SpudFiles

I think I have met either one of their designers at a military show this year or someone that has a similar product to their door breacher. That system launchers 5 gallon water jugs through doors. I was asked to help develop an autoloader for the system, but have been too busy scanning over spudfiles to make profit from all the users here giving away free information.

MRR wrote:Your appearance is important and I wouldn't give the lifes of my crew and my ship into the hand of some wannabes.

First impressions count, and an unprofessional website, while it might be understandable, makes that first impression a bad one.

If they really do want to go into things seriously, there are enough web designers out there who can help them make that first impression better.

Solar wrote:but have been too busy scanning over spudfiles to make profit from all the users here giving away free information.

Most of the time I see little point in being stingy with information. Most of it can be found somewhere anyway, I'd rather help, and at times, it helps spawn ideas of my own.*

Of course, if there is opportunity to get something out of it myself, then I'd be silly to discard the idea automatically.

*Indeed, inspired by some thoughts brought on by recent discussions, I'm working on ideas for longer range less-lethal projectiles at the moment. Screw the Beretta LTL 7000's "Constant Kinetic Energy System" - there are much simpler solutions.

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote: Quick though, there goes another one

!@#$!$ why why can the ships just man up and get guns if their ginormous investments are at stake and mr Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank Rashid Abdi who says "So I don't think the solution is in building the naval deployment there, or increasing the naval deployment. The problem is actually in dealing with the governance crisis which feeds the problem of piracy." WHAT! seriously we shouldn't try to bring pirates to justice, just let them go and fix their homeland. sure fixing that messed up nation is a good long term solution, but we can't let these crimes go unpunished that would be uncivilized, maybe the naval deployment hasn't reduced attacks because pirates are still getting away

iknowmy3tables wrote:!@#$!$ why why can the ships just man up and get guns if their ginormous investments are at stake

Because MANY countries will not let you do business with them if your ship is armed. Your investment in your ship may be protected, but it is now worthless as nobody will do business with you.

I try to share as much as I can with people here. I just need to make sure some of the "special" stuff stays that way. It is true that the less-lethal bandwagon is as much a political one as it is a military. They should use these things for launching lines as well. Makes good sense. It does seem silly to have it only a single shot. Time to make some calls.

As a bit of an aside...

HERE is the link to another home page for a company that basically supplies/outfits mercenaries(*). Notice that their webpage is pretty simple/basic?





(*) Or at least, used to. Their page indicates a bit of a shift for their business model. Or maybe it's just better PR. But not that long ago, they'd be more than happy to quote you prices for RPGs and any number of interesting toys. I find this line from the page to be amusing... "Taos has offices in Baghdad, Iraq; Kiev, Ukraine; Sophia, Bulgaria; and Eglin AFB, Florida. Our staff of 174 employees are uniquely qualified for the demanding, international business we perform. Some 55% have lived and worked overseas and are fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, French, or Spanish."

The cannon looked weak and lame, and poorly mounted....maybe just my perception. Typical of the do-gooders of the world to force the good guys to tie one (or two) hand behind their back defending themselves, their investments and cargo.

Just line up all those naval vessels along the coast and wait for someone to come out.... boom. Blockade. Works better.

D_Hall wrote:Because MANY countries will not let you do business with them if your ship is armed. Your investment in your ship may be protected, but it is now worthless as nobody will do business with you.

That seems totally counter-intuitive to the welfare of the country involved. It's not like the bad guys are going to actually obey the ridiculous rule.

This actually sounds like a job some competent politicians could take care of....if only some existed....

This actually sounds like a job some competent politicians could take care of....if only some existed....

I see your point...

D_Hall wrote:Some 55% have lived and worked overseas and are fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, French, or Spanish."

... because basically they are Russian, Ukrainian, French, or Spanish

Anyone up for setting up a spudfiles anti-piracy corporation? I bet we could charge ridiculous prices dealing with the oil industry. Same thing happens in my area of business. For example, a small cleaning brush from a supermarket will cost you not many $$$. Call the exact same item a "laboratory cleaning brush" and you can sell it for more than double the price!

@jsr
lol great idea

Russian, Ukrainian,

so let me get this straight, the fact that I can speak polish and russian (or english with strong eastern accent) makes me seem to be more professional right ?

POLAND_SPUD wrote:so let me get this straight, the fact that I can speak polish and russian (or english with strong eastern accent) makes me seem to be more professional right ?

Given the choice between a mercenary with a French or Russian accent, I know which one I would choose

Back to high sea spudding, don't you think the use of compressed air is a bit of a failure of the imagination? Don't ships of the size that need protecting usually have high pressure steam on tap?

Whatever man. I'd rather hire Joerg to make a large pneumatically retracted sling shot for the ships defense than use that lameass air plinker they had. Actually, I think they would be better off by building a driving range on the side of the ship and have at it with some good golf clubs. At least they would have rapid fire capability and 300 yard range rather than the weak 50 or whatever they had for golf balls.
This frustrates me. You are allowed to defend your house from an attacker (barely, if the conditions are dire enough) yet you can't use a friggin firearm to defend tens of millions of dollars worth of cargo or hundreds of lives aboard an ocean liner? WTF?!?!!!!!!

EDIT: Give any of us 100k of funding and we will arm 50 ships with a far better air or gas powered cannon that can actually hit something.

Moonbogg wrote:You are allowed to defend your house from an attacker (barely, if the conditions are dire enough)

This is a right almost exclusive to the residents of the United States, most of the world's justice systems will prosecute you for harming an intruder.

Case in point.