BFM this

Airborne gaming router.

The Paul Harvey probably includes some variation of: Family from some Midwestern town (low BAH) Fraudulently claims the family lived in Honolulu, San Francisco, etc (high BAH) It was a dance, especially if the unsponsored spouse couldn’t secure a SOFA recognized job, but it was a manageable dance.

Been a thing at the 3 x 121 programs I’ve worked in; seems 121 standard. Usually the first 75-100 hours.

Don’t sweat it. They’ll flinch first.

My favorite: the ground controller that leaves the mic keyed while she thinks through her next move. ”UA534 continue on bravo then, uhhhmm, no that’s not gonna work, just keep going and I’ll get back to you, break, let’s see who’s next, oh yeah, DL1276 I see you already parked on the bravo pad, that will work let me know when ramp is ready for you, who am I forgetting…” FFS let go of the fucking mic already!

Ok, this rabbit trail has completely blown my mind. Not only is the 76 still in production, it has orders through 2028. Holy ancient Soviet hardware!

So, eugenics is cool again?

An understandable hypothesis, but not so fast... "I would rather be governed by the first 1000 people listed in the telephone directory, than by the Harvard University faculty." -Wm F. Buckley What on earth was he getting at? Examining one of the most vivid examples, take a look at the rise (and fall) of the Third Reich. The thought leaders driving that movement weren't the disenfranchised plebes, not by a long shot: it was the intelligentsia, the intellectual elite, PhDs, professors, doctors, lawyers--they were the ones nodding along to the rail cars, "showers", and brutal empire building. Same thing is germinating today, on University campuses, hospital systems, corporate governing boards.

No exactly the 70’s but… Kick back in my layover hotel, flipping through channels and run across War Games. Just happened on the movie in what I think might be the most technically realistic moment. Hear me out: NORAD Command Center is going apeshit thinking we’re under attack, camera centered on the 4-star. Mind you, dress blues, so there’s no visible WIC patch, but he pulls a bag of Red Man out and stuffs a massive wad into his lip as he commences barking orders. yeah, that checks

And what was old is new again

Something about a broken clock…

Few years ago, I remember reading about a retired O6 who, due to divorce expenses, was living in his car.

While everyone is busy not giving you financial advice... Here's a thought, how about swinging for the fences toward financial independence? Did you have income in 2023? If so, start a Roth IRA, and while you're at it, contribute to 2024 as well. $6500 +$7000 = $13500. Use the remaining $11500 to budget for fully contributing to your Roth IRA on January 1st every year going forward. THEN, when you get promoted, take half of the promotion pay increase every month and put it in your Roth TSP. That's just a start; you should be thinking long term of how to budget so that you can fully contribute every year with your first few paychecks toward your Roth TSP; just takes having about $30k in cash to live off of, then you can set your Roth TSP to 100% at the beginning of the year for a few months. Once your paycheck comes back, save up the $30k over the rest of the year to get ready for next year. Front loading your Roth TSP is an O4 time horizon goal, don't rush it and get into a binge/purge financial cycle. And, for the love of all that is holy, this should be the LAST consumer debt, aside from a house, that you ever touch. You've got a good job and great career ahead of you, use it to live truly well. (hint: if you're single this whole exercise becomes exponentially easier)

And in the most “government fucks EVERYTHING up” development this decade: https://finance.yahoo.com/m/78dc50b6-aa9e-3384-9074-a44dbfbb65d0/spirit-airlines-stock-crashes.html