Ever deploy with the USAF? It's quite cozy. Unless you are horribly unlucky (like the Transportation folks who were sent to augment the Army and run convoys) it's an easy gig, and there are many career fields that never or rarely deploy. Desert deployments aren't difficult, and kicking it in an airbase/= being an IED gallery target. USAF casualties are very rare.
Hint: If the EQUIPMENT you work on is valuable and requires great care, your job will usually be easy.
"Detonate an EMP bomb. Welcome to the stone age, troops, you just lost all of your nav/GPS/FoF systems, and if your vehicles are not hard-shielded, you're screwed."
Depends on the system or vehicle. Why do you AssUme EMP is a magic bullet that will kill every electronic device? Military systems are tested for EMP resistance, and some of them (like diesels with mechanical injection pumps) are inherently immune.
"Murder, death, kill. There are other solutions and your the one in the dream world if you think that killing is the answer to the problems facing the world."
It is an answer to the problem of those trying to use those tactics against you. If you consider yourself unworthy of violence, you are welcome to opt out.
"Where we need to get to is that it's unacceptable for anyone to kill anyone for any reason."
The trouble with that sort of conditioning is that it is emotionally appealing but quite illogical.
Violence trumps "everything else", so the person/group who (all else being equal) is not prevented by social conditioning from using violence has an advantage.
"Those who cling to the untrue doctrine that violence never settles anything would be advised to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.
Let's not confuse the "military" with the Air Force.
Ask a variety Airmen about their jobs. You will get the full range of opinions on their AF experience. None of them want to serve with someone who is unhappy and pissed off. Grumpy co-workers make the workcenter uncomfortable.
If you are unhappy after enlisting, there are plenty of easy ways to get out.
"Once they get you to sign on the dotted line," RTFC (Read The Fine Contract) and go in with a guaranteed job. Don't go in "General Enlistment",
Air Force re-enlistment rates are high for good reason. a comfortable career, utterly insulated from the outside economy, interesting jobs (most of them, choose wisely) and tasty benefits.
There is also a nice carrot at the end. While you can retire with full benefits at 20 years, do a few years over that and you can REALLY retire because of the retirement percentage bumps. I don't have to work again unless I want to, and instead of being 65 I'm in my late forties.;)
"They like to call it "Fit to Fight", even though most of our jobs requirements are "Fit to Sit", they're just trying to cut down on the medical bills they have to pay."
That and they desperately want to maintain "military image" even though very few people in the Air Force need to be fit to do the mission even in wartime. I was in from 1981-2007 (Comm/Nav, Engine weenie, Crew Chief),and know whereof I speak. The old approach of a yearly unit run and pencil-whipped fitness scores worked just fine.
It's still easy to pass unless you are nearly dead, and there is mandatory time made available for exercise in the (usually) well-equipped gyms. It ain't Full Metal Jacket.:)
I joined the AF because of the techie culture. Fixing aircraft is interesting and fun. There are plenty of geeks and gamers, including many pilots. Computer skills are considered very cool.
I'm delighted that governments make efforts to control their borders. Their countries do not belong to anyone else but their lawful citizens. As a visitor, I have zero reason to conceal my identity and every reason to want to prove who I am.
A few smallarms holes isn't likely to bother much at cruise altitude either. The environmental control system pumps tons of air into the fuselage and can compensate for considerable leakage.
"The handful of Muslims involved in terrorist activity is both extremely small and non-representative of the religion as a whole."
The massive popularity and support they get from their less-explody/less dedicated co-religionists is impressive. Thankfully, most of this nonsense so far is internal sectarian warfare.
I oppose the restrictive societies Islam creates, not just the "terrorists". It is IMO as noxious as Nazism and does not deserve a free pass because it is religious in nature.
"I look forward to a day when religious tolerance and freedom means respecting all human rights to and for all people, including freedom of speech and expression."
Religion does not mean that in most cases, so it will not happen.
"Sure about that? Because I've met my fair share of Atheists that are as aggressive in trying to convert people as any Christian would be."
They have demonstrated that they are not merely theism-free, but are promoting their alternate philosophy. Atheism is a philosophy in the way that not collecting stamps is a hobby.
"Associating violence with any one religion, or religion as a whole is just silly."
How about some logic to support that contention? A religion only differs from secular political ideology by the addition of a superstitious component. There are violent political movements (Communism, Nazism) but somehow we are not supposed to blame religions when their followers act violently in their name?
"I read over the site cursorily and didn't see the answer to the BIG question; is there a DirectX 10 for win2k?"
Microsoft has no reason to update Win2K. They don't have to respond to the customer, because the customer has no place to go. They don't need you. 2K makes them no money.
Works for me. It is my hope that their tactics punish their user base so harshly that those customers ditch Windows. Everyone who buys from Redmond is funding the enemy, and if their experience is sufficiently unpleasant they will stop.
The vans have nothing to do with carrying a document proving who you are.
In the case of the US, quality of life relies on a degree of exclusion to protect it. If we let in everyone, the resources and opportunities diminish due to the need to support a mob of Third Worlders. Why, exactly, should I NOT want to control who is in the country?
I agree that Real ID is a stupid, unfunded mandate.
"Umm, the vast majority of beer drinkers *are* doing it for the taste of the beer, because they aren't actually getting drunk."
Mild effects that are pleasurable/= "drunk", or "stoned" for that matter. If beer drinkers didn't care about that they'd vote with their wallets for non-alcoholic beer.
Slashdot Mirror
Ever deploy with the USAF? It's quite cozy. /= being an IED gallery target. USAF casualties are very rare.
Unless you are horribly unlucky (like the Transportation folks who were sent to augment the Army and run convoys) it's an easy gig, and there are many career fields that never or rarely deploy. Desert deployments aren't difficult, and kicking it in an airbase
Hint:
If the EQUIPMENT you work on is valuable and requires great care, your job will usually be easy.
"Detonate an EMP bomb. Welcome to the stone age, troops, you just lost all of your nav/GPS/FoF systems, and if your vehicles are not hard-shielded, you're screwed."
Depends on the system or vehicle. Why do you AssUme EMP is a magic bullet that will kill every electronic device?
Military systems are tested for EMP resistance, and some of them (like diesels with mechanical injection pumps) are inherently immune.
"Murder, death, kill. There are other solutions and your the one in the dream world if you think that killing is the answer to the problems facing the world."
It is an answer to the problem of those trying to use those tactics against you. If you consider yourself unworthy of violence, you are welcome to opt out.
"Where we need to get to is that it's unacceptable for anyone to kill anyone for any reason."
The trouble with that sort of conditioning is that it is emotionally appealing but quite illogical.
Violence trumps "everything else", so the person/group who (all else being equal) is not prevented by
social conditioning from using violence has an advantage.
"Those who cling to the untrue doctrine that violence never settles anything would be advised to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.
-Robert A. Heinlein
The essential military systems don't rely on Chinese consumer electronics.
Let's not confuse the "military" with the Air Force.
;)
Ask a variety Airmen about their jobs. You will get the full range of opinions on their AF experience. None of them want to serve with someone who is unhappy and pissed off. Grumpy co-workers make the workcenter uncomfortable.
If you are unhappy after enlisting, there are plenty of easy ways to get out.
"Once they get you to sign on the dotted line," RTFC (Read The Fine Contract) and go in with a guaranteed job.
Don't go in "General Enlistment",
Air Force re-enlistment rates are high for good reason. a comfortable career, utterly insulated from the outside economy, interesting jobs (most of them, choose wisely) and tasty benefits.
There is also a nice carrot at the end. While you can retire with full benefits at 20 years, do a few years over that and you can REALLY retire because of the retirement percentage bumps. I don't have to work again unless I want to, and instead of being 65 I'm in my late forties.
"They like to call it "Fit to Fight", even though most of our jobs requirements are "Fit to Sit", they're just trying to cut down on the medical bills they have to pay."
:)
That and they desperately want to maintain "military image" even though very few people in the Air Force need to be fit to do the mission even in wartime. I was in from 1981-2007 (Comm/Nav, Engine weenie, Crew Chief),and know whereof I speak. The old approach of a yearly unit run and pencil-whipped fitness scores worked just fine.
It's still easy to pass unless you are nearly dead, and there is mandatory time made available for exercise in the (usually) well-equipped gyms. It ain't Full Metal Jacket.
I joined the AF because of the techie culture. Fixing aircraft is interesting and fun. There are plenty of geeks and gamers, including many pilots. Computer skills are considered very cool.
I'm delighted that governments make efforts to control their borders. Their countries do not belong to anyone else but their lawful citizens. As a visitor, I have zero reason to conceal my identity and every reason to want to prove who I am.
from your sig:
"When did insurgence against imperialism become a bad thing?"
So why is resistance to the psychological imperialism of Scientology a "bad" thing?
"The video that they forced off of YouTube can, thanks to Gawker, be found here [gawker.com]. "
:)
They can be restored to YouTube under sock-puppet accounts, but of course I don't advocate doing this.
A few smallarms holes isn't likely to bother much at cruise altitude either. The environmental control system pumps tons of air into the fuselage and can compensate for considerable leakage.
"How am I supposed to call for a ride because my phone won't work w/o the SIM chip in it..."
;)
Leave a killed SIM chip in the phone. Bitch at them for killing it.
"If they put this stuff on the floor around the urinals at my local bar, we could meet Canada's energy needs for the next hundred years."
If they trapped the runoff from under the urinals at your local bar, they could sell it as American beer.
"The handful of Muslims involved in terrorist activity is both extremely small and non-representative of the religion as a whole."
The massive popularity and support they get from their less-explody/less dedicated co-religionists is impressive.
Thankfully, most of this nonsense so far is internal sectarian warfare.
I oppose the restrictive societies Islam creates, not just the "terrorists". It is IMO as noxious as Nazism and does not deserve a free pass because it is religious in nature.
"Morocco for a Muslim nation which is very compatible with Western culture. "
It is also not powerful and near to Europe...
"I look forward to a day when religious tolerance and freedom means respecting all human rights to and for all people, including freedom of speech and expression."
Religion does not mean that in most cases, so it will not happen.
"Sure about that? Because I've met my fair share of Atheists that are as aggressive in trying to convert people as any Christian would be."
They have demonstrated that they are not merely theism-free, but are promoting their alternate philosophy.
Atheism is a philosophy in the way that not collecting stamps is a hobby.
"If you assume that most people are irrational and live in fantasy land, you've lost your means to communicate with others."
Demonstrably false. One need merely study their fantasies to deal with them.
"Associating violence with any one religion, or religion as a whole is just silly."
How about some logic to support that contention? A religion only differs from secular political ideology by the addition of a superstitious component. There are violent political movements (Communism, Nazism) but somehow we are not supposed to blame religions when their followers act violently in their name?
A fine idea, considering the government isn't the only threat if your stuff gets stolen.
I'd be happy to show the government everything on my laptop. I'm not stupid enough to keep sensitive info on the machine...
Who's "we", Kemosabe?
I'd like to see MSFT drop XP as fast as possible, cram Vista down users throats, and not listen to anyone asking otherwise.
"I WANT FREE STUFF DAMMIT!"
See the nice Penguin. The Borg ain't interested.
"I read over the site cursorily and didn't see the answer to the BIG question; is there a DirectX 10 for win2k?"
Microsoft has no reason to update Win2K. They don't have to respond to the customer, because the customer has no place to go. They don't need you. 2K makes them no money.
Works for me. It is my hope that their tactics punish their user base so harshly that those customers ditch Windows. Everyone who buys from Redmond is funding the enemy, and if their experience is sufficiently unpleasant they will stop.
The vans have nothing to do with carrying a document proving who you are.
In the case of the US, quality of life relies on a degree of exclusion to protect it. If we let in everyone, the resources and opportunities diminish due to the need to support a mob of Third Worlders.
Why, exactly, should I NOT want to control who is in the country?
I agree that Real ID is a stupid, unfunded mandate.
"Umm, the vast majority of beer drinkers *are* doing it for the taste of the beer, because they aren't actually getting drunk."
/= "drunk", or "stoned" for that matter. If beer drinkers didn't care about that they'd vote with their wallets for non-alcoholic beer.
Mild effects that are pleasurable