Cyphre Iredell

Well one of the primary purposes to the Mk-16 program was cost. However complaints of lacking additional lethality are unfounded because they were limited to a NATO caliber to begin with amongst trials, at a loss for employing newer, better munitions (6.8SPC, or 6.5 Grendel for instance). In general, the cause for adopting a newer system, such as the SCAR or HK416 types was cost because in general, outfitting the M4A1 SOPMOD was ridiculously expensive and made no improvement upon the guns firing action at the core. It was one of the reasons behind the OICW program in that an entire rifle could be built for cheaper than an adapted pre-existing M4 variant (original M4A1 has stationary carry handle and no rails, and basic retractable stock for instance). Granted, 90% of weapon adoption programs fail because there is that necessary percentage of improvement they require which doesn't necessarily revolve around user-friendliness. Cyclic charging handle is somewhat understandable, but barely even a user preference at that rate. Short-stroking just means better spring adaptation (usually due to temperature changes, combined with occasionally awkward recoil-acceptance from varied wielding positions). Spring differences are temperamental because if it doesn't provide an equal enough force against the action of the gun itself, the recoil will be a lot harder and cause more stress on the action, while any stiffer and you enter territory where variances in weather effect the expanding gases of a cartridge that may cause the action not to cycle completely or simply jam. This, however, is true for all weapon systems. The lightweight 'plastic' nature of the SCAR is another of those balancing acts as would be pointed out about controllability under fully-automatic fire. As with all weapons, the lighter it is, the more felt recoil results. This effect goes equally for polymer framed handguns with higher felt recoil versus heavier types (including magnum revolvers). All of that is fairly relative, however, as spraying is a big fat no-no for basic infrantry armaments that aren't squad support weapons (belt-fed light machine guns). Suppose it all depends on your preference as to whether or not you'd rather have a heavier weapon, or a lighter one with slightly higher felt recoil, as no one is claiming the M4 is particular better at the function in itself. XD Either way, no single gun is going to operate at some amazingly greater capacity than pre-existing weapons because the benefits are spread throughout in a given weapon system. Also it seems in this article that it is more rumored since an entire pullout of a program isn't that feasible in the short term, let alone 'abrupt'. Thumbs up to a weapon that operates well in a controlled situation? lol *cough*M16*cough* XD

Yessss, and omit some of the upper armor plates... :3

When we can mod it, I'll add 6 more and make a dress out of it. :D

Yeah there is a memorial and whatnot, if I recall Oahu, the least fun island in my opinion, but also where the capitol is.

Adding more depth to a notification of denial in regards to a specific app would be the same effort if one were to contact the one who sent it. XD

Oh don't worry, they mark it with cones so you don't run into it :D The only actual thing to worry about would be tropical storms.

Best place in the USA? Hawaii. Go there. It's amazing in every way with the happiest people around. Maui for snorkeling and beaches, Kauai for hiking/kayaking/scenery (and some beaches). Only bad part is cost of food/groceries (but there is a Costco). All the islands are hurting for tourism so hotels are pretty cheap depending on the time of year. Go to Hollywood if you want to view the freaks of the streets and see how all those silly rumors and stereotypes are true about the people who populate such areas. 80's Toyotas next to Ferraris. Vegas is a direct few hours drive (about 200 miles or so?), but then you may as well just go to Stateline (Primm Valley Resort and Casino, and Whiskey Pete's) because its cheaper, closer, and only lacks the random shows you'll never have the money to get into on the strip. Also better [gambling] tables and cheaper food.

Damn Zraz, you're neck and neck with lordBob.

Friend of mine sent me an apt vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO0xspHN0Vw

Elfin Lied? Hell no. To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kugaku no Railgun: Index is a pretty interesting original theme about basically a 'high school city' (containing several schools) and the students within practicing the arts of... psionics, basically. The intent was that all things have the ability to perform things like telekinesis, telepathy and all those other mind tricks and developing scientific methods for their explanation and use. The wrench thrown in the works is 'magic' which is pretty well laughed at and still a joke. Really interesting cast of characters and a great original storyline (that is somewhat dumbed down from the manga if I recall). Railgun is a spinoff story about the other female lead character (who is one of the most powerful around, nicknamed the Railgun for eletricity and electromagnetic manipulation) and a whole different plot line. Only briefly bumps into the male lead of the first series every so often... they kinda flub about that whole premise itself unfortunately, as to whether they already know each other or otherwise. Equally interesting story and more 'girls life' style antics. Detroit Metal City: OMG Hilarious series... about a guy who is the lead guitarist/singer in a heavy metal band, but who really isn't hardcore at all and wants to play happy songs and other ridiculous stupidity. Insanely hilarious and there is a guest english voice actor in the original series for this 'legendary' rock dude whose name escapes me. Definitely funny along the lines of Cromartie High School, though Cromartie has a LOT of cultural reference that even I didn't quite understand at first (like cigarette censorship). Either way, they try pretty hard with the dub to make some new jokes, though quite a bit is lost there. Gurren Lagann was a pretty awesome series as the underlying theme was pretty much a parody on every other theme about 'going all out', breaking the limits, doing things with all your heart, etc etc. The premise is ridiculous, the combat is insane and sometimes wacky, but the overall feel is intended to be way way WAY over the top on purpose. The ending is kind of... strange. Really wasn't anything else that could have fit there though.

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood was AMAZING. I was avoiding mentioning it since it barely finished so I'm not expecting to see it imported all that soon. Trinity, it is basically an OVA based entirely on the manga, not the first series that was put out. It take careful aim to include all the humor as opposed to something horrendously sad happening every episode. Like I didn't cry as hard when the chimera died, or the Maes Hughes thing, because they didn't attempt to emphasize or further dramatize the events themselves. The ending was also beautiful and less gut-wrenching.

Does it count if you created an Alpha Contubernium? XD

Claymore was good, however the manga was definitely better, more thorough, and didn't have that retarded ending that they basically thew into the series in the last two episodes... just to have an end. They tweaked a few things in the story itself which basically did away with any future connections. Patlabor: Awesome, but damn the release they put out a few years ago was ridiculously overpriced. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (and Second Gig): Really good series' as it placed more of am emphasis on the basis of they unit they were a part of: Section 9. It was closer to a detective series and even showed the backgrounds of all the members of the immediate unit throughout the series. Also great action and storyline. Perfect Blue: Great realistic type psychological thriller (nothing really anime-ish, more of a serious plotline). Worth picking up, and in many parts, the dub was better than the original voice actress. Full Metal Panic: Hilarious series with a classic high school atmosphere with military personnel. Main character is a hardened war veteran who is overly cautious and carries a real firearm and explosives. Otherwise some interesting mecha action that takes a somewhat different approach than the classic mecha stylings that obey no laws of physics; such as main guns firing cannon-sized shells (rather than sounding like an assault rifle, even though its a gigantic machine). Escaflowne: Amazing movie and series. Fox actually put out the first four episodes in all their ridiculously censored glory, but gave up shortly thereafter because there really is no way to censor all the blood and cries of pain throughout. XD Hellsing Ultimate OVA: Ignores the stupid mini-plots of the original Hellsing series that was produced by Geneon and got on with the story of the manga. Although the first series did have some of the most interesting music around and probably the best OST to date. Not that Ultimate OVA doesn't have amazing music, but there were whole songs in the first. Mahoromatic: Funny series that, on the surface looks like some sort of romantic comedy with a maid, but the main character has a slowly revealed background about her participation as a combat android. Lots of hilarity, though a few cliche character types. More nudity than most as it does away with the generally acceptable 'convenient censorship' And with Gainax at the helm of animation, the combat scenes are superb. Trigun: Should be mentioned and should be watched as soon as possible if not already. Classic series of the same generation as Cowboy Bebop. Amazing storyline, great musical scores. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be astounded and amazed. Way back in the day when things were animated without computers.

BOOO! CRY MOAR >:(

Wow. He sure loves Orks! XD And since hotlinking is detectable, for anyone to use that link, you need to click your address bar again and hit enter to load the jpg itself.

Haha I got Thor Pilot too! I flick cigars at everything :3

Apostles were never ORIGINALLY an alpha squad, and that is the primary point there. At no point was there much of an announcement to make it so, either. But hey, best of luck in that arena either way. If I recall the Ace Pilot merit also preceded the Alpha Contubernium, and thus the paradigm was formed. Makes one wonder if Astra can now acquire Ace Pilot as well as Alpha Contubernium, what merit is similar to Ace Pilot that Terra can acquire? Either way, many of the responses given in regards to definitions occurred because the thread poster is not someone who has been around at the inception of the alpha squads, nor Astra Apostles, and is attempting to voice their definition of such.

Now I feel old D:

Apostles predate the Alpha squads and Alpha Contubernium merit. So not QUITE within the same stream, but 'relatively similar'.

Got one of those funny emails from my boss: Don’t know if this was a real college question or not, but it’s a great answer. HELL EXPLAINED BY A CHEMISTRY STUDENT The following is an actual question given on a University of Arizona chemistry mid term, and an actual answer turned in by a student. The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well : Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving, which is unlikely. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct..... ...leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.' THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

Wait, isn't that basically condemning yourself too? <_<

OH man, I have recruited SOOOO many people! Okay maybe less than I thought... since I deny most of them. <_<

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE ANYMORE!!! D:

Tiridates got really sick of his ridiculous commute one day... and so fell the Berlin Wall.

There were actually 5 horses of the Apocalypse, and on it sat Agares