Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler OT: New Avatar test

Seems to work...

Mr. Bear looking at porn.

What photo editor are you using to get good quality?

Look what happen to my VTF-3 port.....I would like it to be a little more recognizable.

The avatar works best if your image is exactly 65Wx75H pixels. Also make sure it's 72 dpi (screen resolution).

However,

If one has a 17 inch monitor one cannot ascertain that Mr. Bear is looking at porn. It just looks as though he is holding something in front of his face.

the book is actually shielding what his other paw is doing..

ask me no questions, i tell you no lies.

bigjohn

Both paws are visible...but that would add to the picture if one was behind the magazine.

dont give him any idea's

See, it's so small I didn't even notice that. I'm talking about the avatar, of course.

littleb, it is extremely rude to be talking about spiff's little avatar. that is the avatar that god gave him, and i am sure he is happy with it. and remember, its not the size of the avatar that counts, its how you format it!!

bigjohn

I'm jumping on the bandwagon...

VERY nice, Peter.

Does this mean I have to change to this one (note Modified Weaver grip - I'm a marksman, not a cop)?

Also considered a joke pic someone snapped of me playing Oobe-la-dee on a student accordian... took me about 15 mins to plunk it out... far too long for my friends' ears.

Bren R.

I think you should reserve that one for situational use -- although it would be a pain to have to change just to post a reply every so often.

Very startling.

bren, looks like the size of your avatar is just fine..

BTW, what kind of handgun is that. i got a ruger P94DC, .45 calibur, and a smith&wesson air-weight snub .38. my wife and i are both qualified and registered hand gun carriers, and members of the NRA.

bigjohn

Actually, BigJohn... since I'm a Canadian and live in the city, I don't own a gun.

That's a replica .38 "digitally" bored out to look like a .50 cal AE (ie: Photoshopped), though I have fired a 22 long rifle, a 308 and a 12ga. at the farm with surprising accuracy (though my body - at 6' 3", 155lbs is not built to take repeated recoil from Imperial Magnum IV 12ga. shells). The farm is out sidvicious' way, actually, I should meet him for coffee sometime.

For the most part, it's airguns and paintball markers for me (I was a licensed airsmith working at a paintball field for a while in the early 90s)

Bren R.

but Bren, how will you ever defend yourself from all the evil robbers/murderers in the world if you don't own a gun?

True, there are very few people in Manitoba that own guns for a purpose other than hunting. Most farms own an old .22 for shooting nuisance birds and that's about it. That's why I found parts of Bowling for Columbine so funny. When they were in Canada (even though it was said to be set up) meeting people who don't lock their doors and having a hard time finding anyone who owns a firearm is so accurate.

Oh and Bren, you're welcome anytime! The coffee is always on @ work (visiting is pretty much my whole job).

Testing. Testing. One two three Testing. Check. Check.

I have printed 20 pictures of Curtis's port avatar and hung them around the perimeter of the property. Thus far, no break-ins, vampires or locusts. I may be on to something.

Now THAT'S funny.

You and Tom are just on a roll today eh?

i thought bowling for columbine was a fantastic movie/documentary.. the NRA hates michael moore with a passion..

my main reason for being a member of the NRA, is simply to aid in the protection of the 2nd amendment. i dont believe everything the NRA believes.. and i dont support everything the NRA does. but i DO feel, that as an american, i should have the right to bear arms.. i should have the ability to protect my family and property. i wish that our society was not in the state it is in, and i wish that this didnt have to be an issue.. but the honest truth is, that it is an issue, and i would be doing myself an injustice by puting my head in a hole in the ground and ignoring it.

and, in case no one knows, we have some of the best hunting here in west texas. i am going spring turkey hunting this weekend. whitetail, turkey, dove, quail, delicious

bigjohn

do I get some kind of security fee?

bowling for colombine was a great movie.

while biased... the thing about americans being scared etc.. soo true.

Guns beget more guns.

I have to admit, I'm (almost) with BigJohn on this one. His "times like these" comment shows some of the fearmongering about crime (which is down something like 20% - but crime reporting is up 400%), but I don't see why any tool should be outlawed.

After something like the Battle in Seattle, however, I'm not all that big on allowing the "servants of the people" access to weapons that the common man either can't have or is restricted in using. If it's good enough for (Seattle Police Sargeant) Richard Goldstein, it's good enough for me.

Bren R.

As long as they're trained and keep their firearms securely locked up when not in use, gun owners are fine with me. It's always the idiots who screw things up for everyone else.

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It's always the idiots who screw things up for everyone else.

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And do you know how many idiots are out there Peter?
Sometimes i wonder if there are more idiots than intellligent folk.
I wish we could take a head count. I'm curious to know.

Statistics show that the violent crime rate goes down wherever concealed-carry laws have been passed. I am in full support of allowing people to carry concealed, as long as they have the appropriate training and background checks. I am a CCW license holder, and I own a Kimber Compact CDP, a Glock 33, a Springfield XD-357 and a Sig P-220.

Mark

my wife and i are both licensed CCW in the state of texas. i agree with everything thats being said here. licensed, responsible, safe, trained, and willing.

my belief, far out as it might be, is that we should require ALL households to have someone certified and trained to fire a weapon, and require that ALL households have a working gun. now wait before you jump on this.. imagine how much personal and property crime would decrease if the criminals knew that the house they were breaking into had a person inside that was trained to shoot and kill them............and every house had someone like that inside... its just an idea i have.. it will never happen, and there are too many loopholes.. but i think it would make criminals rethink their choices.

i am not soap-boxing here.. it looks like this thread has been officially hijacked, and i am just keeping it going.

i swear, im not crazy.

bigjohn

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i think it would make criminals rethink their choices.

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But it doesn't, and this is also well known. Capital punishment has never deterred homicide rates and this is a primary argument against that very law. Two ppl having guns when being held up only INCREASES the chance that someone will get shot and you can be sure the criminals will do what they can to make sure they get you first.

If you want every household to have a gun, move to a country like Rwanda or some of the other stricken S.African countries where every man, woman and CHILD has a gun!! (literally). Those countries are doing oh so well and what put them there? People with guns that decided to start revolutions for a large part.
Don't think it can happen in America?
The public certainly has enough guns to pull it off.

Guns beget more guns, period.
Eye for an eye, mine vs. yours, you shoot me, i'll shoot you attitude does not make for a peaceful society whatsoever.
Try carrying mace instead.
Non lethal and brutally effective. For anyone who has ever been hit by mace, you KNOW what i mean. (This is not some paltry pepper spray i'm referring to).

Twelve kids a day on average is TOO many regardless of the source of the shooting (accidental, intentional or negligence). Sights i care not to see in our country thank you.

i can dig what you are saying chess.. and i wish this was a "peaceful society", but its not.. and that is the simple truth.

i see in your bio that you live in canada. i am curious, is that just now, or were you raised in canada.. heres what i am getting at.. there is no question that the US is a much more violent society, as a whole, than canada. and the US has different laws concerning gun control, capitol punishment, and government/personal involvement.. i see what you are saying, and where you are going with your point of view. but i think your viewpoint is directly linked to the environment you were brought up in. you have become a product of what is around you. i, on the other hand, was raised in a different environment, a different society, with completely different inputs than yourself. that doesnt make either of us right or wrong, it makes us products of our environment.

your views are based on what you see and do everyday.. and mine are based on what i see and do everyday.

i truly wish i lived in a society more like yours. maybe i wouldnt feel the way i do.. and if you lived in mine, you might not think my ideas were so crazy..

BTW- if you got mace, and your home intruder has a gun.. you are gonna lose..

no animosity here, just different views of the same subject.

bigjohn

I don't disagree with you either bigjohn. Different circumstances and different regions have their own problems, the extent and ideas behind which we manage those problems will define the future of humans on this planet.

I've travelled the States and Canada.
I was born in Canada but have lived in major cities across the country including Calgary which is ALOT like some southwestern states in attitude (cowboyish, etc. etc.). I also have relatives in the US and now overseas in the UK. It is true that SOME environments are different such that firearms are a necessity (e.g. up in Nunavut in small communities where polar bear sightings are common) but bringing that into major, populated areas only increases potential incidents whether criminal or unintended. The vast majority of ppl may feel comfortable carrying a gun, but whether intelligent or not, they may not use it properly when placed in a highly stressful situation.

The crime rate (or perception of it) is not that bad in every region across the US. In fact i daresay that the most of the US lives a very laid back lifestyle not unlike Canadians. The bigger and more prominent city areas certainly can be more intimidating, but a general philosophy of 'requiring' the ownership of a firearm will never end until everyone embraces the concept. However, Americans do seem to be more 'vocal' about the ideals of "my rights, my freedoms" and Instead there is a presentation of having to go the other way from laid back to violent return.

There are non-lethal alternatives to guns, more being developed with newer technology and no, if you hit someone with mace first, you WiLL win. I've seen 220lb police recruits drop to their knees and cry like little girls when hit with it. If a skunk can spray 15-20 feet, we can make mace shoot up to 25 or 30 even in a decent breeze. Beyond that, you should be running and not shooting anything.
Most muggings happen at a short distance, not a far one.

It is bad enough that road rage is getting out of control, but people requiring concealed firearms to go shopping at Walmart? That's outrageous and inherently dangerous.
At least the concept of home protection makes more sense. Buy a shotgun and keep it locked up at your house. Carry the mace when you walk down the street.
It is a compromise that no doubt is still unacceptable to many Americans.
(I'm going to duck and wait now for the first to stand up and say once again, "it is my right to.....")

I was born and raised in the US, and have spent the last 10 years living in Los Angeles, and I completely agree with Chess.

There's simply no good use for handguns and fully automatic weapons. There were designed for one purpose and one purpose only - to kill people. If you want to target shoot, use a friggin' bb-gun.

I usually try to stay completely clear of political issues here (actually there's rarely a political issue brought up, as this is an audio board. ), but I can't stay completely silent on this one.

BigJohn - In your dream world in which every home has a gun carrying person, you admit that that is a pipe dream that would never happen. If you're going to dream, why not dream of a world without guns?

btw...my signature line is a quote from Gandhi, so consider the source when you listen to my preaching.

no backlash from me.. although it is my right..

i am in rural texas.. very laid back.. low crime.. in fact, we only had 6 homicide deaths/murders in 2003.. and 2 were in one place on a drug deal gone bad.. anyway, this is the kind of town where you can leave your door unlocked, and your keys in your car. a lot of people do it.. but i have the belief that people make themselves victims by allowing criminals an easy path. i aint all paranoid or nothing, but i do make an effort to secure my belongings, and leave no temptations for the bad guys. and i dont carry a weapon to walmart.. actually, i have a CCW, but rarely carry my handgun with me.. mainly on trips, for my familys safety. i dont carry on a daily basis. but its not necessarliy that i have the CCW out of necessity, more like, 'cause i can'.. that sounds kinda stupid, even as i type it, but maybe it does go back to the whole, "its my right, my freedom"..

there is NO easy answer or solution to guns/gun control. i am glad i have the right to carry arms, and i have taken the steps, as have my wife, to do this as safe and controlled as possible.

and i do have a shotgun, a couple actually... depends on what kind of hunting i am doing. a few rifles also. to be honest, the majority reason i have weapons, is to hunt game.. not to kill people.. but i feel confident in my training and ability, that if i ever needed to make the decision to do that, it would be quick, decisive, and final..

i am cool with open discussion, as long as we dont start saying the other is 'wrong' for how they feel.. thats when it usually gets ugly..

bigjohn

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i am cool with open discussion, as long as we dont start saying the other is 'wrong' for how they feel.. thats when it usually gets ugly..

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Nah, usually gets ugly about 11am the next morning when you roll over and can't quite make out what species the warm thing laying beside you is.

Bren R.
(bringing the levity)

bigjohn,

You're the nicest wrong guy I've ever met....

Just kidding!

thanks, i needed a good laugh today..

i can just feel the love..

i aint as eloquent at this typing stuff as others, so i know i end up sounding pretty 'out there' sometimes.. but hey, we all have different beliefs on all subjects. other than the fact that we all like AXIOM speakers, thats a given.. so i just try and absorb all these different 'beliefs', and compare them to mine.. maybe i will change my mind a little bit, maybe they will change theirs. its all about the communication.

and bren, just naw it off next time.. anythings better than waking her, er... it, up..

bigjohn

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the next morning when you roll over and can't quite make out what species the warm thing laying beside you is

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Oh geez, that one got me.
I laughed so hard tears came from my eyes.

Good thing my wife isn't home. She would think i was downright mental if she doesn't think that way already).

bigjohn,

Your open-mindedness is very refreshing. Yes, you're opinionated, but at least you acknowledge that your's isn't the only way. That's rare.

I'd just like to say for the record and in case anyone is wondering, not everyone in Texas shares bigjohns views on this. There are a few of us liberals...(gasp) scattered about Texas.

Knowing that people are allowed to have conceled weapons (legitimate or other wise) scares the hell out of me.

I'm sure bigjohn is a smart, honest, and very responsible gun owner with a permit to carry and it is not the bigjohns of the world that I worry about. It is those ppl who have a permit to carry that are not smart, responsible and honest that truely scare me. Which begs the question: since I'm so afraid of those folks (and I know there out there) who are not responsible, smart, and honest yet have a permit to carry, should I myself get a gun just to put myself on an even playing field?

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so i just try and absorb all these different 'beliefs', and compare them to mine.. maybe i will change my mind a little bit, maybe they will change theirs. its all about the communication.

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And you say you're not as eloquent as others? That was very well said.

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There are a few of us liberals...(gasp) scattered about Texas.

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You must fit in about as well as a black drag queen at a KKK rally.

Brave man you are.

mwc-
you hit the nail on the head.. that is the biggest argument/concern as to why we need to have guns..

if the government does say, "OK, handguns are illegal, turn them all in".. law abiding citizens will do that, but i guarantee you, the criminals wont. now obviously, this is a fantasy world i speak of, that will never happen, but you get my point.

but what you said is exactly how i feel.. i dont want to be at a disadvantage when it comes to having to defend myself, or my family. plain and simple..

and mwc, where have you liberals been hiding, AUSTIN... hehe

bigjohn

Mostly Austin. But I hide out in the DFW area with the other three .

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You must fit in about as well as a black drag queen at a KKK rally.

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That's funny but not far from the truth. I tend to stay away from political discussions lest I might find myself ostricized.

I'm going to be in Dallas next week M - W. Where can I find the liberals?

mwc - I wasn't aware there were ostriches in Texas. Be careful

Bren, I've been working throught this over the last couple of days and my conclusion is this - ALL of your avatars are scary, so use the one you like the most. Also, when you wake up with something warm beside, the thing you want to make sure of is thatit's the same species, although I did see an attractive whale recently.

are you trying to make me regret that biology lesson?

Actually, I applaud (and absolutely enjoy) the incredible things you are able to conjur via the web to add to the mix. After doing a major whale-induced RLOL, I came up short trying to think of the search terms that one could use to find that particular piece of photographic largesse. I say Bravo!! Hell, I was 23 before I found out Moby Dick wasn't VD.

Hey Ray...was the whale once a missile flying through space? (for any Douglas Adams fans)

Hey people!

Just wanted to throw my hat in and say I'm like bigjohn. I was raised in a rural area, raised hunting and fishing and camping. I can build a barn, catch fish, hunt deer, grow vegetables, etc., etc. I now live in Atlanta, a far cry from where I grew up.

I own many guns, none for the purpose of killing people. I'm very spiritual about my hunting/fishing. I only take what I need and use all I take. I'll only go fishing or hunting with people I consider worthy of such an experience. I don't carry my pistol anywhere but to the hunt camp or the range. God forbid I ever have to fire on anyone out of defense...

Unfortunately, not everyone has this same respect for life. I love our right to free speech and our right to bear arms and I recognize that the mouth and gun are similar...once you shoot it off, you can't take it back. You have to have respect for other people and other living things...that we owe to one another. And refusing something to the majority because a fraction of a minority can't do so will not solve any problems, real or perceived. Censoring speech b/c a few can't think is wrong.

My 2. And I welcome yours...the earth is too big and too small not to love each other regardless.

^billy

Eloquently and articulately put, Billy.

Kudos to all for handling a potentially explosive topic with honesty, restraint, and an open mind. Wish the av123 forum could read this thread. It might temper their opinion of our nastiness.

I don't belive we passed their maturity and sophistication tests.

Well said, Squirrelyz. If there were more people like you, this world would be a better place.

Mark

Aw shucks...thanks for the kind words, guys. The next round is on me!

^billy

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I wasn't aware there were ostriches in Texas. Be careful

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Ray, we have so many ostriches in Texas that we have to be careful where we step while wearing our ostrich boots.

testing avatar...

In reply to:

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I recognize that the mouth and gun are similar...once you shoot it off, you can't take it back

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It is, however, much easier to apologize and be forgiven for doing the former...

Very well said, nonetheless.

well, just thought i would go to the 'gun' thread and fill ya'll in on my turkey hunt this weekend.

we(wife and i) got out there saturday afternoon, and set up the camp. luckily, the others there were taking care of food, so we basically just had to set up the tent and blow up the air mattress. cole, the guy who owned the ranch, took me out to one of the blinds near a stock pond and said the turkeys will usually come in around dusk to get water. i had a mouth call, that i havent got good at using yet, and was trying to bring them in. to bad it aint deer season, cause we saw PLENTY of them coming in to drink. couple nice bucks, but mainly doe's. anyway, we could hear the turkeys in the tree line, but they never came into range. as the sun started to set, we could hear them flying up to roost in the trees. we never did get a 'clear' look at a turkey, but they were definitely all around us. we walked the trail back to camp(about 45 minutes), and i was nearly exhausted.. i am getting too fat, and too old. it was almost nine by the time we got back, and they had just started dinner.. these guys are all big hunters, so it was an 'all game' dinner. we had potatoes w/deer & jalapeno sausage, deer back straps, turkey breasts(killed that morning), quail, and goose. one of the guys was from amarillo, and apparently, that is a popular place for migrating geese. it was my first time to have goose, tastes like duck.. it was pretty good. we all ate well, drank some beer, played some songs on the guitar, and hit the tent. i was tired.

sunday morning,7:30 am, i get woke up to a gobbler just up the hill from the tent, probably 200-250 yards. my wife said she was too tired, and just wanted to sleep, so i grabbed the 12 gauge, and a jacket, and headed up the hill. once up on the top, i nestled down by a tree and reached into my pocket to grab my mouth call, IT WAS GONE.. with no way to call them in, and not wanting to get up and run them off, i just stayed there, hoping they would cross my path. it never happened.. once again, i could hear them in the tree line and could see movement in the trees, but they never got in range. i did have two big jack rabbits move up on me though.. they never even knew i was there, they probably got within 15 feet of me. i could swear i kept hearing an armadillo digging in the ground behind the tree i was against, but i never checked. once i got up to go back to camp, he was gone. got back to camp around 10:30, shannon had already deflated the air mattress and was fixing to pull the tent pegs..(thats a good wife that will break camp alone).. and she found my turkey caller, it had fallen out of my jacket.. as i walked up to the the tent, she just laughed, threw it at me and asked,"did ya forget something"?? anyway, got back just in time to have a havelina & egg burrito, and loaded up the jeep. we left around noon, and were home by 1:30.

although i didnt drop a turkey, we had a great time, and it is cool just to get out in the country for a while. lucky for me, the guy who owns the ranch(cole), is fixing to marry one of my wifes best friends, so looks like i will have a good place to hunt come deer season..

just thought ya'll might like to know how the weekend went.

have a good week..

bigjohn

sorry everyone, I hope I did not come off as having gotten a little 'work on the forearms' there. Seems like I stirred things up and then took off for the weekend. That was certainly not my intention. That being said, this was the most civil political discussion I have ever heard!

I will admit that being Canadian, it kind of freaks me out thinking of that many people owning firearms (and I'm glad that isn't the case in my area). In fact, i had never even fired a gun before my vacation this year, when I had the opportunity to fire an AK-47 in Cambodia. It's really strange there, with the history of that country that they could be so seemingly nonchalant about guns. We'd just toured the Killing Fields where 10,000+ bodies were buried and they take us to the shooting range!?! And no one thought this was weird!?! Very beautiful country, but made me happy I live where I do.

A big "thumbs up" to Billy on that post.

It reminded me of something. My wife collects cookbooks. One I bought her a couple years ago was (a personally autographed copy of) "Kill it and Grill It" by Ted Nugent.

Now, I don't hunt. Mostly because I was raised in suburbia, and partially because I don't like to walk around outside in the cold. But Ted's book and Billy's post gave me a new and profound respect for the deep spiritual meaning that hunting has for many people. It is an approach that is often attributed to Native Americans, but it clearly is not exclusive to that group.

Nugent may be outspoken, but he is neither as stupid nor as extreme as some people make him out to be.

I believe in the Second Amendment. I have seriously considered joining the NRA. And I don't own any guns.

And bigjohn, thanks for the trip report! Wonderful imagery! Does javelina taste like chicken?

tom,

not sure if you were asking as a joke, or if you were serious.. havelina is like a wild boar/pig. akin to like the 'razorbacks' in arkansas.. texas havelinas are VERY aggressive, and can get up to around 200 pounds. they have large 'tusks' portruding from their mouths that can cause serious damage. there is no actual 'season' for havelina, they are considered a 'pest' animal(like rabbits and skunks), and can be shot any time of the year. they obviously taste most like pork, but it is very lean pork. has a tendency to be very dry if cooked badly. the havelina that i had in the burrito, was ground with peppercorns and cylantro leaves. it was plenty spicy, and moist..

just thought i would expand a little.

bigjohn

Me with cat.

First avatar ever for me. This is my 8 week old daughter.

Rich

Congratulations Rich - she's a cutie! When you get to my age, you will realize you are holding a $600K expenditure in your hands (including college and wedding). Enjoy her while you can; she'll be 25, married and gone in what seems like a couple of months.

Thanks Ray! I'm probably older than you think! I have two boys, 11 and 9 (the sources of my user name!), and now have this little sweetie named Halina. But this is the first girl. Not wrapped around her fingers... yet.

And I saw your reply on the SVS (AKA, The Beast!). Thanks for following up. I appreciate it.

Rich

geez 2x6, you like tubes?? i didnt know that

DA...

bigjohn

I know. It's a pretty amp, but not enough tubes!

I thought the first one was some kind of toaster.

It's not a toaster?

That first one is pretty cool looking.

Just a test. All you guys with your cute kids had me feeling ashamed to be using a stranger with a beer glass, no matter how stylish.

Nice pic! He should be holding a beer, though.

<---- like this

I got no beery ones, but wanted to give my daughter equal time. First of a series of tests. Sorry for the interruption.

Test again.

Last one for now. Anybody care deeply and have anything constructive to say?

She's a cuty, TT

cute kids.. i like the last one of your boy.. he has that, "my axioms just arrived 2 weeks early" look!!

bigjohn