I’m a big fan of Magpul. They make high speed low drag quality gear. I saw the video below posted over at the ENDO blog. These guys look like total tool bags and the frantic cussing real enhances the viewing experience. It is shocking to think that dude's finger got stuck in the rifle stock.
Their methods are pretty spot on and I’ve used this same method on my SKS. The slam usually works well but for some reason the collapsible stock gave way. I can’t say for sure this was the fault of the Magpul CTR stock; there are several other pieces that could have failed that would have caused the stock to close. As said in the comments of the ENDO blog, it is probably best to collapse the stock first before you slam the butt of your rifle into the Earth.
Tired of playing your old boring video games? Want a new video game paid for by your precious tax dollars? America's Army 3 is for you!
I recently downloaded the newest America's Army 3 game via Steam. I had played the America's Army 2, and found it to be quite a hassle. Gigantic files that needed to be downloaded from crowded servers all over the net as well as very comprehensive training program killed the excitement of free game. AA3 has removed the hassle downloads through the one stop shop that is Steam. The extensive training (that included quizzes on identifying helicopters via silhouettes) is now gone, and a much more streamlined version has filled its place.
When I first opened up the game I headed over to the training sequences. A quick run through an obstacle course pointed out there is no jump feature. Really? No jump? How am I supposed to break the bricks and get mushrooms and fire flowers? Instead of jump you can vault over objects not jump in the open :( AA3 did add a pretty sweet slide tackle maneuver as well as a tactical barrel roll.
After the obstacle course I moved on to the weapons training, which is about what you'd expect. You get a few mags for practice and then qualify with the M16 and iron sights. Targets pop up at different distances and you shoot for prone, crouch, and off hand (standing); pretty straight forward.
After the rifle qualification, you move on to heavy weapons training which consists of grenade launcher, SAW, and grenades (frag, smoke, and flash bang). Same thing, practice then qualify and this is where I ran into some problems. I screwed around a bit with the grenades and didn't pass the qualify. I realized this happened and when I went to retake the test I passed with 100% but I didn't get credit for it. I fought my way through the wonky menus and redid all the heavy weapons training for a third time with no luck. I quit the program and called a night.
The next morning I opened my account and it said I had passed the heavy weapons qualify as well as the medical section which I had never even touched... WTF? At this point I completed the killhouse training (shooting wooden targets and clearing rooms) and watched the cheesy chalk drawing video presentation of graduation from basic training.
Lastly, I played the multi-player, which in all honesty wasn't anything too amazing. I was only able to try out a few maps, but I did enjoy the squad based aspect of game play which was similar to BF2. Unlike BF2 the maps are much smaller and accomplishing a mission with squads (with team members who work together) was easily and effectively accomplished.
Is this game worth your time? Yes, simply because you already paid for it. It isn't nearly as good as Call of Duty or Left 4 Dead but it is okay, and a good time waster until Bioshock 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 come out. If you're playing AA3 hit me up on twitter and we'll pwn some n00bs.
photo via defense updateThe Metal Storm Maul isn't a gun from HALO; its an electric powered shotgun that is mounted to the front of an M16. This isn't necessarily an effort to go green, but rather an efficient means of mounting a shotgun in a compact space.
The above video shows the Maul in action, but something seems a little strange. The tester of the Maul is firing offhand and little recoil seems to be present. My guess is that light ammo was used for testing or perhaps the electronic action does something amazing. The barrel of the Maul is constructed from steel and the body is made up of carbon fibre. The beauty of this weapon lies in the multitude of ammunitions and functions it can accomplish. A breaching tool, less than lethal crowd control, and old school shotgun power are just a few of the tasks the Maul is capable of handling.
Information about the Metal Storm is a little light, but here are some additional specs from the manufacturer:
Door breaching capability
Improved firepower to weight ratio - at 2.75 pounds, the MAUL is the lightest multishot accessory shotgun available.
No moving parts - Metal Storm guns have no moving parts for high reliability.
Safe operation - The MAUL features a number of mechanical and electrical interlocks making it one of the safest guns to operate.
Cost effective - The MAUL is inexpensive to acquire, use and maintain.
Lethal/less-lethal in one weapon
Boresight aligned
Standard battery - off the shelf
We'll see if this ever makes it to the proconsumer level, but overall it looks like a sweet innovation!
I recently found this short film produced by Stink Digital for Philips Digital. This short is entitled Carousel, and was created specifically for the 21:9 Cinema TV. God only knows how much a TV like that would set you back, but the film is excellent eye candy.
Carousel feels kind of like a mashup of bullet time and a really interactive picture. It is a heist flick with clowns doing all sorts of nefarious things. Clowns are normally scary and if you give them M16s they bring a new kind of terror. The film is sans dialogue and feels like an epic "visual story telling" project. Enjoy, and if you want to experience the magic in it's fullest, check out the HD directors cut.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 3:38PM 
