The US Army is wrapping up testing of smartphones and their operating systems to determine if they are going to equip the soldiers with smartphones, according to Michael McCarthy, the director for operations, Brigade Modernization Command, Mission Command Complex at Fort Bliss. They have been testing COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) smartphones for several months now to determine which can be issued for soldiers.
We have enjoyed immensely the Modern War Gear Solid Series by indie filmmaker Beat Down Boogie. Not exactly a Hollywood Blockbuster, but for the budget and equipment they used in making the series, they do deserve all the kudos they can get, and perhaps some praises can also go to members of the airsoft community who volunteered as part of the cast, such as Tim Ellwood of No Airsoft for Old Men Blog.
Here's a video clip that's going viral in Youtube, with almost 4 million views since it was posted last 06 July. The clip shows a group of West African soldiers playing with a chimpazee and one of them gives the chimp an AK-47. The chimp, in no time, learns to squeeze rounds with the rifle and toyed with the soldiers, making them scamper around and hide from it. The chimp then escapes with the rifle.
Moving house? Going to a new batcave? Well, I might be able to give you some tips in decorating your new place that would surely satisfy the geardo in you. If ever there was a Martha Stewart for the tactically passionate, she would approve and salute me for what I am going to recommend to you. So throw away any house item that you don't need anymore and make some space for these.
Just another day for wishful thinking for me, looking at some of the latest military equipment and envisioning them for airsoft players. Today, it will be about these ammo carriage systems that will fully top-up machine guns for longer periods rather than having smaller ammo boxes or magazines for machine gunners to use. Heavier and bulkier these are, they nevertheless are very important when, as a support gunner, you need to lay down a heavy and longer suppressing fire all by yourself whilst allowing the rest of your squad to flank the enemy.
SB798 taken aside for now in our stories as we wait for the next saga for airsoft in California, I would like to discuss with you this iPhone/iPad App that for me seems like an Überapp since it takes out the the need to have a separate device to do the following: hi-tech viewfinder, milspec compass, gyrocompass, maps, GPS tracker, speedometer, optical rangefinder, visual sextant, gyro horizon, inclinometer, angular calculator, 5x zoom sniper scope and camera.
July 5, 2011 marks the day that the Airsoft community and other opponents of SB798 to go into full throttle. SB798 as amended to repeal Government Code Section 53071.5 passed the Committee on Public Safety of the California State Assembly.
The notice for hearing was quick, but it was expected and the Airsoft Industry and Community are prepared for it. What did not prepare them for was the simplified but radical amendment of SB798 by Senator De Leon who probably has lost the argument in all fronts, and just went for the repealing Government Code Section 53071.5 under the guise of "empowering" the cities and municipalities to regulate imitation firearms to protect the citizens and law enforcment people.
On June 29, Senator Kevin de León altered Senate Bill 798, performing a legislative maneuver aptly referred to as a “gut-and-amend.” The “gutting” involved completely deleting the language of the proposed legislation we in the airsoft community had so vehemently opposed, and amended it by simply replacing it with the following language:
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
With State Senator Kevin De Leon unable to make SB798 pass at the Committee on Public Safety in the previous amended form where he exempts the Paintball Industry, he asked for a reconsideration to allow him to amend the bill. He was granted, and in less than two weeks, finding there is no way for the bill to pass as is, went for what I call a "nuclear option".
