Late introduction (bloody long)

[fathamburger]

Hi all,

Well I've been here a little while now and have been long overdue to introduce myself. Im Australian, but am in Tempe to attend UAT (University of Advancing Technology) as a software engineering student specialising in game programming. This is my last year in the States, depending on whether or not I can get a job afterwards. It's not looking too great at the moment.I'm working my arse off on my own to teach myself all the holes and things that the uni should have better prepared its students for. Between doing that and Airsoft is pretty much all I'm doing nowadays.

I've already gotten a lot of noise of the variety "why the fuck did you bother with that LPEG shit" Simple answer, its not just because I'm in an apartment, but because Airsoft is bloody illegal in Australia, along with most of the things that make me... me I've pretty much hated it there since I moved there when I was 6 and my goal since 8th grade was to do what I could to get out.  As much as Im dying to invest in some good guns and gear, the reality is that if I do have to move back to Australia I'd have to give up everything I've invested. $108 of disposable fun is enough for me to get a taste if that's the case Well there's always Canada LOL.

Ive some minor background in paintball. I was playing semi regularly and was playing constant air when that first debuted. I'd spent something like $300 ish on a gun, which I then had to turn into the Police or get arrested during the "firearms are illegal buyback" period. I got $50 back Paintball guns were briefly illegal and then made unillegal or whatever, I'd lost my gun by then based on that innuendo/bollocks that they could be modified to shoot real bullets. The difference between the US and Australia is that the people that run the country don't bother to understand anything and act purely on hearsay, not separating technology from its application etc. We have a great history of banning things, including almost banning the internet once Don't let it happen here! thats if the 13 y/o kiddies with the springers dont make it happen first.

The way I got into Airsoft was because my girlfriend is always threatening to shoot me with a water gun for just about anything A couple of weeks ago I waxed nostalgic about Super Soakers and had a look at what the current scene was. It sucks, all the great guns from early 2000 like the CPS and Monster series have been phased out for kiddy $20 guns. It was always my agenda to pick up PB again once I got a bit settled in here , but never got back into it.  PB honestly always sucked, I wanted milsim but had guns that still looked like they were thrown together with pipes and hoppers etc etc. Messy and shite, I wanted to do milsim with super soakers but with nothing to clean up ROFL. That didn't work out but I did see Airsoft mentioned on some of the Super Soaker sites. According to my gf, I've been chortling and giggling to myself for 2 weeks straight since I discovered Airsoft

Ironically I'm the last person you'd expect to be a gun nut. Im more of a martial arts guy, and have no interest in owning a real gun. I especially have a pet peeve for people who do own real guns but basically treat them as toys / penis extensions and shit to be played with and not as a weapon in their mindset. No interest in joining that fraternity. At least with a sword or something you have to actually be involved with some effort to kill somebody. Any idiot can wave a gun, press a button, oops, and be completely disconnected with what they are doing until it's too late.

Well shite, that was long, how's that for an intro? Oh I'm pretty much hooked now May not be in AZ for much longer depending, but Im definitely into Airsoft for the long haul

[Mooncruiser]

I used to watch Aus. Rules Football many years back. That sound's like your game.. No guns, but you get to smack the living sh1t outta people without pads  ..Hell, without clothes almost,,

Welcome. Just know that here, you gotta pay if you wanna play, in damn near everything. Need a car to get to the games, need a half-ass decent gun and some simple used cammies and a pair of boots. Just the way it is.

Our "Land of the Free" is getting less free every day. But to play a sport, ya gotta have equipment. Good luck finding a well-paying job here. (I wonder what the airsoft scene is in India/Pakistan, where all the formerly good-paying American jobs are going?)

TANSTAAFL, buddy.

Chip

[-MAD- SARGE]

Welcome to airsoft, and hope everything works out for you.
Yeah I remember when they banned firearms there. It was big news here.

[azsarge]

Welcome to the party.

I look forward to meeting you at the next game.

[fathamburger]

I used to watch Aus. Rules Football many years back. That sound's like your game.. No guns, but you get to smack the living sh1t outta people without pads  ..Hell, without clothes almost,,

Welcome. Just know that here, you gotta pay if you wanna play, in damn near everything. Need a car to get to the games, need a half-ass decent gun and some simple used cammies and a pair of boots. Just the way it is.

Our "Land of the Free" is getting less free every day. But to play a sport, ya gotta have equipment. Good luck finding a well-paying job here. (I wonder what the airsoft scene is in India/Pakistan, where all the formerly good-paying American jobs are going?)

TANSTAAFL, buddy.

Chip

Aussie rules football is for girly men who can't take a tackle and prefer to kick the ball and jump around like wimens now Australian *Rugby* might be what you're talking about Yeah no padding, but you don't have 400 lb linebackers + heavy padding to deal with either.

well India/Pakistan, thats another rant entirely. The anti immigration politicians have created that situation for themselves. There's more than enough bullshit that someone has to go through if they want to *get authorised* for a job here, getting the job offer is the easy part. First the H1-B creates incentive to hire an Indian who will work for peanuts over an American (and lowering wages and standards for everyone including Americans ) because hes scared he'll lose his visa, then they've make it almost impossible to hire a foreigner. This especially hurts small/startup companies who need an edge in hiring good staff straight out of college but can't afford the legal fees.

By doing so they've made everyone relocate the jobs to India/Pakistan to get around requirements if that person can do the job they need Those jobs are no longer in America and when that Indian/Pakistani leaves, he has to be replaced by another Indian/Pakistani because a) thats where the job is now and b) everyone he interfaces with to do the job is also Indian/Pakistani. Yes I favour immigration reform but also to keep the damn jobs here If they're not here, well it's really not all that different from any place else is it.

I've met plenty of international students at various colleges, and there are many that claim to want to be be American, a lot of self serving Indians actually but they won't stick up for the rights and working conditions of Americans. If they can get in working for peanuts then that's what they'll do, no matter how long, and after all that effort there won't be much of a job market / quality of life / good wages that they came for left.

And yup, Canada is looking better and better each day