More on Light Scattering: With nearly 550 people on the mailing list, I
can often count on some very informed feedback. Here are some comments
on the observation that LED flashlights do poorly in smoke or fog:
The idea that yellow light is scattered less by fog is a myth.
Scattering by very small particles (like air molecules) is highly
wavelength dependent - that's why the sky is blue, and why telephoto
lenses (which see light through large amounts of air) often use
yellow filters for color correction. This is called Rayleigh
scattering. In contrast, light scattering by particles much larger
than the wavelength of light (fog, clouds) is almost independent of
wavelength - that's why light seen through fog or clouds is white.
This is called Mie scattering...Light scattering is an important
issue in headlight design, where the goals are maximum visibility
with minimization of glare. Headlights that spread light widely
cause more glare than beams which focus the light in a narrow
beam...Fog lamps minimize glare by shining light low along the
highway. Current European standards call for fog lamps to be white,
not yellow...I suspect that LED lights cause increased glare in fog
because they have a [more] diffused beam. Light wavelength does not
play a role in this effect.
---
Why Obama Courts Pro-RKBA Vote: ...There are several overlapping
phenomena at work here, none of which should encourage - or really
surprise - supporters of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear
arms...One, he's not courting pro-gun voters per se but pro-gun
Democratic primary voters, a demographic that will likely recede to
insignificance before the general election. Two, even if these voters
aren't convinced just yet, this outreach can garner endorsements from
figures the demographic does trust. Three, Obama's efforts are a change
in tone, not direction, from his life of anti-gun advocacy. This is
politics as usual...
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13018
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Oops, Wrong House: The Ogle County coroner's office identified a male
late Monday who was shot and killed after he allegedly broke into a
rural home the night before, but his name was being withheld pending
notification of family members...The sheriff said he was unsure if the
man staying in the home, who shot twice, would face criminal charges.
Officials in the Ogle County state's attorney's office declined to
comment. Legal experts said the question hinged partly on perception...
http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x515262953
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Forensics in Shooting Trial: The police bullets that shattered the
passenger window of Sean Bell's car would have sent glass shards flying
outward, toward the officers firing their guns, and could have made it
appear to the officers that someone in the car was shooting at them, a
crime scene analyst testified on Monday...A lingering curiosity in the
case has been a bullet that was found in a lampshade in a first-floor
apartment down Liverpool Street, in the direction Mr. Benefield had been
running, possibly suggesting he was being shot at as he ran. But the
defense has maintained that the bullet was a ricochet, which was why it
was traveling slowly enough to be stopped by a paper lampshade after
breaking through a window...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/nyregion/08bell.html?ref=nyregion
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Israel Disarms Settlers: In recent weeks the IDF has been collecting
hundreds of military-issued weapons in the Binyamin region in the West
Bank, including weapons that were in the possession of IDF officers.
According to reports Tuesday, the only people who were given leave to
keep their weapons were rapid response teams and those charged with
maintaining security in the settlements..."The weapons were collected
for maintenance reasons and are intended to stay in the IDF's hands
except for in emergency cases," the army said in response. "There are
still weapons in the hands of rapid response teams and those who are
licensed to carry arms. If need be, weapons will be distributed to
graduates of combat units," the army added. (I guess that in Israel,
when seconds count, the army is only minutes away.)
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1207486218138&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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That Should Do the Trick: Legislation against selling, making, hiring or
importing samurai swords in England and Wales has come into force. Those
breaking the law face six months in jail and a �5,000 fine. Carrying a
sword in public is already illegal. Exemptions will cover swords which
are used for re-enactments or antique weapons kept on display by
collectors...Currently 17 weapons, including knuckle dusters and batons
are on the Offensive Weapons Order, which was created by the Criminal
Justice Act 1988.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7331099.stm
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
