Your Employer Is Tracking You

Recently saw  this video from Joshua Fluke. If you don't subscribe to his channel, you should.  The subject matter of the video is simple, Josh discusses computer software that tracks employee input on their work issued computer.

Although I am against this practice, the fact of the matter is that many companies do use this kind of software. If the computer in question belongs to the company, then the company does have an argument for the use of the software.The question still remains, if you do not trust me, then why don't you fire me immediately?

An example
My former employer took the cheap way out on this type of software. They tracked our time at the computer by measuring how often the application Skype went inactive.  Skype would go inactive after about 7 or 8 minutes. The computer screen would shut down after 10 minutes of inactivity.

At one point, my boss brought it to my attention that my Skype availability it was not acceptable. Since I had suspicions (that were later confirmed) that this was a part of a grander scheme to build documentation leading to my termination, I decided to not allow this point to be the determining factor. I bought a USB "mouse jiggler."

The device sent a signal to the computer that the mouse had moved ever so slightly once every 3 minutes. This kept the computer active, Skype active, and also prevented the computer from shutting down.  In my conversation with my boss the following month, he noted that my Skype activity was among the best of my peers.  He acted very excited about this.

Of course, what he was really excited about, was not my activity, he was really excited about the fact that this was no longer a reason for him to build documentation. See, he was going to no longer be my direct supervisor at the beginning of 2021. Therefore, he could hand off the duties of building the case against me to my incoming supervisor.

Naturally, I got out of Dodge, before any of that could happen.

Some thoughts:
1.  Do not perform any personal activities on your work issued computer. Perform personal activities on personal devices.

2.  Tape up the video camera on your work computer.

3. Do not perform work activities on a personal computer or device. If a company requires you to perform work duties on a personal device, buy a separate device on which to perform that work.

4. Be extremely wary of companies where C-level executives believe that remote work is somehow less productive or less desirable.

What is At-Will Work?

Recently came across this video. YouTuber "Joshua Fluke" details the insanity of a situation in Wisconsin. From what information can be gathered in the YouTube video and a quick Google search, about seven employees left one company (ThedaCare) and went to work for another (Ascension). The industry was healthcare. The positions were described as "technicians and nurses." Also, here is a Steve Lehto video on same. 

There is a bunch of insanity in this unfolding story, so let's break it down. 

A new player came to town, hired one professional at what was apparently a significantly higher wage. That professional informed friends at work, who, in turn, also applied for positions and were hired. This is where the good part ends. 

The former employer - ThedaCare - did not make counter-offers. They decided to sue the employees and the new company. A temporary injunction was ordered that prevented the employees from starting their new jobs. Cue eye roll here on insanity. Where in the concept of "at-will" work does this even exist???

Eventually, the judge saw some reason and removed the temporary injunction. That may be the only rational thing this judge has ever done - IDK. 

SUMMARY

Thumbs down to judge McGinnis. This author will probably get 6 months in jail for that. 

Thumbs WAY down for ThedaCare. 

Thumbs up for Joshua Fluke. Check out his channel, it is definitely recommended. 

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Post - Edit

Here is the update video from Steve Lehto

Here is the update video from Joshua Fluke

Full Moon Shenanigans

From a reader:

"Don't you think you are out of line for what you said regarding the emission testing? It's sad for those people who lost their jobs and those who will soon lose theirs."

These people had over three and a half years head start. The legislation to eliminate emission testing in Tennessee passed in mid 2018. The program did not end until January 2022 (or February for Davidson County residents). Furthermore, the EPA made their ruling on August 17, 2021. This means there was 5 months head-start of knowing exactly when your job will be gone. 

This author has lost his job on more than one occasion. The typical situation is finding out today that today will be your last day. I wish I'd had months or years of advance notice!

Thankfully for them, these people are also entering the best job market in my lifetime. An ounce of effort should be greatly rewarded. 

Today It Ends

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Today, emission testing ends in Tennessee. In 2018, the state legislature passed a bill to end the draconian measures. For some reason that nobody can properly explain to me, the EPA had to put their stamp of approval on this change. The EPA did so last year, and today, January 14, 2022, is the day that measure takes effect. 

The six counties that had mandatory emissions testing were Davidson, Hamilton, Sumner, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson. Davidson county "leaders" had voted to keep their testing program in place, but that decision has changed, as well, in recent days - Davidson County will end their testing in early February. 

Not everyone is happy about this. The employees from the testing company will lose their jobs. This includes my brother-in-law. However, they have known this was coming since 2018. Several times in my life, I learned I would be losing my job - and in each instance, I immediately solved the problem by getting another job. Not sure why these people didn't as they had a 3-year head start. Furthermore, These people found out for sure the date back in August. And in the middle of the best employee's job market in my lifetime, they refused to look elsewhere. 

The rest of the people in the state, save a Democrat here or there (even though most were in favor of eliminating the testing), are cheering now. And we are happy that there is one less exertion of power by our government. It is the right thing to do. 

My best wishes for the employees looking to replace their incomes in the best employee's job market in the past 45+ years. Your "sacrifice" was well worth it. 

Training Tips

This was shared on social media and it was so good, I wanted to save it here. 

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Training tips

Understand training is expensive. 

Plan on spending 3X the cost of the class in total for the training.

Look for classes that cover topics that you are wanting to learn about or get better at.

You are going to have to travel, just expect that it's going to be a ways away from where you live.

Bring good equipment to all training. 

You don't want to be fighting equipment issues while trying to learn. 

Yes....good stuff costs money.

Don't forget a ton of learning takes place during breaks and after class talking with other students. 

Don't miss out on all the informal passing of information.

Listen to what the instructor tells you and try it. 

There is no reason to try and show everyone how awesome you are during a class. 

Plus you are not learning what you paid for.

If you have a question....ask. 

If you don't understand... ask. 

If you have a story....keep that shit to yourself. 

The other students did not pay to hear about you.

Take notes... always take notes. 

At the end of the day write up a review of the day. 

It helps you remember and gives you a chance on day 2,3,4,5 to get anything cleared up that you may have questions about.

At the end of a class a written AAR can help you remember what you have learned. 

A good way to write up an AAR is broken into sections... introduction, equipment, basic outline of class, lessons learned, problems encountered, summary of the class and experience. 

The sections I find the best are lessons learned and problems.

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Good stuff. Thoughts? 

Keep The Sword Sharp

This blog is blessed with some of the best readers, commenters, and persons who correspond via email to be found on the planet. This gem from a comment recently:

"One thing I heard one instructor emphasize that I think applies is 'You don't know what you don't know'."

The commenter continued later:

"'You don't know what you don't know.' If you don't do anything but [XXX Training], you'll never see other situations, problems, and solutions to those problems that other people have worked out."

As the Tactical Professor put it:

If your first instinct is to argue this post by trying to make it seem as if this author is claiming to "know it all" (despite a complete lack of evidence to that claim), then perhaps you should take this into consideration:

• The author took 4 live fire classes in 2021, and has over 20 days of live fire instruction over any 24-month period covering the last 10 years. 
• The author is already signed up (and paid) for three live fire classes in 2022 - all before April 30. 
• The author took 4 medical classes in 2021, and has at least that many scheduled for 2022. 
• The author realizes this is not a flex by any means, as there are some out there who blow this training schedule away! 

If you are an instructor, or in any way consider yourself an expert in the firearms world, and you are not continuing your education, here's a hint: you are not an expert.

If your first instinct is to argue any of the points in this meme, you need to be in a training class now!

There's a Name For It

Wearing a mask. 

Taking the jab. 

Any number of other things that we know do not work. And we (people like me) have been pointing out that they do not work. And we have questioned "new solutions" every time one is proposed. And we have been labeled as "conspiracy theorists" even though the "theories" became widely accepted truth within a matter of months. And we have not been wrong on any of it. 

Cue the meme:

So this author has been wondering if there is a name for the mass brainwashing of the American people (and people around the world, to be fair)? Evidently, there is! It is called "mass formation psychosis."

From the link, there are four variables that combine to create the monster of mass formation psychosis:

1. The lack of a social bond.
2. Free-floating anxiety
3. A feeling of not having any purpose
4. People who are confused and can’t make sense of anything around them

Wow! We have these problems in abundance!

What do you think?

Learn To Be

This was observed on social media. An ad designed to show people how to become firearms instructors. The business was offering a free webinar to introduce the basics. A specific comment caught my eye. 

Before addressing the comment, you must understand, there is a lot that goes into being a firearms instructor. One must have an online presence - social media and a website. One must have a place to hold classes. One must have insurance in place. One must have certifications in place. One must be able to accept payments from prospective students. One must have a class structure, outline, and syllabus. One must have advertising to reach prospective students. There are a myriad of things that a firearms instructor must have and do before the first shot is fired. 

Knowing that...

A person commented on this ad something to the effect of "I'm a 20-year Marine. I'm certified on this platform and that. I scored 'Expert' on Rifle marksmanship 5 years. Blah, blah, blah." All USMC and related material. And he wrapped up by saying "what are you going to teach me about being a firearms instructor???" (yes, he had the three question marks)

I'm thinking: "OK, you have your yellow belt in karate and just asked what this guy can teach you about being a karate instructor."

The owner of the business chimes in and says "nothing. You already know everything." (followed by a trail of laughing emojis). 

BURN!

And rightly so!

For my readers - and I'm thankful for all of you - I hope you find this as entertaining as the ones I get. 

Sad News From The Gun World

This past weekend, it was posted on YouTube that James Yeager of Tactical Response may have ALS. This is very unfortunate. During my semi-weekly perusal of AR15.com, I was reminded why I do not go there more often: there was a thread on the site discussing this turn of events and it seemed like every third person commenting was making a snide comment about him taking cover when fired upon when he was a contractor in Iraq. 

Yahoos like this tend to fall into two main categories, from my observation:

Those that "know better" about tactics are simply hating on the man because he is not former military and has "limited" former LEO experience, yet teaches gun and shooting. These people are often jealous because of his success and they might feel deep down that they could do it better. But the reality is, they certainly cannot do it better.

Those that do not know about tactics are simply hating on the man for any of a number of other reasons (often just following the "cool kids"). The funny thing is, they don't know the secret...

<<< whisper voice >>> It is proper tactics to take cover when fired upon. <<< end whisper voice >>>> 

Thoughts?

(Hint - if you disagree with my statement about proper tactics, you must cite a source that states otherwise. Hearsay from what your "drill sergeant said," "your friend who trained with a SEAL said" or similar BS will result in your comment not being posted.)

It's OK to disagree with the man, or even not care for him due to some strange holier-than-thou perception of his level of uncouthness or whatever. We can all agree that if this diagnosis holds up, it is certainly not what any decent human being would wish on him. 

Proper Expectations

From a comment on a previous post:

Appleseed is a fine thing, so long as you recognize what it's good at and what it's limitations are. It got me off to a good start but there's so much more to learn and to experience outside of that.

(emphasis mine)

So what are some of the limitations, and some of the things they are good at?

We will break this conversation into things Appleseed does well, and things that need to be learned elsewhere. This is not a condemnation of Appleseed - it is (in their own words) giving credit where credit is due, and not expecting a fish to fly. 

APPLESEED DOES WELL:

* Safety

* Key marksmanship fundamentals - sight picture, sight alignment, breathing, trigger manipulation

* History (if they actually teach it at the clinic you attend)

LOOK ELSEWHERE TO LEARN:

* "Tactical" shooting - moving, use of cover, nonstandard positions, etc.

* Firearm manipulations - loading, unloading, malfunction remedies, etc. 

* Proper tactics and practical drills for combat and self defense. 

As an anecdote:

This author was teaching a tactical rifle class - Urban Rifleman - some time back. About half of the class was straight from the instructor cadre of Appleseed in a specific area, and the other half was a mix of regular retail students, Alumni, etc. Although we spent a normal amount of time on weapon manipulation and malfunction remedies, a specific malfunction kept happening. 

The Appleseed instructors kept getting double feeds. 

When they would perform the "Top off" part of the Wyatt Protocol, they were pointing their rifles down, instead of up in a "high port" position as they had been instructed earlier in the day. Admonishment after admonishment; coaching after coaching; teaching moment after teaching moment: it was still not enough to break the ingrained habit of manipulating the rifle with the barrel pointed down, and with the firing side hand.

Finally, this author had enough! With a calm demeanor, a timeout was called, and all were gathered around. The proper method for performing the top off was demonstrated ONE MORE TIME. Participants were advised in no uncertain terms, and in front of all, that performing the sequence with the barrel pointed down and using the firing side hand would "guarantee" a double feed. Participants were advised that a "wise man would perform the technique as demonstrated, regardless of how they have 'always done it'."

That solved a lot of the problem. But habits were still habits. There were more issues. Not as many, but still more double feeds. Every single one was an improper manipulation. 

An Alumni came up to the author after class and stated, "I thought you said these guys were good. They seemed to be at a very beginner level - shooting and the rest of it."

The author explained the reason their shooting while zeroing was not as good as the rest - because they were not accustomed to resting their magazines on the ground (and many of them avoided it for a time). And also that they had habits that while fine for match shooting, were not conducive to self defense or combat. 

And, in case any Appleseed Yahoos are out there reading this, and they are "seeing red," and steam is coming out of their ears, please ponder this fact:

After this class, this author attended another Appleseed. This one taught by one of the participants in that particular Urban Rifleman class. At one point, he made mention of this author and the existence of the classes he had attended. He used the statement "I take classes from Patriot Training and spend my money there. For what it is worth."

More On The Jab

And I don't mean the straight lead punch from the martial arts. 

From the New York Times (certainly not a rightwing rag):

About mid page, the graphic shows that ages 65+ death rates are going down since "vaccine" availability.

Death rates are going up in each of the age groups under 65. 

Not to mention, there are a number of athletes collapsing and dying. 

Why are healthy athletes collapsing (and dying)? 

Answer: (it's the Jab, dummy!)

The Jab does not prevent a person from getting COVID, nor does it reduce the likelihood.

The Jab does not prevent a person from spreading COVID, nor does it reduce the likelihood.

The Jab does not prevent a person from dying from COVID, nor does it reduce the likelihood.

The Jab does not reduce symptoms if you get COVID. 

Not one of the "scientific" studies demonstrates to the contrary of any of these statements. 

Near me: The Nashville Predators had their season suspended recently. 100% of the team was "vaccinated."

A Navy warship had 25% of the crew fall ill with COVID, despite a 100% "vaccinated" status. 

I could go on, but you get the point. 

And if you don't "get the point," and you think this analysis is flawed, then no amount of proof slammed in your face will help. You are STOOPID. 

Gun Culture Eccentricities

This was posted by the blog author on social media over the Holidays. 

The Gun Culture is a unique place.

It is one of very few cultures where the majority of the culture gladly announces their love for freedom, yet turns viciously on business within their culture for making a profit. Of course, the rallying cry is always “price gouging,” yet nobody is ever forced to pay one of these prices.

The gun culture joins the martial arts as two of the only cultures where you are not necessarily measured by your performance record. This indicates that the Dunning-Kruger effect is in full swing. So many in the gun culture proclaim proudly that “I know how to shoot!” And yet, they have no training. Worse yet, their only “training” may be a simple carry permit safety class. And even worse than that, their only “training” may have come directly or indirectly from Law Enforcement (shudder) or military (not terrible, but certainly nowhere near “all that”).

If something similar exists elsewhere, I simply haven’t seen it: people in the gun culture (just like in the martial arts) will make absurd claims about feats that are physically impossible. Shooting a 1-inch group at 100 yards with a pistol; shooting a 1-inch group at 500 yards with a military issue rifle and bulk ammo; etc.

Could you imagine a construction contractor claiming he can build a house by himself from scratch in an hour? Or a doctor making a claim that he performed 25 surgeries, each requiring 12 hours, in a single afternoon? Or a basketball player claiming to have scored over 500 points in a single game? Of course not.

Worse yet, could you imagine a person in any of these industries claiming expertise without having hundreds of hours of training, thousands more hours of practice, and without demonstrating just a bit of that skill? No, of course not. Surely there are a number of other eccentricities in the gun culture, but this is enough for now; and I need to stop calling you Shirley.

Happy New Year!

The best way to start 2022 is with a review of the most hilarious internet story I've ever read - the Ryan's incident.