Cpl Upham

The movie Saving Private Ryan ends with Captain Miller's squadron finding Pvt Ryan in a bombed out French Village on the Merderet River. Ryan refuses to go home. Miller and his squad decide to remain and hope to defend the bridge with the ~20 men with Ryan.

The men with Miller are
Pvt Mellish, a jew.
Pvt Reiben, a brookliner
Pvt Jackson, a sniper
Cpl Upham, a translator
Sgt Horvath, the Captain's NCO.

At the very end of the movie, the bridge comes under attack from a large group of German infantry. Pvt Mellish and one soldier are manning a machine gun on one flank, and Pvt Jackson and another soldier are in a bell tower with another .30 cal machine gun. Cpl Upham is given the job of "johnny on the spot" -as Mellish puts it- with the ammo.

At one point, Mellish and his partner run out of ammo. Mellish's M1 Garand jams. He cries out for ammo. Upham grabs some and starts heading towards him. Meanwhile, Mellish hears footsteps outside the room he's in. His partner fires at the wall. There is a thump, and a pool of blood. Then more small arms fire. Mellish's partner is hit in the throat, and falls over gasping for breath, dying. A German soldier comes in. Mellish and the soldier start fighting each other hand to hand.

Meanwhile, Upham is on the stairs approaching Mellish and can hear all the commotion, but he's cowering, crying.

The soldier overpowers Mellish and stabs him, killing him. He then comes down the stairs, looks at Upham (who has his hands up and is sobbing) with contempt, passes him and rejoins the fighting in the streets. Upham collapses in grief.

This scene has always angered me. I get upset with Upham, not barging in, killing the German and saving Mellish's life. He cowers like a wimp on the stairs. I tell myself, that I'd've at least killed the German.

But then would I have? How can I know what a battle is like? How can I know that I would not be overcome by fear and grief had I been in the same situation? I can't help but feel angry at Upham, but I can't blame him either. War is hell, and no one would know how they'll really act when thrown in such a situation. How am I to know if I would overcome my own natural fear of death and fight?

I will not ever know until I face that moment.

In other news I don't like any of the candidates so far, so I'm gonna vote Stephen Colbert for President.

"I stand by this man [George W. Bush] because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers, and rubble, and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message that no matter what happens to America she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo-ops in the world." -Stephen Colbert

Road Traffic Control

"565 Papa Echo, come to a full stop at the intersection"
"Full stop at intersection, 5 Papa Echo"
"You are cleared to make a right turn on to Pine Hill"
"Cleared to turn, 5 Papa Echo"

I'd love it if we had this.

But instead, I sit at that intersection for 5 minutes with on coming traffic. And the moron behind me starts honking.

J Kuhl Signing Off

Perks of the Subconscious

So I was at the ROTC PFD (Physical Fitness Diagnostic) on Thursday at UML. When that was over, I hopped into my car, put the keys in the ignition and started the engine. I then put my left hand on the wheel while my right hand started searching down by the air conditioning for the throttle control. If you were to compare the C172 cockpit to a car, you would see that the throttle is where a car's controls for heat and a/c are.

Then I realized I was in a car, not an airplane.

Its interesting how you can get so much into a routine that you do it at inappropriate times.

Habits become instinctual after a while. If you repeat something often enough, then you can do it without thinking about it and it happens when you are in a set of conditions that seem to make sense for that habit, even if it isn't right.

Its probably a good thing I didn't confuse the brake/gas pedals for rudders.

In other news, the weather this week was bad.

Friday's weather was:

KASH 191604Z 00000KT 3/4SM BR OVC002 16/16 A2984 RMK AO2
KMHT 191604Z 00000KT 3SM BR OVC003 17/16 A2983 RMK AO2

KMHT 191357Z 191412 00000KT 1/2SM FG OVC001
FM2100 16007KT 2SM BR OVC004
TEMPO 0004 2SM -SHRA BR OVC002
FM0400 15010KT 3SM SHRA BR OVC002
TEMPO 0408 1SM +SHRA OVC003
FM0900 2204KT 4SM BR OVC007


This was the weather at Nashua (KASH) and Manchester (KMHT). The first two reports are hourly METAR weather reports for 1916Z, 1400 (2 o'clock) EST. The one for KASH states "Winds calm, visibility at 3/4 statute mile, mist, overcast at 200, temperature 16, dew point 16, air pressure 2983 in mg." The one at Manchester states "winds calm, visibility 3 statute miles, mist, overcast at 300 feet, temperature 17, dew point 16 (temperatures are in Celsius), air pressure at 2983 in mg."

The next block is a TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast), the forecasted weather at an airport. Nashua does not have a TAF. This one reads, "calm winds, visibility half a mile, fog, overcast at 100 feet" The next line, "From 2100 (1700, 5 o'clock EST)" is not valid yet because when I was interested in this weather, it was only 12:15. But it did tell me that things weren't gonna get better.

What does this all mean? It means it is too foggy to fly and the clouds are too low. The air pressure was low, signaling bad weather.

So no flying on Friday the 19th of October.

"No pilot in command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to persons or property. However, this section does not prohibit the dropping of any object if reasonable precautions are taken to avoid injury or damage to persons or property" -FAR 91.15

J Kuhl Signing Off

The Mailman

So today, I was sending out a credit card payment and I passed the mailman.



I'm sorry, I meant mail carrier.



I forgot I live in communist China and everything I say must not be "offensive" to anyone.

Wait, if this is China, why does everyone speak English and talk like hicks?

This is the United States of America. Freedom of speech. I have every right to say what I want the way I want, so long as it doesn't contain a threat.

Saying "mailman" is not threatening anyone or infringing on their rights.



Secondly, when I say "mailman," I am not saying it because I have this "hatred" against women and want to see them chained to a kitchen. I am saying "mailman" because I grew up with it meaning "the person who delivers the mail." I don't care if the mailman is a hot young blond woman, I will call her a mailman if I feel like it. It has nothing to do with her gender, its just what her job is titled; Mailman. I have nothing against saying "mail carrier." I'm just not used to such a term and I refuse to change my habits over a little detail that might be offensive to some cranky feminist moron.





Is Burger King ever going to change to Burger Leader?



Steve Colbert had it right on last nights show. The great thing about the United States of America is our right to say anything, even if it is indeed offensive.

Does the term "mailman" offend you? Too bad. First of all, it is a gender NEUTRAL term. Gee, "human" has the word MAN at the end! Should we go around calling ourselves homo sapiens? But then the ignorant homophobes will get upset over the word "homo." Secondly, we have the right to say it.

It is time that the extremist activist groups stopped using censorship to bandaid their problems and actually come up with a real solution. Arguing over how offensive termonology is will not fix your cause, it just covers it up. Rather, find out why your minority group (or what ever) is mistreated and work to fix the problem.

I dunno, campaign for equal wages for women or something.

But don't tell me to not say "mailman."

In other news, minorities again. I agree, every race, sex, ethnicity, etc of humankind should have equal rights and no race should have special rights.

And some of the minorities seem to want special rights.

I can understand how many of them feel repressed by the white majority, but it isn't fair to us for you to take more.

If I get sued for saying "Ni***r," then you should be sued for calling me "Cracker."

I've heard stories where minorities get picked for jobs because they are minorities, not because they are qualified. Now I have nothing against taking a qualified hispanic. But an unqualified hispanic does not deserve a job over a qualified white person. A qualified hispanic against a qualified white person, well that may be an issue. But between the two, it is quality that I would seek, not skintone or ethnicity.

Yes, there are morons who will go for the white person over a minority because they are prejudice but you can't lump every white guy as the bad guy and give the minorities special rights.

They should have equal rights. No more, no less. Ethnicity, sex, religion, race, etc, should not even enter the equation when considering rights.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death to defend your right to say it" -Unknown

J Kuhl Signing Off

I Hate Driving

I hate it. Give me wings and a runway at every location, or just a helicopter, and I'll just fly places. Driving sucks.

First of all, there is no certainty. Everyone does their own thing and there is no protection from Air Traffic Control. You just have to assume that everyone is competant and knows what they are doing. Recently, I was doing a lane change (I HATE LANE CHANGES!!!!). I checked my mirrors and looked over my shoulder. And I nearly collided with a car I did not see. This incident wasn't really anyone's fault that I can tell, but there is a lack of certainty when ever I make a lane change. What if somehow I can't see the car? In a traffic pattern in the air, the ATC would ensure that I am not too close to another aircraft. On the ground, I do not have this protection.

Also, on the ground, since cars come close to each other, especially on interstates (I hate interstates too) , you have to worry about the other guy's competence. At least in the air, you know, the guy had to take several intensive lessons, an intensive examination and an intensive checkride. I live north of Massachusetts. Massachusetts. The state with the worst drivers in America. You've got morons who cut you off, tailgate, speed too fast, drive too slow and really should have their liscense revoked.

Give me my flying car already so I can just get over these guys.

"And what do you do with a radical? Shoot it? No, its not a hippy from the sixties . . ." Prof. Rock in Calculus

J Kuhl Signing Off

Tomorrow is Tuesday, September 11, 2007

And 6 years ago tomorrow, it was Tuesday, September 11, 2001

I still remember that day. It started out normal and hopeful, as most sunny days began. I was in 8th grade at the time. Came to school, went to class.

Around 9 o'clock, Mr. Fournier, math teacher/principle at the time came into the room. He told us something happened that we should see. We came in, the TV was on, the Pentagon had been struck by an airplane. That was the first thing I saw, the Pentagon. Then the reporter switched to New York. The World Trade Centers were standing, but one of them was burning.

And it got worse. The second was bombed live on TV. People were jumping out of windows to their deaths. Then the buildings collapsed, killing everyone trapped inside.

And here I was, 500 miles away, watching in horror.

I could not and still cannot comprehend the evil some people inflict on others.

And tomorrow brings the 6th aniversary of that attack.

On a Tuesday.

I'd like to give a on line salute to those who were there during the attacks, a salute to the victims and the heroes. A salute to the firemen and police officers, a salute to the ordinary people who worked in those buildings or were trapped on those airplanes and did their damnedest to save everyone they could, even at the expense of their own lives.

To the heroes and victims of 9-11, I salute you.

J Kuhl Signing Off

Clear Prop

Brakes held. Seats and harnesses secure. Circuit breakers are in. Fuel Shut-off is pulled out. Fuel selector valve is on both. Fuel quantity is good. Lights/radios/equipment are off.

Throttle to 1/4 inch, mixture to idle cut off. Master switch on. Rotating beacon on. Engine is cool; auxilary pump is on. Mixture in. Positive fuel flow confirmed. Mixture out. Auxilary pump off. Window open: "Clear Prop!" Ignition to Start. Wait for the kick. Mixture to rich. Throttle to 1000 rpm. Oil temperature and pressure is good. Check the ignition, the starter should be disengaged and the key on "both." Electronics on.

Call ATIS and confirm the weather report. Switch to ground frequency. Ask for permission to taxi to the active. Taxi at a speed equivalent to a brisk walk.

Find a clear spot on the run up. Check that there are no aircraft in the prop wash. Hold the brakes. Increase throttle to 1800 rpms. Switch to the left magneto. Be sure the dip in RPMs is no greater than 150. Switch to the right magneto. Be sure the dip in RPMs is no greater than 150. Switch back to Both. Check the annunciator panel and the engine instruments.

Reduce power to 1000. Adjust the heading indicator to the magnetic compass. Adjust the altimeter setting to the barometric indication the ATIS reported if you haven't already done so (I usually do this when I get the ATIS report.) Check the ailerons, elevator, and rudder for free and correct movement to control inputs.

Hold the brakes. Check if the magnetos are on both. Trim the airplane for take off. Brief the passengers: "If the engine fails on the runway before rotation, I will get off the runway as soon as possible. If the engine fails after rotation and there is sufficient runway remaining, I will settle the airplane down on the runway and get off as soon as posssible. If the engine fails after rotation and there is not enough runway remaining, I will come down straight and avoid as many obstacles as I can. If the engine fails after rotation, above 1000 AGL, I will do a 180 turn into the wind and try to land on the run way." Check the fuel quantity, the fuel shut off valve and the fuel selector valve (both). Turn on the lights, taxi and strobe. Taxi to the active runway.

Contact tower. When they give permission, taxi out to the runway, align with the centerline. Check the fuel selector, the trim and the mixture. Go full power. Confirm that the airspeed indicator is working. When the aircraft reaches Vr(rotation speed) pull back gently. Trim the aircraft for Vy and have a good flight.

On the way back, call tower before entering the airspace (7-10 miles out). Follow their pattern entry instructions. When you arrive either abeam the runway numbers or a good distance out on base or final, reduce power, bring the airplane down to flap speed and retract the first notch of flaps. As the airplane slows down, retract and reduce more flaps and power. When you get to final about 1 mile out, all 30 degrees should be down. Maintain best glide speed. (65 knots in a C-172) Maintain glideslope using, if they are available, the lights at the end of the runway (VASI, PAPI, etc). Maintain centerline. Maintain wind corrections. When the aircraft is over the grass, power to idle. Once the airplane is over the runway, watch the far end of the runway and use your peripheral vision to determine your altitude. Once about 5 feet above the ground, pull the nose up gently. Touch down on the mains. Bring the nose wheel down and roll off the nearest taxi way.

"So you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll kill each other like civilized human beings?" -The Man in Black

J Kuhl Signing Off

The FAA Is Not a Joke

A year ago, William Wier was the pilot of a Cessna 172 that crashed into Baker Mountain in Maine. He and his 3 passengers all died.

According to the report, the pilot was low to the ground, with ten degrees of wing flaps and at full power.

What the hell was this man thinking? Was he asking
to stall at a low altitude?

There are minimum safe altitudes, mountainous terrain and obstructions marked on the sectional charts and in the FAR/AIM (the FAA's rulebook) for a reason. You never ever ever fly lower than safety permits, especially in mountainous terrain, especially in a configuration that may lead to a stall.

Rules in Aviation exist to keep pilots safe. General aviation piloting is a very safe hobby or profession, however, if you break rules, you are asking for trouble and it will get you killed some day.

My professor at Daniel Webster always said "If you cheat in this class, you will die." Although it was funny when he said it, it was true. If you do not pay attention to the rules in aviation, YOU WILL DIE and possible kill someone else at the same time. Flying is fun, but it is also serious, which is why the FAA regulates pilots and aircraft so heavily.

Please, if you want to fly, go for it, but follow the rules.

"if you cheat in this class, you will die" - Professor Price

J Kuhl Signing Off

Science and Religion

There is a fear in this day of technology that scientific knowledge will be the end of religion.

Those who believe this do not understand religion.

Science is an assortment of facts and theories about the universe based on empirical evidence.

Religion is a code of conduct built with superstition and legend.

Science can never disprove God and religion just as much as religion can not ignore science. Science can, and this is what scares people, disprove superstition. Did God create the world in 7 days? Empirical evidence states otherwise. However, this does not prove that God did not create the world. This does not prove that there is no God, it only proves that it did not occur literally as described. The importance in religious superstition is the message behind the story, not the story itself. Much like the parables of Jesus, religious superstition is to educate. Look at the story of the three men who were thrown in the fiery oven. It is a story of faith, a story used to teach those that God will save those who are faithful and moral. Now, scientifically, a man cannot be set on fire and be unharmed as these three are. Did the story happen? Not according to science. Is it important that the story happened? No, it is not. The message still comes across to the reader.

Whether or not the stories in the Bible are fiction or not, the important part is the message, which science has nothing to do with and will never touch.

In other news, I am an admitted agnostic.

I can neither accept nor reject the concept of God. I see no reason to believe in Him, and yet science fails to disprove His existence. I could take the easy way out and continue to be a Catholic as I was raised, however, it is against my nature to believe in something which has no hard supporting evidence.

The danger in science and religion is that science does not prove God, not as much as it disproves God.

There is no evidence for me to justify belief in God, nor is there evidence for me to justify the rejection of God. The danger is that most people, when seeing no reason to accept God, would immediately reject. But I suppose 12 years of catholic education won't allow this to happen to me.

Another point I can't get over is the Bible itself. Lets look at the testaments. The OT is filled with God's wrath and the NT is filled with God's love. Why the change in attitude with the big man? If God is all forgiving as Jesus says, then why was he merciless with Sodom and Gomorrah? If one is to love his enemies, than why does God himself judge his enemies and condemn them?

Also, what about Heaven? Is the only point in being moral rewards and avoidance of punishment? That is no reason to be moral. Morality, based on wanting rewards is not moral at all because without the reward, one goes back to basic greediness and selfishness. Rather than their being a heaven, man should be taught to be moral because it is right, not because there are rewards.

So, the lack of evidence, the contraction between the NT and the OT, and the concept of heaven lead me to the path of agnosticism.

Which is not atheism.

Have you ever wondered why in a dream you can touch a falling sky? Or fly to the heavens that watch over you, telling me it's all voodoo. -Godsmack

J Kuhl Signing Off

Vader being a jerk

I want to embed this but Youtube is being an idiot.

Vader Being a Jerk

Funniest movie on youtube.

J Kuhl Signing Off

The World from 3000

Flying an airplane is tedious.

30 minutes before i fly, I'm at the Aviation center. I have to do the same thing each time before I take off.

Get the weather from the METAR/TAF/AIRMET/SIGMET reporting station. Call the weather briefer for more information. Then I have to sit down and calculate take-off and landing distances and weight and balance information. After which I have to do the pre-flight.

Then the pre-flight, another 5 minutes of procedure. Master on. All lights on and pitot heat on. Check and make sure all the lights are on. Check the pitot tube and make sure it gets hot. Turn lights and heat off. Check the fuel quantity. Turn on the Avionics, make sure the cooling fan comes on. Turn off the avionics. Turn the fuel selector valve to left. Make sure the annunciator panel (works like a car's annunciator panel) works. Then push the fuel shut off all the way in and push the alternate static valve all the way in. Next, extend the flaps, turn off the master.

Now I walked around the aircraft. Check the baggage door, the tail and the left wing. Sump the fuel drains. Check the fuel quantity by looking in the tank. Sump the drains under the nose. Check the alternator belt. Check the prop. Check the static pressure port and the pitot tube, check the right wing.

Every single time. But the fun begins after this point.

The master switch goes on. The engine starts to hum. The beacon is on and flashing. Throttle and mixture controls are set. The key is put into the ignition. Fuel pump is turned on, mixture to full until the fuel flow valve moves to indicate that there is fuel in the engine. Mixture to idle. Fuel pump off. Turn the key to start. The prop turns, a bit shaky at first but then it kicks and starts really going. Mixture to full.

And finally once the engine is started, the run up (another 5 minutes of tedious procedure) is finished and we take off, we are finally in the air.

And then it becomes amazing. Even after learning all the physics behind flight, it still seems like magic. There is nothing between me and the ground besides 3000 feet of air. Nothing. I am an average person doing what the famous scientists of old never figured out how to do. Here I am, 3000 feet over Fitchburg, looking at boston and the rising sun. Its glory.

And with all the checklists and the hour of preparation it takes, its worth it. Sitting in a machine, 3000 feet off the ground, supported by magic.

J Kuhl Signing Off

If You Can't Take Them to a Bar

Can they be considered friends?

This question arises with games such as World of Warcraft where one may spend a few hours a day in a group or a guild with other people across the globe. Being an officer in one guild, I have "met" some of the people whom I play with. From the way they talk and what they say, I can get an idea of who they are, what their personality is and what they are like.

But the problem is the veil of the computer screen. I still don't know them in real life, I don't know what they look like, and I have no way to tell if they are lying. There is definitely something missing from an on-line "friendship." Although we play together and talk about stuff, even though we have Teamspeak (a voice chat program), there is a lack of the human effect. There is another person on the otherside, but you only know what he choses to reveal to you. You cannot see who he is.

So I'm gonna have to say, if you can't take them to a bar, then no, they cannot be friends.

"Mongo only pawn in game of life" -Blazing Saddles

J Kuhl Signing Off

World Peace

You know what would be awesome?

If the muslims and the jews learned to be best friends.

How do we do this? Beats me. I can't figure it out.

"Neitchze is Dead." - God

J Kuhl Signing Off

IE7 Needs to Be Shot

Internet Explorer is the worst browser I have ever used. I'm a full time Mozilla user and I'm extremely happy with it. Mozilla is awesome. Explorer always has alert boxes. I hate that. I turn on IE7 and get a pop up "Do You Want The Phishing Filter On?" I can't do anything until I decide. I pressed "No" last time. Why the heck can't it remember that I selected "No" and I don't want that feature on? It gives me a security warning when I try to search on Google. It asks me whether I want to send "Abraham Lincoln" to Google, because the words Abraham Lincoln can somehow threaten my security. IE7 always has an alert box that pop ups asking me if I want some feature turned on or it claims that there is some non-existant security threat with some harmless thing and it gets annoying. Doing anything in IE7 is painful. Also, when I try to copy and paste something from one part of IE7 to another, I get yet another security alert.

And word is a Piece of crap too. It doesn't have the margin control that Correl has. It has a complicated tab feature, and the default margins are 1.25." 1.25"? Seriously, no one uses 1.25" margines. APA doesn't. MLA doesn't. Common letter formats don't. The military Tongue and Quill doesn't. 1" margins or else Microsoft! The smart tag system is annoying, the squiggles underneath misspelled words are annoying and are on by default. I don't need to see spelling errors as I type, thats why I spellcheck at the end. Correl allows me to turn off this feature permenantly. And god help me if I try to unlink a URL in a paper. Grammer Check is a piece of crap too. 50% of the time it gives me an error in a sentence that is actually gramatically correct, but the program is too stupid to realize that the word is a friggin synonym.

Microsoft's operating system is good, but its two most popular products leave quite a bit to be desired.

J Kuhl Signing Off