn't arrived. Yesterday I got an email from a different vendor informing me that they have several in stock, right now. What else could I do? I bought it. Yup, a Browning BAR Mark II Safari in .30-06 Springfield[^] is on its way to me, shipping out next week!
My original order was to include the optional B.O.S.S. system (the little widget on the front that looks a bit like a "B" movie silencer). Every gun barrel has a resonant frequency, and upon firing the barrel flexes accordingly, with the muzzle rising and falling with respect to the axis of aim. The BOSS system allows the shooter to fine tune the barrel to a particular store bought ammo so that the bullet leaves the barrel at a moment when the muzzle is pointed along the axis of aim, increasing the accuracy. Since ordering the first time, I've spent a lot of time chatting with expert shooters and gunsmiths who are familiar with the system; they've convinced me that it's a waste of money for me, because I reload my ammo, and can tailor my loads to the gun for maximum accuracy. People who shoot only store bought ammo can really benefit from this accessory, as it actually does work great. But reloaders can do better without it, and save a couple hundred$ up front.
I can hardly wait to take this baby out to the range and try out the new 1000 yard area. Of course, I'm going to need a quad ATV to set and fetch targets, and an astronomical telescope to see whether I hit the target... I'm getting old, after all...
An astute observer would ask why I want such a beast. That's a good question, since the .30-06 can bring down the largest of land animals, with the possible exceptions of elephants and rhinocerii, both of which are quite rare in Arizona. Apparently there's a rule against hunting in zoos...
When I was about 8 or 9, an even 50 years ago give or take a year, all the Dads in my neighborhood got together and bought all the boys .22 cal rifles for Christmas. The deal was, we weren't allowed to shoot them until we completed a hunter safety course, which all our dads took right beside us. After passing the written test, we all had to spend a day at a shooting range with our guns, and the first ammo we'd ever been allowed to touch, and prove to a range safety officer that we were responsible enough to have and shoot a gun. Part of that trial included being required to shoot a shotgun at a clay disk, called a 'pigeon' for some unexplained reason. They gave my 8 yo, 3'6", 65 lb ass a 12 gauge to shoot, and it sat me down. That also convinced me that I never again want to shoot a shotgun - it hurt!
But on my first outing into the desert with my Dad and all the neighbor kids, we spent the morning firing our little .22 rifles at paper targets and soda cans (which we picked up and brought home and properly disposed of), having a wonderful time. One of the adults had brought along a downright scary gun - a Browning BAR in .30-06! I'd never seen a cartridge that big, and when he fired it, the noise was something akin to Thor farting, after an exceptionally drunken party in Valhalla. The jackrabbit he shot was rather large as rabbits go, but it essentially evaporated into a pink cloud. He let each of us boys shoot the thing, and though I was scared to death of that machine, I was absolutely amazed by how gentle it was. It kicked harder than my .22, of course, but it was nothing compared to that damned 12 ga shotgun they made me shoot! I vowed, then and there, that one day I would own that gun.
Fifty years have passed, and I've been through far more bad times than good ones, but I am finally in a position to fulfill my vow to myself to own that gun. In a few days, or perhaps a couple of weeks, I will have it in my hands at last. The timing depends on shipping companies, and most of them suck. But it's coming my way, and I'm looking forward to fulfilling my goal - one of the very few I've managed to complete. Upon receipt I will most likely take it immediately to the range with a couple of boxes of store-bought ammo for a test run. Then I'll get the dies I need to reload a .30-06 cartridge, and start buying components to build real ammo that is perfectly matched to my rifle. Then I'll probably put the gun on an auction site and sell it, since there's really nothing that lives in the continental United States that I can't take down with my .243 BLR. The .30-06 is a really big cartridge, suitable for Kodiak bears, moose, and medium to large dinosaurs. We don't see a lot of those in Arizona, so I probably don't need this weapon. But it's important to me to have reached a point in life where I can have it, just because I want it.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Congrats Roger, now you can cross that one off the old bucket list.
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Thanks! Now I can get to work on the next item in my list - playing strip Twister with the entire San Diego Chargers cheer leading squad, with oil.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Just make sure the oil is trans-fat free.
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Long story for "I bought a gun"
Chalk another child up for being "initiated" on the 12 gauge. It was the first gun I shot, and was the first gun I shot a deer with.
I like the 30 'ot' 6 (as my grandfather called it), but for me the rifle I dream of owning one day is a bolt action 308. My uncle has one and let me use it hunting one year. The deer I shot was dead before it hit the ground, which I like because not only do I not have to chase after the thing but even as a hunter I really dislike seeing anything suffer. The 308 had the kick of a 12 gauge shotgun but the accuracy of a target gun. On my second shot from 100 yards I was able to put the bullet through the 'o' on a coke can, the bullet cut through like it was going through butter, the can never even fell so we didn't know I hit it until we went and looked.
Good luck with the new toy, I'd love to get back into it someday. That and bow shooting (target)
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Hehehe... It's not too late for the .308, Ron! They're plentiful, and as cheap or expensive as you like. I had a struggle with the choice of caliber, as the .308 and .30-06 are nearly identical in performance. The .308 has the advantages of being slightly more efficient (energy to powder charge ratio), and a bit easier to find on the shelf, while the .30-06 is useful for a little longer range. In the end, though, nostalgia won out.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Baby on the way + just got my private pilots license means my funds are low.
May get one yet, but will probably be a couple years. Too bad too, because I live in the country and a "range" is right across the road.
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Congratulations on both achievements, Ron!
I'm sure that it will be entirely appropriate to get the new kid a .308 rifle for his/her 2nd birthday. From then on, adding to the supply of ammo each subsequent birthday will simplify shopping, and will probably be slightly cheaper than saving for college.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Enjoy your toy Roger, we all need a little indulgence from time to time.
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I bought an MV Augusta motorcycle when I got to 50 as I'd always wanted one, I rode it for about ten miles and thought what the f**k have I bought this for ? But it does look lovely in the garage.
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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Glad you included a link it's when I read BAR my mind goes Browing Automatic Rifle (light machine gun, the American version of the Bren gun).
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That would be a bit much, even in Arizona. But I have seriously considered one day designing and building a fully automatic, infrared-guided .22 cal machine gun for hunting rabbits. I worked on the Phalanx CIWS for the US Navy about a hundred years ago, and helped to solve some of the guidance instabilities. That system used radar to track incoming metal missiles and outgoing metal bullets in order to encourage them to introduce themselves to each other. It can't be too much harder to replicate the concept by using IR to track escaping warm bunnies, and pursuing warm bullets. I'm thinking this will be a nice project for my retirement...
Will Rogers never met me.
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Bunnies beware!
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I have developed a concept application that can generate at least $100000 revenue a week. Due to the industry it is targeting and regulatory and licensing requirements I cannot launch it myself ( Big bucks required which I don't have ... )... I am planning to sell it to larger company in that industry.. Provided it is a concept how can I go about protecting it from being copied by those big companies ... I spent quite a few sleepless nights producing the application....
Any suggestion on how to do it ?
Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf *
Math is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.
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Patent the process, sell licenses.
Aside from that, most large companies aren't interested in hearing about your $100k/week pitch. First of all you would have to get some major market research to back that up, otherwise its just swing in the wind. I'm not sure where you came up with it, but you will need more than that.
You will have to hire somebody to pitch this for you, somebody who knows what they are talking about. Find somebody who is a consultant but is well known. If they sign on (aka get a cut), and they are known in the industry, that will help.
Or you can look for angel investors, they will agree to give you funding for a percentage of the company. They have the resources to get a company up and running, but their goal is to cash out, so bet on losing most control of the company. You also get very little time to sell your idea to them, typically about 90 seconds before they've decided (whether they let you keep talking or not), so get your pitch polished.
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A patent is of no use.
When someone violates your patents and doesn't pay you a penny, do you have deep enough pockets to litigate all the way to the Supreme Court?
Even if you do, how many years before you get that judgement in your favour, after which they can start a legal wrangle about the quantum of damages?
The guy who invented electronic (as opposed to electromechanical) television got zero dollars from his invention. RCA stole it fair and square from him.
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Keep your idea and seek for loan to finance it if you think it will yeild the profit projected. Big buys will snatch the idea and run with it, when they are done refining your idea into their you will never believe that you were the originator of the idea. This is what I will do if I have such promising idea.
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You're screwed.
Peter Wasser
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa
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First of all you can't just hand it over your product to someone. No one will consider that, you need a transition. Most of the startups that takes an exit have to work with the purchasing company for at-least a year. Means you can't sell your product/idea like a merchandise.
If it's unique, patent the most important aspects of your idea. so that it doesn't cost that much and you will be protected from others implementing it.
After that, you should find investors, most of the VCs requires good reference along with the nice idea. But if your idea is protected with patents then why not try crowd funding or angle investment. And to raise funding investors are looking for two things viable product and capable team (even if it's just one guy). And as you are saying that your product will bring revenue and you are passionate about it. I don't see any problem raising money.
Also don't worry too much about someone stealing your idea (it is lot harder than you think). There are many huge tech companies trying to copy each others products and most of them fails. And after working hard on your concept you might have realized that how difficult it is to implement an idea into a working product.
Don't held back because you are afraid that someone might copy your idea. There are many people with cool ideas who are holding back because they never implement it or want to be too secretive about it. Those kind of ideas doesn't matter.
I strongly believe that there is no such thing as stealing an idea, (don't believe everything Leonardo DiCaprio says in the movie Inception ) it's all about execution.
Good luck.
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Get yourself a good patent lawyer. Alternatively try selling the idea to a bank or venture capital company (if you have such things in your area). If you've ever watched Dragons' Den, try that approach.
Veni, vidi, abiit domum
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You talking about Forex market?
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If it's truly innovative and groundbreaking, then I recommend you to go to an angel investor to get it off the ground. If you can't get funding from them, then consider selling licenses to the big boys in the industry, but I would do that as a last resort.
By the way, i'm curious, what kind of idea can generate such income?
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