- I guess this is an iteration of the following blog post:
- over time, I've figured out that most of the standard methods of writing to USB flash drives can be flawed and that there's nothing really, genuinely reliable when it comes to both writing to the flash drive itself. It's as though each operating system or distribution requires it's own special tool
- figured out that the only reliable means of writing ISO is Etcher, Universal USB Installer, and Unetbootin. dd is constantly mentioned but isn't that great because there's no pre-check or post-check validation. This means all sorts of wierd problems can crop up when using it or similarly basic utilities. One huge problem has been the use of hybrid filesystems and uncommon filesystem extensions which means that many utilities break
Universal USB Installer: most mainstream distributions. Uses 7-Zip tool in backend
Unetbootin: most mainstream distributions
Etcher: KNOPPIX (most later versions require Etcher. Too many problems with other tools for newer versions)
dd: elementary (this is one of the few distros that can use dd straight up)
Windows: WinSetupFromUSB, WinToFlash
- some of the really wierd problems that I've encourted include: not being able to find/boot the correct image, not being able to find the path to common binaries that are required on boot (including kernel modules and iptables), not being able to boot at all (non-compliance means that BIOS/UEFI can't pick up whether it is a bootable disk), filesystem corruption, etc...
- writing Win based images isn't that easy even though it's the most used operating system in the world. There are few free utilities that are about to deal with it that can be used across the entire recent historical series of Windows
- Mac OS X obviously has alternate means as well. The main problem with Mac OS X is that it's a system unto it's own. There aren't too many utilities to allow writing of images from other operating systems without paid software and Apple are a pain because they continually change their filesystems which means others have a difficult time catching up. In fact, I've found the easiest option to be to download Mac OS X from someone elses computer and write the image to flash drive from there
- recently picked up some Ping S59 irons cheaply. If you don't know about these they're basically an old attempt by Ping to create a cast blade style iron. They're a bit ugly (compliments to their later design such as the iBlade which is very pretty) when compared to many other blades but performance wise it should stand to reason that they'd be somewhat similar to other blade shaped irons
- there are two versions of the S59. One is the standard version while the other is the Tour version. There's basically no difference apart from the fact that the S59 Tour version comes in a chrome (versus matte/satin finish) and the S59 Tour version comes with a ferrule
- my version came with the ZZ65 stiff shaft. Apparently, they play somewhat similarly so stiff Dynamic Gold Superlites and somewhere between stiff and extra stiff according to what I've read online. In reality, this means that they're lighter then the Dynamic Gold equivalent, go a bit higher, and slightly stiffer. That said, few players are good enough to genuinely tell the difference. They are genuinely proper stiff shafts though. They come with either Dynamic Gold, ZZ65 as standard
True Temper ZZ65 Stiff Shaft
dynamic gold vs project x
project x vs dynamic gold vs rifle
- the feel is a bit odd. Hit it in the wrong place (sweet spot on these things feel more centred and less towards the bottom as you'd expect from perimeter weighted clubs) and it feels dead (according to everyone online). This is radically different from the classic stinging/jarring effect that you get from standard blades. Hit it dead centre and it feels spongy/soft though. It offers the genuine feedback that you'd expect from a classic blade. It's exactly the type of club that you'd want especially if you want to transition into becoming a better player who can work his shots. Namely, someone who can alter trajectory, shape shots, etc... by changing where they hit on the clubface and by manipulating the clubface to their own personal will
- one thing I've always wondered is how professional golfers are able to hit the ball so far even though their swing speed numbers (on most launch monitors I've been averaging around 115mph using driver while maintaining good control) were very similar to mine. One issue is that pros often play in ideal conditions (higher then sea level which means the ball travels further, play on courses which are well maintained, they may be gaming some numbers (which is why things don't add up sometimes), etc...). The other came down to being fit properly (I've actually been known about this for a while but I honestly didn't think that changing equipment would make a difference but it has). I wasn't attacking upwards enough while using my driver and wasn't hitting downwards enough with my irons which meant that I was about 20-30m short of where I should be (by simply changing equipment slightly (lofts and shafts primarily. Club length changes have allowed me to swing more comfortably/quickly as well) I was able to change both static and dynamic loft which made the difference mostly disappear). When you think about this from a cumulative perspective of an entire round you can see how big of a difference it can make to your entire game
does iron shaft make a difference distance
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/a-driver-designed-only-for-tig
http://www.wedgeanalyzer.com.au/
https://flightscope.com/
http://www.wedgeanalyzer.com.au/
https://flightscope.com/
- if you don't already know there is optimisation software built into many launch monitors now
- while we're at it I realised recently that putter fitting makes a difference as well. Ironically, I also realised that optimisation is actually more critical when you play regularly in less ideal/horrible conditions then when you're constantly playing in a perfect environment. Going to a full offset putter has made things slightly easier for me especically on courses with bumpy and/or inconsistent greens
half offset vs full offset putter
- if you don't already know Ping aftermarket support is pretty, damn good. Relatively quick and reasonably priced which is what you want. A backweight (the black rubber bit on the back of the S59 came off of one my clubs but was replaced for free via it's local distributer American Golf
Random Stuff:
- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
- latest in science and technology
Gene-edited animal plan to relieve poverty in Africa
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https://sputniknews.com/science/201903011072861754-youtube-blocks-comments-amid-paedophilia-scandal/
- latest in finance and politics
Crowdfunding research flips science’s traditional reward model
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Random Quotes:
- "The older I get, the more I realise how similar we all are," says Missy, now 35. "When I was young, I was afraid of most people. I was sceptical that anyone could be trusted. Then you realise that behind the facade, everyone is still a little child; everyone is vulnerable. And when they lash out or put you down, it's usually not about you."
- “The people know these are all lies because it’s obvious. When the government says, there is prosperity in terms of food and rice, we see it ourselves and see that there is a drought and there is no food for us,” Kim said.
“When they see that what they say doesn’t match with what is actually happening, they understand the government is lying.”
The one thing that North Koreans can’t know, according to Kim, is the actual disparity between the country and other nations like the US, South Korea, or China.
“They know [those countries are more prosperous and developed], but they don’t know at what level and how different the countries are. They have no frame of reference. All the government says are lies, Kim said. “They have no way to obtain information about what South Korea or the United States look like.”
As Kim told the International Business Times in 2017, he and his family thought it was normal to “have our freedoms restricted.” It was only upon arriving in South Korea that Kim said he realised “how unhappy we were.”
- A handful of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters built during the early days of the program could become unflyable by 2026, after just 2,100 flight hours-another embarrassing piece of news for the troubled program. The culprit is almost certainly the F-35’s design and production plan, which involved starting to build the planes before the final design specifications were set. A fix to keep the aircraft in the air is in the works.
According to Aviation Week and Bloomberg News, a static test (non-flying) version of the F-35B-the Marine Corps' vertical takeoff and landing version-has developed multiple structural cracks during durability testing. The static test plane, BH-1, was built to the same standard as early F-35Bs, though redesigns since then have made more recently built planes more durable.
Each F-35B is supposed to have a service lifetime of 8,000 hours. But this operational test and evaluation report on the F-35 suggests that early-model F-35Bs could be limited to just 2,100 hours, which means the fighters would start aging out by 2026. The 8,000-hour life span is about typical for combat aircraft, with the F-15 and F-16 fighters originally rated for 8,000 and 9,000 hours, respectively.
As is the case with many F-35 problems and cost overruns, you can blame the Pentagon’s use of "concurrency" to field the F-35. Under the concurrency concept, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin started building the jets before the development process was finished. This was done to warm up production lines and supply chains and get the aircraft into the hands of pilots who could start training early.
Concurrency carries big risks. Aircraft built before the final design standards were set in stone would need hardware and software updates, and determining which planes needed what to bring them up to the final standard will be a complicated and expensive endeavor. Although engineers have identified changes that could keep early-model F-35Bs flying the full 8,000 hours, we don’t know the complexity and cost of such an upgrade.
- A WIDOW whose house was placed under siege from "Happy Gilmore" golfers at a nearby driving range at Plenty was awarded $15,000 damages today.
Judge Chris O’Neill said he was satisfied the barrage of golf balls landing in Denise Chapman’s property from the Plenty Views Golf Park constituted a legal nuisance.
He said the award was warranted for the inconvenience, discomfort, apprehension and concern, and to some extent the need to collect the golf balls.
“While most patrons behave responsibly, a proportion drives the golf balls with great vigour, but without great accuracy,” said Judge O’Neill in his County Court judgment.
“There was reference in the evidence to “Happy Gilmore golfers”, so named after a character in a movie who was known to run at the golf ball and take an energetic swing, with unpredictable results.
“In my view the activities upon the golf range resulting from patrons striking golf balls into the Chapman property over the period from May 2007 does constitute a nuisance.”
The judge also granted an injunction and ordered that the Plenty Views Golf Park must stop using the golf range in such a way that it “permits the entry of golf balls onto the plaintiff’s property, so as to cause a nuisance”.
Ms Chapman and her children collected 20,000 golf balls from the property in the two years after they moved in.
The judge said in the five years before the Chapman family took occupation Robert Di Carlo, the range manager, arranged for a diver to go into the dam on the property where he recovered 10,000 golf balls.
This was repeated in 2004 or 2005, when another 5,000 golf balls were collected.
The judge said Ms Chapman bought the property in Heard Avenue, Plenty in 2007 for $700,000 and has lived there with her five children. Her husband died in 2004.
The golf park in Yan Yean Rd has a car park, a restaurant, 20 golf driving bays set in a line, and a large fairway with holes or markers set at various distances.
Judge O’Neill said no part of the original 1997 permit to establish the golf park contained a condition that a net be constructed to stop golf balls going into the Chapman property.
He said some golfers were known to target landmarks in the area, including the dam on the Chapman’s five-acre property.
From January 2007 to December 2007, approximately 2.4 million golf balls were struck from the bays of the golf range. In the period from January 2008 December 2008, a further 1.8 million golf balls were struck.
In their defence the owners of the range said they spent a considerable amount of money to alter bays, erect nets and increase supervision of patrons.
Judge O’Neill said none of the measures had significantly reduced the problem.
