Hi everyone, here we are are near the end of another year.

Christmas orders

First, a reminder that Christmas is not far away so those wishing to order paperback books may want to do so within the next week or so before the printers and post services get swamped (New Zealand buyers please note that we have stock here in NZ for domestic shipping). If you purchase ebooks there is no waiting, just follow the link you receive with your order confirmation, download your books and enjoy.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/shop/Book+Bundles.html
 

.44 calibers added to the knowledge base (KB)

I have finally had the time to sort through my .44 cal research. Yep, took me long enough but it is finally done. Articles include .44-40, 44 magnum and .444 Marlin.  It’s great to have these finished and up for your enjoyment, I hope each of you find these articles useful.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.44-40+Winchester+Center+Fire+WCF.html

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.44+Remington+Magnum.html

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.444+Marlin.html
 

Norma work

As most of you know by now, I have been working with Norma this year, writing educational material. The first project was an updated and highly in-depth version of my Effective Game Killing article. Norma has taken an incredibly brave approach with this article, allowing me to explain not only the strengths of their ammunition, but also limitations. This level of transparency is rare these days and shows the commitment that Norma have made to their customers. I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to be a part of this meaningful project. A second article will appear in the near future (shot placement). From next year, I believe I will be working as a consultant to Norma in one capacity or another.

https://www.norma-ammunition.com/en-gb/norma-academy/dedicated-hunting/ammunition/effective-game-killing
 

The Door

If you want to know a little more about me, the Door is the book to read. The inexpensive ebook option also serves as a great way to donate to the site while getting more bang for your buck.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/shop/thedoor.html

A review from the forums:

I just had a chance to pick this up and read it and wanted to add my recommendation to anyone on the fence about picking this book up! I didn't grab the book right when it came out, not because I didn't think Nathan and Steph's backstory wouldn't be interesting but because I personally can't stand nightclubs, clubbing, clubbers or anything to do with that scene so I thought I would put it on the backburner. Reading some of these positive reviews made me pick it up and I am sure glad I did. While I figured reading about your backstory would be interesting (and it was), I enjoyed the book a lot more than I expected. Even though I can't stand nightclubs at all, what I really found compelling was a couple of unexpected things; Nathan's growth from a young 'karate kid' into a true warrior, and also the very interesting insights into human character, especially the nature of violence.

In hindsight it makes sense to me that in our oh so cleaned up modern western societies, with no room for men to be warriors that being a doorman at a nightclub is one of the few places left for a man (or woman) to have that no BS laboratory for developing hand to hand combat skills, and into a warrior. For anyone even vaguely interested in hand to hand combat, martial arts or the warrior mindset I would say this book is a must read, ten bucks is hardly anything to pay for Nathan's insight into those topics.

Anyway, I am certainly glad I took the time to read this book and I encourage anybody on the fence thinking about it to go ahead and read it, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Great job Nathan and Steph, and God bless you and your family!

Emails

Over the last couple of years, I have had to back off my email in order to avoid being ground into a state of non-productivity. But as and when time has allowed, I have copied the occasional technical email exchange to a book draft titled Ask the expert. So far the book is up to about 200 pages of useful tips and tricks. I will keep plugging away at this but as suggested, this book is being written only when time allows.

Another method I have been employing to deal with mail is Vimeo record. A supposedly simple platform for answering mail by video.  One aspect that I like about this is that it allows me to really give you guys my undivided attention, it allows me to really connect with you in a way that email cannot convey. On the other hand, there are some limitations. Vimeo record was designed to help work flow but the method is only convenient if I use my laptop (low quality picture and sound). In order to record at a higher quality, I would need to set up a studio which kind of defeats the purpose. It’s also not so easy to have a one-way speaking conversation. I end up feeling that I am trying to fill my own gaps in thought with speech when I should be sitting quietly and thinking about possible contradictions that may be helpful to the person who has emailed me. Perhaps over time I will get better at this.  In any case, after recording my waffle, the video is saved to Vimeo where it can be shared privately to the person who emailed me via a quick link.  Videos suitable for sharing can also be saved to a channel which everyone can view on Vimeo. The channel can be set to free viewing or paid subscription as a means to get something back from the time and energy expenditure. At the moment, I have just a few videos uploaded which are set to free viewing. Will see how this goes over time and whether it actually serves as an effective delivery method.

https://vimeo.com/channels/nathanfoster
 

End note

Well that’s about it for this year guys. It’s been a tough one for sure. If I can offer one piece of advice moving ahead, it is that the measure of one’s strength and power is perhaps equal to one’s capacity for gratitude and compassion.  It is this I believe that separates us from those who prefer to shed personal responsibility and want to change others in order to make themselves happy.  To that end, I wish each of you great strength and power. 

Merry Christmas everyone.

Nathan, Steph and Miss Riley.