Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 21

Yes, Virginia, There are Gun Scopes that Aim Themselves

How you decide to use this technology in your stories is up to you, but gun scopes that aim themselves are real and they're on the consumer market. Not only that, but they can sync up with a pair of Android-enabled goggles looking the other way. Which means, "OK, Google, take out the sentry at the guard post, then tell Chipotle to make my burrito for pick up," isn't that far off in the future.

The accuracy rate still isn't 100 percent, but it's better than half. The manufacturer is only set up for a handful of rifles, but a little creative license should allow you to stick this tech onto whatever tank-tipper you feel like lighting up. In your stories, of course.

What I Learned On My Recent Trip to Jail, Part 1

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To read part two, sign up for my free e-mail newsletter, deploying this Friday. I go over the firearms and knives Hennepin County deputies use, as well as the tropes from movies this jail trip busted, such as how I never saw one set of those iconic bars the entire time. It was glass all the way. Whups, just blew it. Anyway, the newsletter is the only place to read that stuff, it won't be on the blog.

 

I found myself deep below the city streets of downtown Minneapolis on Monday this week, shoulder-to-shoulder in an underground city occupied by 800 of my fellow blaze orange Minnesotans. None of them were there for deer hunting, though.

 

The sign on the wall, the one near the line of new arrivals waiting to make their one free phone call, read "Hennepin County Jail." That was before one of the high-risk inmates pressed his face against the glass of a window a few feet away and peered in at me. Oh, and my aunt.

 

I'm wondering how long I can keep this up before I'm found out. Not about a crime, but that I didn't get booked into jail that day. I did, however, take a gander at the booking process, from fingerprinting to mugshots and "cooling off" rooms to a friendly jail orientation video. A few of the denizens even demonstrated those steps, willingly or not.

 

My aunt won a tour of the Hennepin County Jail, as well as a coffee meeting in Sheriff Richard Stanek's office, through a charity silent auction. I was eager to accept her invitation, especially since getting a free taxi to and tour of the facility usually requires alcohol, nudity and hijinx - two of which I've graciously relieved the city of Minneapolis from enduring.

 

The jail tour stuck us everywhere except in a cell with an inmate. They didn't want to upset the population, you see. There was one incident, though, but we "just missed show" on the high-risk level, as one deputy put it.

 

The temptation with any law enforcement/jail tour write-up is to humanize the situation. That's quite trendy on the Interwebs. Look at my shaggy hair and writerly frump. I'm not trendy. But I'd probably score some points by writing, "these were just people like you and me" or "with a few wrong turns, that could've been me wagging my dick over a communal toilet." But I don't even have to do that. Because this was a pre-trial jail full of detainees, not a prison of convicts. Everyone in there was, legally, innocent.

 

But then why were they behind bars? That's not how you treat an innocent person. Isn't there some hypocrisy inherent in a system that kisses the ring of "innocent until proven guilty" but locks up those same people? Couldn't someone go broke defending themselves for something they didn't do? Isn't being arrested its own form of punishment that can be doled out without much oversight? Isn't the system set up so that those with money stand the best chance because they can make bail and work on their defense outside of the jail system?

 

Yeah, I promised I wouldn't get trendy. But this is the Internet. By law, you have to get outraged about something after 500 words. Go ahead and count. I'm innocent until proven guilty.

 

Jail, like life, is way too nuanced to make the kinds of generalizations that are easy to make and defend, from all sides of the political spectrum, because there is rarely anyone present to offer a counterpoint. Still, at the end of the tour of the facility, I came to few solid conclusions about the Hennepin County Jail (and incarceration in general) other than...

Jails Aren't Always Full of Convicts, So Don't Treat Them Like They're Guilty

 

This particular jail emphasized a reward system for good behavior, treatment for the sick/addicted/injured and giving the population something to do, such as a communal TV space, books, board games and a gym. This made sense to me. And, no, this wasn't the kind of palace some political hacks like to preach on about. It had just enough. Few people were going to be there for longer than 12 months, and some might wind up released. Again, these were, legally, innocent people not convicted of anything.

Staff Does Its Best

 

I got the impression the staff did its best and actually gave a damn about their wards. Our tour guide, an active officer, was certainly informative and seemed rational. She explained in detail why they did the things they did, answered my curveball questions and was a true professional the entire time. Nothing gave me pause. It's hard to confirm any of this without getting arrested in Hennepin County, but that's how it appeared to me.

But I'm Not Willing to See If That's True

 

I don't want to go to jail. Not that I needed to be scared straight or anything, but your identity is stripped from you. That's probably the worst. It's one thing to see that effect in movies or TV. It's a whole other thing to feel it sucking at you through the osmosis of uniform, sterile facilities parched for something different. You'd be totally out of your element in there. It'd be, I imagine, like getting jettisoned onto the moon in the time it takes for the booking to complete. And that would, for lack of a better term, fuck with you.

The Joke's On You

 

There's a certain dark humor in knowing that people up above on the city level have no idea they're walking on top of an inverted city of Minnesota's Most Wanted. The irony is that you put people away only to have them get closer. Might as well be a metaphor for that whole revolving door thing.

Get Help, but Also Get It Together

 

It's a fine thing to help people who need it, but at a certain point, the onus is on you. The jail would help get you up to a certain par - sober you up, patch the holes, check the oil - but it was on you to get your shit together. Our tour officer said they don't literally handhold people unless there's a reason, in which case they're probably breaking out the restraints. If you're asked to go down the hall, take a left and head to room B, that's what you do. Because you're going to have a tougher time if you can't be an adult about things.

 

Hey, that's kind of like life outside the bars. See, they're just like us.

 

Writer folks and curious types, sign up for my e-mail newsletter to read part two of my jail trip. It deploys this Friday and is the only way you'll be able to read it. I review what I learned about the firearms and knives Hennepin County deputies use, as well as the cliches from movies this jail trip busted. You might be surprised. Or not. But you also might be.

Video: You Have Got to See This Knife

Does your character need a big knife? I mean a big knife? The Microtech Giant Halo 3X automatic knife might be right up your character's alley. Yes, this is real, and it's yours for only $9,500. Not surprisingly, it's in stock. Eat your heart out, Crocodile Dundee. This is a knife.

What are Armor-Piercing Knives?

You've heard of armor-piercing bullets, but what about armor-piercing knives?

 

The term "armor-piercing" is a little loaded to begin with, something that seems to make perfect sense on the surface but loses ground when the technical layers are peeled back. What type of armor is being pierced? Is it on a person or a structure? How is the piercing blow delivered? Is there a guarantee of it working every time or just some of the time? When does McDonald's stop serving breakfast on the weekends? These are questions that aren't apparent right off the bat.

 

When a company calls a product an "armor-piercing" knife, it's usually referring to a specific blade tip design, often called a "tanto." This features a roughly 45-degree angle ideal for distributing a lot of force without breaking - something you'd imagine is necessary for piercing armor.

 

Here's an example of a butterly knife from Bear Ops sporting a tanto design.

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While it's true the tanto design makes it easier to jab that blade tip through tough materials, this doesn't necessarily make it an "armor-piercing" knife. Given enough force, any knife could pierce a ballistics vest (aka bullet-proof vest), a sheet of reinforced material, a car door or however else armor is defined.

 

An "armor-piercing" knife, like many other flashy terms in the world of firearms and knives, is more of a marketing buzzword to attract consumers. It's sort of like calling Jack Nicholson's portable log splitter from The Shining a "door-piercing" ax.

 

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out my book, Weapons for Writers: A Practical Reference for Writing Firearms and Knives in Fiction (Writer's Digest Books, summer 2015). Don't forget to sign up for my free e-newsletter, too.

Join Me for a Live Webinar on Writing Firearms and Knives

Remember that little (virtual) trip out to Burbank, Calif., I mentioned a couple posts back? The one about a partnership with The Writers Store, the premier online store for screenwriters and all manner of other writerly folk? If not, I guess we're past of the point of needing to click to read it. But that was only a preview. Here's the real deal gist.

 

The Writers Store asked that I host a live webinar for its screenwriter customers (again, not necessarily limited to that type of writer, but that's the target audience). The topic will be on writing firearms and knives, aptly named "The Secret to Writing Firearms and Knives."

 

The live event takes place at 1 p.m. Pacific/4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Sept. 30. A seat at the webinar is $69.99, and I promise it's well worth it. Here's the description of what to expect.

 

In this presentation, Ben Sobieck, author of the Weapons for Writers: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction (Writer's Digest Books, Summer 2015), will boil the complex world of firearms and knives into key points you can use right away to avoid the trope trap.

It doesn't matter if you grew up around these items or have no interest in ever shooting a gun, you'll have a firm grasp of key concepts and a leg up in the competitive writing market.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

 

The best-kept secret to writing firearms and knives like a pro without knowing anything about them (shhhhh...) The top 10 firearm and knife depictions most writers get wrong True stories of what it's like to be shot and stabbed, as told by writers who have experienced both first-hand The 10 go-to firearms and knives to write into any scene Key terminology for a bullseye every time Much, much more from a presenter who works full-time in firearm/knife publishing and writes fiction on the side

 

Oh, wow, really? I have to do all that? Shiste, I'm in this thing pretty deep.

 

Wait, I mean, of course I'm able to handle that load. I did write a monster tome for Writer's Digest on this exact topic. The difference between the two is this live webinar allows you access to ask questions, and I'll boil things way down without getting into the nitty gritty technical details that I do in the book. It's a crash course, condensed version of the book.

 

I'll also extend my services (i.e. answering "What kind of gun/knife would an XYZ carry?" type questions) to anyone attending the live webinar.

 

For those unable to make the live event, a download will be available for purchase afterward. However, you won't be able to ask questions, due to the constraints of the space-time continuum.

 

I hope you'll be able to attend. See you then.

 

Click here to attend a live webinar from The Writers Store on how to write firearms and knives.

The Problem of Evil, Crime Fiction and The Shack

If you think too long or look too deeply into crime fiction, as I often do, you eventually wind up facing some tough issues of morality. Namely, what makes people do bad things?

 

Flesh that one out long enough, or speed things up with a couple beers, and you'll probably run into the Problem of Evil. This is a major sticking point in a lot of religious discussions. Why would an all-powerful deity (or deities, if you roll that way) allow bad things to happen? Why is there suffering in the world?

 

It's a topic I mull over myself, in and out of reading fiction. I'll save those expositions for another day, but I did want to bring up The Shack, a book by Wm. Paul Young popular in Christian fiction. That's not an area I read a lot of material in, but a family member loaned me the book after a discussion about religion and the Problem of Evil. It also frames its philosophy inside a murder mystery. I figured I'd keep an open mind and give it a shot.

 

The following is the review I posted on Amazon and elsewhere. If you read it, what did you think about it?

 

***

 

In order to get the full benefit of The Shack, you're required to buy into several concepts about religion, existence and purpose. Once you do, the Problem of Evil, the central question the book seeks to answer, can be reconciled.

 

That wasn't good enough for me. I wanted a response to the Problem of Evil without preconditions. And that's why The Shack didn't work for me. Despite its popularity, it's just a retread of the same Christian ideas about why suffering exists and why God does not intervene.

 

The Shack boils the argument down to this: Bad things happen because Adam and Eve, after given free will, chose independence. War, crime, murder, poverty, etc. are all results of that choice. Humanity can end suffering by turning back toward God. You should be OK with suffering even if you don't understand why and are a good person anyway, so long as you have faith.

 

As for events not under human control - natural disasters, diseases, etc. - that's all part of a grand plan that the book compares to a mismanaged garden or a fractal. You should be OK with random, awful events because they have a beauty and purpose all their own that can't be comprehended by anything other than the divine.

 

These arguments were the same ones I wasn't satisfied with in the first place going into The Shack. There's not much new here, only an original approach to the run-of-the-mill "person has frank conversation with God" genre. I don't feel I got any further after reading this story.

 

If you want to take a bolder look at Problem of Evil questions, Christopher Hitchens offers better perspectives on possible answers - and he's arguing from an atheistic position. Or if you're afraid Hitchens' books will light on fire, give C.S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain a try instead.

Sunny Burbank, California, Here I (Virtually) Come

Holy big announcement, Batman! I'm going to be working with The Writers Store in sunny Burbank, California, for a project in October. Details coming soon. 

Rubber Bullets? I Think Not

For the record, these are ear plugs.

I believe these are rubber bullets, can anyone confirm? #Fergurson pic.twitter.com/iCsFi6qoIa

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 17, 2014

Got Some Bad News

Weapons for Writers Pushed to June 2015

Wellsir, there's no way to couch this in snark or hokum.  But I am, in true PR fashion, posting this on a Friday.

 

Writer's Digest informed me my book, Weapons for Writers: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction, will not be released this year. Instead, it's slated for a June 2015 release. Its pre-order page is missing on retailer sites, including Amazon. Not to worry, everyone who pre-ordered will still get the book when it hits.

 

This isn't a reflection of something on my end. The manuscript went in on time, I returned the edits promptly and there were no hiccups in the process. It was a scheduling change and that's it.

 

I'm not so much angry as bummed. Working in publishing myself, I've been on the other side of this switch. There are many reasons a work might get bumped. There are also many reasons to be upset with a publisher, but this instance is pretty mild. So, no, not angry. Bummed.

 

On the plus side, time isn't the worst thing to have. It means I'll be exploring some other avenues of working with Writer's Digest. Who knows? Maybe this will turn out to be for the best.

 

In the meantime, sign up for my e-newsletter to stay in the loop for the release. I'm also baking pies for charity. And my new crime novel set in the North Dakota oil boom is out with beta readers ahead of the agent/publisher hunt. So stay tuned. Everything works out in the end.

Pies! E-books! Kidneys! Exclamation marks!

My wife and I are once again taking part in the Twin Cities Kidney Walk to benefit the local chapter of the National Kidney Foundation. The NKF is a leading advocate for kidney health and patients, including transplants. You might recall that I received a kidney back in 2010. And if didn't, well, now you know.

 

Last year, any donor to my Kidney Walk team got to name a character in a Maynard Soloman story. This year, all donors will receive a copy of that story, Maynard Soloman vs. The Kidney Thieves.

 

And if you chip in $100 or more, I'll bake you one of my award-winning blueberry pies. Doesn't matter if you live near me or not (that's what overnight shipping and freezers are for).

 

We're trying to raise at least $1,000 this year. Please click here to help us hit that goal. And thank you!

 

~Ben