I seem to recall...

...a leather-bound version of The Lord of the Rings available in bookstores.  It was a single volume, not split into a trilogy.  I've tried googling, and I've seen a few different editions, but none look like the one from my memory.  😕

I'd like to have a really nice version of the novel some day--I've currently just got the paperbacks--but I haven't seen any that I think are just fantastic.  And it would need to be pretty awesome, since this would just be a vanity thing.  I'm thinking burgundy leather, with gilded lettering and maybe some deep-set stamped runes or something.  It would also be cool if it came locked and the only way to open it is to say the word "mellon."  But that might be asking a bit much.

Jerry Miculek is not human

Don't take my word for it.  See for yourself:

At a thousand yards, that balloon is less than 1 minute of angle wide.  :o

Jerry's youtube channel is full of such circus-stunt shots.  He's the best shooter in the world, hands down.  The man is a robot.  It's the only logical explanation.

It's kind of depressing, really, since I know I'll never be as good at anything in my life as he is at shooting.  But it's inspiring, too, because it reminds us that the ceiling of human accomplishment might just be a lot higher than we thought it was.  So be like Jerry, and aim high.  :D

275 years ago today

Georgia colonists gave the Spanish Empire a bloody nose:

The British advance party, in pursuit of the defeated Spanish force, engaged in a skirmish, then fell back in face of advancing Spanish reinforcements. When the British reached a bend in the road, Lieutenants Southerland and Macoy ordered the column to stop. They took cover in a semi-circle shaped area around a clearing behind trees and palmettos, waiting for the advancing Spanish having taken cover in the dense forest. They watched as the Spanish broke rank, stacked arms and, taking out their kettles, prepared to cook dinner. The Spanish thought they were protected because they had the marsh on one side of them and the forest on the other. The British forces opened fire from behind the cover of trees and bushes, catching the Spanish off-guard. They fired multiple volleys from behind the protection of dense forest. The attack killed roughly 200 Spaniards. The ferocity of the fighting at Bloody Marsh was dramatic, and the battle took its name from the tradition that the marsh ran red with the blood of dead Spanish soldiers. The floor of the forest was strewn with the bodies of the dead and dying. A few Spanish officers attempted in vain to reform their ranks, but the Spanish soldiers and their allies fled, panic stricken, in multiple directions as they were hit with volley after volley of musket fire from behind the foliage. Barba himself was captured after being mortally wounded. The Battle of Bloody Marsh blunted the Spanish advance, and ultimately proved decisive.

There's a plaque at the site commemorating the battle:

This battle was an important one for Georgia.  The first European explorers here were Spanish, and the British didn't set up their colony until 1733.  By the time the War of Jenkins' Ear broke out, the colony's border with Florida was still disputed, and it wasn't certain whether the recently settled city of Savannah and its surrounding lands would remain British or fall to the Spanish.  Most of Savannah's Jewish community fled to Charleston, South Carolina, fearing the Spanish Inquisition.  They would later return to Savannah, though, and are still there today, one of the oldest Jewish congregations in America.

After the Revolution was won, and the national focus on the British had subsided a bit, some of the old hard feelings towards the Spanish returned.  France and Spain went to war with one another, and French ambassador Genêt wanted America to invade Spanish Florida.  General Elijah Clarke, one of Georgia's heroes of the Revolution, was only too happy to oblige, and he raised an army of local militia for the purpose.  President Washington caught wind of the plot and promptly expressed his disapproval.  Georgia's governor sided with Washington and told Clarke to knock it off.  Clarke was disappointed, but he obeyed.  He took his army and invaded Creek Indian country instead, setting up the short-lived Trans-Oconee Republic.

The threat from the Spanish Empire ended for good in 1821 when Spain ceded Florida to the United States.  But the turning point for Georgia was the Battle of Bloody Marsh, fought 275 years ago today on St. Simon's Island.

Progress report

The revisions based on advice from beta readers are complete.  I'm now putting the finishing touches on the three books of the Free Space trilogy.  I hope to publish them this month.

It's been a long time coming, and I'm really looking forward to releasing these books into the wild, if for no other reason than that I can move on without that particular monkey on my back.

The 4th of July celebrations have begun

Actually, it started last night.  A few fireworks could be heard here and there.

Tonight, though, things got cranked up to eleven.  It sounded like the Normandy invasion around here.  The good news is that it's done nothing but rain the past couple of weeks, so the prospect of wildfires is slim to none.

It seems like every year this stuff starts earlier and earlier.  A few decades from now, I suspect it'll be fireworks every night between Memorial Day and the start of football season.

While we're at it, here's the reason for all the explosions:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Georgia's signers of the Declaration: Button Gwinnett, George Walton, and Lyman Hall.

Happy Birthday, Canada!

150 years old today.  Here are some fun facts.

As an American, I think we're darn lucky to have them as a neighbor.  It could have been worse.  A lot worse.  Just look around the world for examples of testy border relations.  For that matter, look no further than the U.S.-Mexico border.  All sorts of shenanigans go on down there, and in both directions.

So thanks for being a pal, Canada.  :)

I also found this on Wikipedia:

Today there are close cultural ties, many similar and identical traits[13][14][15][16] and according to Gallup's annual public opinion polls, Canada has consistently been Americans' favorite nation, with 96% of Americans viewing Canada favorably in 2012.[17][18] According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 84% of Americans view their northern neighbor's influence positively, with only 5% expressing a negative view, the most favorable perception of Canada in the world. As of spring 2013, 64% of Canadians had a favorable view of the U.S. and 81% expressed confidence in then-US President Obama to do the right thing in international matters. According to the same poll, 30% viewed the U.S. negatively.[19] Also, according to a 2014 BBC World Service Poll, 86% of Americans view Canada's influence positively, with only 5% expressing a negative view. However, according to the same poll, 43% of Canadians view U.S. influence positively, with 52% expressing a negative view.[20]

So we like them, but they just sort of tolerate us.  Lol...  Oh, well.  Can't win 'em all, I guess.  No hard feelings, though, guys.  :D

I sort of want one

Talking about toothpick crossbows:

Despite its tiny size, a toothpick launched by the crossbow is powerful enough to pierce an aluminum can from 20 to 66 feet, according to toy packaging shown in a video by China's state broadcaster CCTV.

I think it would be more fun to build one, though, than to buy one.

And on that note, I've always thought it would be cool to build a ballista.  Should be easy enough with materials from Home Depot.  Maybe some day...