Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 4:54:17 AM

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lucius septimius 10/2/2019 5:15:37 AM

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vxbush 10/2/2019 5:44:02 AM

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In #2 lucius septimius said: The days are getting shorter, which is starting to wreak havoc with my sleep schedules.

I hear you on that. I keep waking up at 4am despite my very great desire not to. 

Morning, campers. That includes you too, OR. 

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 6:46:42 AM

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Via Insty:

German firm claims to have tracked two USAF F-35s for 100 miles using new passive radar

As many at the Insty thread have pointed out, there are all sorts of  yellow flags about this claim.  For one thing, the F-35s were flying in civilian airspace and therefore almost certainly with radar reflectors on. For another, the firm apparently waited a year to release this claim - why?  And finally, being able to get a general idea of where a stealth aircraft is, and being able to lock on for a missile hit, are two very different things.

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 6:47:48 AM

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In #3 vxbush said: Morning, campers. That includes you too, OR. 

I have not actually been camping since August 1997, in fact (on the Inca Trail, at the time, a truly great trip).  I really should remedy that. 

10/2/2019 6:51:58 AM

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Kiddos brought a cold home.

All stuffed up and desperately wanted to sleep in.

*sigh*

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 6:54:38 AM

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Pachelbel's Canon in D, performed on rubber chicken

Why PDQ Bach never did this (AFAIK) is beyond me. 

10/2/2019 7:14:48 AM

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The University of Washington Should Not Censor Faculty Social Media

This blog will describe a series of serious violations of freedom of speech and academic freedom at the University of Washington.

It will describe how a highly partisan Dean and her senior staff at UW’s College of the Environment (COENV) have suppressed diversity of viewpoints and censored the social media of faculty and staff, including this blog. I will review apparent violations both of the faculty code and constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech.

lucius septimius 10/2/2019 7:33:28 AM

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10/2/2019 7:35:05 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 9:

Go for it!

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 8:32:44 AM

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In #9 lucius septimius said: I see Hillsdale College (the place that refuses to accept government money) is hiring.  Wonder if it's worth a shot.

I'd think that would be an excellent fit for you.  (Other than having to relocate.)

10/2/2019 8:45:05 AM

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Collings Foundation B-17 Nine-O-Nine has crashed and burned.

World War II-era B-17 bomber trying to land in Connecticut crashes in fireball

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 8:55:19 AM

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Reply to Unknown user in 12:

Oh, no.  Just awful.  No word yet about survivors, I guess, but hell, it doesn't look good. 

10/2/2019 9:05:09 AM

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Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 9:06:19 AM

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Reply to Unknown user in 12:

I realize I saw that same B-17 in Colorado in 2015. 

Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 9:16:30 AM

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In #15 Occasional Reader said: I realize I saw that same B-17 in Colorado in 2015. 

Correction: 2013

doppelganglander 10/2/2019 10:47:19 AM

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In #9 lucius septimius said: I see Hillsdale College (the place that refuses to accept government money) is hiring.  Wonder if it's worth a shot

YES! Why are you even asking? Do it!

doppelganglander 10/2/2019 11:43:57 AM

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Occasional Reader 10/2/2019 11:48:41 AM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 18:

I'm sure you'll strike gold this month.  Sounds like you're approaching it with the right attitude.

doppelganglander 10/2/2019 12:22:55 PM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 19:

Thanks. I'm feeling pretty optimistic. Losing your job is never fun, but I am ready for a change.

revobob 10/2/2019 12:25:07 PM

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In #18 doppelganglander said: I read recently that October is the most active month of the year for new hires, and it seems to be true.

I hope so. I am looking for something to supplement our fixed income for retirement. So far it seems the people offering jobs see my age and stop right there. This is really frustrating because I don't need much- part-time at the pretty common wage of $12/ hr or so would be enough. Every car parts store, every restaurant, and every grocery store is advertising, but the applications are all on-line. If I could actually get my smiling, beautiful face in front of an HR person, I could probably get myself hired.

We got a flier in the mail yesterday- Kentucky has a new program that will let people earn a GED+ some sort of college (?) certificate to prepare them for the workplace. The state (Kentucky) is expecting about 84,000 new jobs per year for the next 7+ years and does not have the work force available yet.

We have also noticed that 71 in Kalifornia years is quite a bit younger than in Kentucky years. I don't know if it's the agricultural life style here, lower income levels and resulting dietary habits, the prevalence of tobacco use or what, but both Mrs revo and I are usually guessed to be at least 10 years younger than we are.

revobob 10/2/2019 12:43:21 PM

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And for Kosh- I too greatly appreciate the work you have put into creating this place. My own participation has been down, partly because of the time consumed by dealing with both my and Mrs revo's health issues (which are mostly making positive progress!), and partly because of a general burn-out on the whole political situation the country is experiencing. I still value the friends and discourse we have here, and look forward to having more time to spend with y'all. Winter will probably help with that- another thing that has consumed a lot of my time is the amount of outdoor work needed to maintain and make improvements on our little 1 acre slice of heaven. I would be very sad not to have this place to come back to. 

It does seem like a lot of us are going through significant changes in our lives- PBJ dealing with her husband's health problems and closing their business, Pi coming into his own life and possibly romance, Phil getting some writing done, being engaged, and raising The Squire, and all those of us making or hoping to make job and even career changes, etc. All those things do interfere with time here. 

I don't have a ready answer. New blood and the return of the old reliables would certainly help. I do know, and we can all share a bit of pride in, the success of some of our alumni like Gak and Pi who have grown and found success through, in part, the encouragement they got here when they were in low and dark places.

doppelganglander 10/2/2019 3:07:47 PM

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Reply to revobob in 21:

I never would have believed how prevalent age discrimination is until I started job hunting. There are plenty of jobs I didn't get because I wasn't the most qualified person, but I suspect there are others where age was a factor. I look younger on paper because I got my BA in 2000, and I'm told I look 10 years younger than my age, too. My last interview was with a group that's sort of a startup within a very large corporation, and even though the interviewers were only a little younger than me, I think they were looking for someone under 40. 

Online applications and applicant tracking systems are the devil. I'd suggest leaving off any jobs you had more than 20 years ago, and avoid including your graduation dates (though in some systems the dates are required). If there are any locally owned places you'd like to work, you can stop by and talk to the manager. You'd be great at something like service desk or parts manager at a car dealership, working for a gun shop or at a range, etc. Local business owners are less likely to use online applications, I think, so you can charm them in person.

Kosh's Shadow 10/2/2019 3:56:59 PM

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In #4 Occasional Reader said: As many at the Insty thread have pointed out, there are all sorts of  yellow flags about this claim.  For one thing, the F-35s were flying in civilian airspace and therefore almost certainly with radar reflectors on. For another, the firm apparently waited a year to release this claim - why?  And finally, being able to get a general idea of where a stealth aircraft is, and being able to lock on for a missile hit, are two very different things.

Quite different. Long-wavelength radar can be used to detect stealth aircraft. But to target the aircraft needs high accuracy, and the accuracy of a radar antenna depends on the ratio of diameter to wavelength. Thus, a longer wavelength needs a larger antenna. Go from 1 CM radar to 1 M, and you need an antenna 100x the size for the same accuracy. Possible on a ground based system, but not on a missile or aircraft. So you can see the aircraft coming, and leaving after launching missiles and bombs, but can't do much about it.

Kosh's Shadow 10/2/2019 4:03:30 PM

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In #23 doppelganglander said: I never would have believed how prevalent age discrimination is until I started job hunting

Seems especially bad in software. They don't know I have learned so many different systems I get up to speed quickly. Since I'm a contractor they plan that I'll be there for the 2-3 year contract, so as long as I get up to speed, everything is good, and the government site is very careful to avoid discrimination.

And I have gotten up to speed very quickly. I also have twice overheard conversations about software problems and could tell the cause immediately, because of my experience. You don't get that with younger people.

"So you are sending a message but not getting the reply. Are these programs on separate computers? Yes. Check the firewall. 5 minutes later- it is the firewall. I've just seen the exact same thing so many times I know what to do.

And then companies wonder why they keep finding the same bugs we supposedly learned how not to make.

lucius septimius 10/2/2019 4:31:43 PM

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