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Reach Out and Zap Someone

Reach Out and Zap Someone: The Patent History of Electric Stun Weapons   Zaap…zaaap-clack-clack-clack…zaaap. Just the sound and spark of an electric weapon triggers something from childhood that makes you step back when you see and hear the electricity arc through the air between the leads. The two most common forms of today’s electric "stun" technology, [...]

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Chinese-American Boxers Before 1900

After 1900, there are a number of reasonably well-known Chinese-American boxers that fought in the western boxing tradition including at least two with variations on the name Ah Wing. The handful of Chinese-American boxers that fought in the 19th century are so obscure as to be unknown. Unfortunately they tended to be unknown in their [...]

Asides

• March was very frustrating, beginning with a month-long fight with my webhost (Startlogic) over abysmal loading speeds and then following with being rear-ended in an auto collision mid-month. Not much fun considering it all followed a separated rib after eating a knee during some stickfighting. April is looking up: my son was born April 1st and the wife and kid are both doing well. I hope to get back in the swing of things in a week or two, but sleep is short right now, so bear with me. #
• "Your boxing education is lacking," I was told. This came after the recent death of W.C. Heinz, an apparently legendary sportswriter of whom I had never heard. Heinz's best known work, "Death of a Racehorse," can be found on Google Books and elsewhere on the web, and is one of the best (more...) #
• Looks like the decision getting the MD MMA bill out of senate committee will be made by Friday and it is likely to go to the full Senate for voting. Talking to inside sources, the legislation is expected to be passed at House and Senate, but the first real stumbling block will come with the Athletic Commission (more...) #
• Modern mixed martial arts received another inevitable-but-unwelcome addition to the list of fatalities associated with the sport. Canadian Rene Ayangma, 20, was training for his second professional fight when he went into cardiac arrest after finishing a sparring session. Stories here and here. I'll do a full post after Wednesday's autopsy results are released. #
• There is a new "LIBRARY" menu option at top right. Our reprints will be available there in the future. Fall Guys is there now and available for reading online, so let me know what you think, especially if you have any readability issues. #