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Friday Thoughts - Call the Professionals
Oct. 26th, 2007 10:16 amIt's always nice to watch professionals at work. My bank recently closed a branch because it was too close to our new headquarters to make financial sense. However, there was an ATM, a pair of night drops and a large safe that were re-usable. So, we contracted with a bank supply company to remove and store them.
At 1:15 PM yesterday, two good ole' boys (with the accents to prove it) show up, and by 4:30 they've got all this stuff out and on their truck. The ATM alone weighs almost a ton. It was a very slick operation.
This ties in with my current reading, Hammer's Slammers Vol 2
. If you don't know, this is a collection of David Drake's military SF novels about a mercenary outfit.
The mercenaries tend to go through their enemies like grass through a goose, which is what you expect of professionals. Having said that, this isn't a Chuck Norris movie - the bad guys do know how to shoot and people die.
Much like Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legion, this is a tough book for me to read. It's exciting, but almost too much so. After reading a novel (which has to be done in one sitting) I find myself having vivid dreams of combat. This is not particularly conducive to sleep.
I find that in the end it's worth it. Drake and Pournelle, both combat veterans, point out the ambiguities of war, and what becoming proficient in the art of killing can do to a person.
I'm on a panel at Windycon about military SF. The panel's description asks if military SF is "wish fulfillment for Rambo wanna-bes." Well, anything one reads for pleasure is somewhat "wish fulfillment" or you wouldn't read it.
Various peacenik groups have said that "war doesn't solve anything." Well, bullshit. Wars are the single most influential factor on human history. They decide where the borders are, what system of government we are under and what language we speak. Hell, wars can make languages. In 1065, "Ich ben ein Anglander" was good English and good German. Thanks to the events of 1066, it's just good German.
At 1:15 PM yesterday, two good ole' boys (with the accents to prove it) show up, and by 4:30 they've got all this stuff out and on their truck. The ATM alone weighs almost a ton. It was a very slick operation.
This ties in with my current reading, Hammer's Slammers Vol 2
. If you don't know, this is a collection of David Drake's military SF novels about a mercenary outfit. The mercenaries tend to go through their enemies like grass through a goose, which is what you expect of professionals. Having said that, this isn't a Chuck Norris movie - the bad guys do know how to shoot and people die.
Much like Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legion
, this is a tough book for me to read. It's exciting, but almost too much so. After reading a novel (which has to be done in one sitting) I find myself having vivid dreams of combat. This is not particularly conducive to sleep. I find that in the end it's worth it. Drake and Pournelle, both combat veterans, point out the ambiguities of war, and what becoming proficient in the art of killing can do to a person.
I'm on a panel at Windycon about military SF. The panel's description asks if military SF is "wish fulfillment for Rambo wanna-bes." Well, anything one reads for pleasure is somewhat "wish fulfillment" or you wouldn't read it.
Various peacenik groups have said that "war doesn't solve anything." Well, bullshit. Wars are the single most influential factor on human history. They decide where the borders are, what system of government we are under and what language we speak. Hell, wars can make languages. In 1065, "Ich ben ein Anglander" was good English and good German. Thanks to the events of 1066, it's just good German.
