Inane Studies: Men, women see differently due to hunter-gatherer past

I was initially interested in reading this study (apart from the repetition) ...

MEN are better at seeing things in the distance due to their hunter-gatherer past chasing animals, while women are better focusing on things at close range, a British study said.

In findings which reflect how men's and women's brains have evolved differently over thousands of years, they found that men are better at judging faraway targets.

Researchers tested their theory by asking a group of 48 men and women to use a laser pointer to mark the midpoint of lines on a piece of paper at different distances.

And I thought it could have implications for shooting, until I got to the next paragraph ...

Men were more accurate than women when the paper was placed at a distance of 100 centimetres, while women were more accurate when the target was only 50 centimetres away, within arm's reach.

Wait, what??? since when is a "faraway target" 100cms away? Especially when compared to 50cms. If you're a hunter and you've got an animal 100cms away, you've either caught it or you're dead!

Oh, and the rest of the article? ... Basically boring, but here it is anyway:

"Evidence already exists that separate pathways in the brain process visual information from near and far space,'' said psychologist Helen Stancey from Hammersmith and West London College.

"Our results suggest that the near pathway is favoured in women and the far pathway is favoured in men,'' she said, in a study published online in the British Journal of Psychology.

And she said: "These sex differences in visual processing may be a result of our hunter-gatherer evolutionary legacy.

"As the predominant gatherers, women would have needed to work well in near space, whereas the prey for (predominantly male) hunters would have been in far space.''

The article can be found here.

Range Report - Another New Thing

Last night I had the opportunity to visit a Air Pistol Club with a friend of mine. I've never shot an Air Pistol before and found it very challenging (tiny little targets set at 10m). I didn't do too bad - here's a photo of the targets:



I have problems with my eyes when shooting under florescent lights (I see a triple sight picture so I often have to guess where the gun is actually pointing). I would like to try the shooting again with my prescription glasses on to see how much difference that makes.

And, by the way, I'ld actually class Air Pistol shooting as more of a meditation than a sport!

Newbie with a Rifle

On Sunday, when I did the Practical Rifle shoot which I blogged about here, my girls came along to watch.

The youngest (5y.o.) decided that she didn't want to try, but my eldest (7y.o.) did try my Lever Action .22 Winchester rifle. She did good too!

Here's a picture of her concentrating on a shot:



Big smiles afterwards:

I Worry About the Future

I've just read a news article where a recommendation has been made to make public transport free for the under 18s to reduce the number of kids facing court.

Free rides could cut youth crime - report

VICTORIA should consider making public transport free for under-18s to reduce the number of juveniles facing court charged with minor offences such as fare evasion, a parliamentary report says.

The committee report found many young people, including the homeless and disadvantaged, wind up in the courts because they cannot pay fines.

Some have multiple fines for fare evasion and other "add-on'' transit offences, such as offensive behaviour or resisting police.

If they are dragged through the courts for multiple "petty'' offences, they risk entrenching themselves in the system, the report says.

"This ... can lead these youth further into the criminal justice system through both exposure to the court system and the effects of criminalisation and stigmatisation,'' it says.

The report recommends the Department of Transport undertake a feasibility study into providing free public transport for minors to break the cycle of compounding petty crime.

The recommendation was part of an inquiry into strategies to prevent high-volume offending by young people.

The report, by the parliamentary drugs and crime prevention committee, was tabled in the Victorian parliament on Tuesday.

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Really? Have we really got to a place where the best way society has to stop kids offending is make things no longer against the law?

BTW I don't live in Victoria, but you can be sure that if it is happening in that State it will end up happening here.

This Weekend's Range Report - Things I've Not Done Before

This was an unusual weekend of shooting for me.

Firstly, on Saturday I shot Field Bore Metallic Sillhoute. I've not shot shillhoute before and I really didn't realise how difficult it was. In my defence I wasn't shooting my pistol but a club gun (9mm Tanfoglio). I enjoyed the challenge and would like to try again, with my gun and also a revolver.

After the shoot I helped out with the trainees as I do each Saturday. This week there were 3 trainees. The trainer (Les) basically let me run the majority of the training session (under his guidance) which was both challenging and enjoyable.

Today I didn't participate in the IPSC shoot (as I didn't have my pistol) but I did go along to the practical rifle shoot. I used a Winchester lever action .22 rifle and had a lot of fun. There were only about 5 of us doing the shoot today but the stages were well set up and quite challenging. Afterwards I played with my favourite rifle - an 8mm Mauser. The gun belongs to a good friend of mine, but try as I might he won't sell it to me :(

I now have my pistol back and it is now "complete". Since buying it I have had the grips changed (to slimmer ones), a shorter trigger, a mag well, new hammer & sear, an ambi safety and an oversized mag release put in. The trigger has also been tuned and the gun is now BEAUTIFUL and very smooth. Now I just need to practice, practice, practice!!!!

And yes, I'll put a before and after photo of it up soon, I promise.

There are FOUR Rules Folks ...

So that "accidents" like this don't happen ...

Apparently Defence counsel Tamara Jago told the court that the shooting was a genuine accident.

The pistol was faulty and fired without the trigger being squeezed.

Now, let's review the rules:

1. A gun is ALWAYS LOADED. Always.

2. Do not point the muzzle at anything you're not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you have your target sighted in.

4. Be sure of your target and what's behind it, before you pull the trigger.

Yep, #2 was not followed and someone got shot and, according to the article, The shot fired was from so close that blood was deposited in the barrel. ... mmm, sounds like the gun was actually up against someone's hand!

If you're handling a gun remember the FOUR rules - all four of 'em!!!

Now that's "Art" ...

By way of Marko, 10ft "photographs" which are actually drawn by Juan Francisco Casa using ballpoint pens.

Check them out ...