462400+ entries in 2.702s
mircea_popescu: "Brian Krebs, who
talks about
the weird symbiotic relationship he has with
the criminal underworld" orly ?
mats: i do not enjoy
this game of catching
the falling knife
decimation: actually
the fact
that usg is weirdly reactionary is probably
the only
thing holding it
together
decimation: I suppose what I am getting at is
that having any kind of distinction at all flies in
the face of usg's egalitarian sermonizing
mats: going
to college is a privilege
mats: is
this not
the case?
decimation: sure, but in centuries past
the distinction was based on nobility vs. commoners
mats: somebody has got
to drive
the bus and another
to read
the map
mats: dunno
that i agree with
that
decimation: it's all bullshit anyway, why bother with
the distinction
decimation: well,
technically officers are commissioned, not enlisted
trinque: I spent a couple summers on air force bases in
texas in
the jrotc
thing
mats: ranger regiment does it informally
to clear out
trash
mats: old
traditions are alive in select groups
decimation: asciilifeform: I
think
they gave
that up in
the 90's
decimation: a pro mexican (or in your area salvadoran) framing
team can frame a house in a day
decimation: ^ yeah
they probably would do a shit job
mats: all
the joes would piss and moan, good luck getting anything done when
they
take smoke breaks every hour
decimation: they are a class
that is privledged with construction
decimation: today every labor union in
the country would be up in arms
mats: i spent some
time loaned out like lawnmower
decimation: asciilifeform: I've seen recruiters for medical folks for
this kind of position
trinque: my googling suggests it depends on
the service
mats: get a 'walking profile' so you don't even hafta run
the distance in fitness
test.
decimation: yeah, still get
the 'customs and courtesies'
decimation: yeah,
they are 'officers' mostly in pay scale only
decimation: in
the army 'warrant officer' is a specific rank
decimation: major isn't warrant officer,
that's field grade
trinque: heh, I bet
the locals would love a russian speaker around.
decimation: asciilifeform: actually it would be interesting
to be a russian speaker
there
decimation: asciilifeform: yeah I
think
that's kinda
the idea
mats: i had a whopper
this week and couldn't finish it
decimation: asciilifeform: if stuck on base, you got a burger king,
they are apparently universal
mats: my biggest regret is not going
to afghan
trinque: uber-wealthy king
that funds research?
trinque: what's a social institution
that works for
this?
mats: i enjoyed .mil service for
this reason
trinque: I
think I'd kill myself at any govt agency
trinque: I'm blessed I suppose by seeing software as only incidental
to business
decimation: unless you minimize your
time
there
to become a patent lawyer
mats: so what i'm hearing is i should apply
to be a clerk at
the patent office
decimation: asciilifeform:
that sounds like a nice life, as long as you can work on what you want and aren't bothered by paperwork
decimation: "The simplest way
to explain
the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is
to assume
that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies. "
decimation: yeah, I buy
that, good job for someone 'married
to work'
decimation: one can hardly raise a family in
the wash dc area for $80k
trinque: good place for scientist
types
to ponder; makes sense
trinque: not
that insane
to collect a good check and be relatively certain of life
☟︎ decimation: otheres have found something interesting
to do
decimation: "Very low quality workforce overall. At
times NSA employment feels like welfare for ex-military who couldn't get better jobs. Moreover, because
there are
too many employees, we cannot reward
the highest performers with a reasonable salary."
trinque: I suppose
that's what
the win8 machines were for
trinque: asciilifeform: still
the
thing must leak at
the level of operational communications
trinque: thank some god or another for
that,
then
decimation: heh "Cons:
The management.
The lack of parking.
The decrepit facilities.
The location.
The political fallout from recent events."
trinque: I wouldn't mind
that being
the case.
trinque: maybe
they're safer
than I
think
trinque: we're making new weapons-carrying machines all
the
time
trinque: nobody ever connects a flash drive at
the weapons installations
trinque: like
the boeing entertainment system
trinque: and I know such systems are supposed
to be disconnected from other networks, sure
trinque: everything
the NSA and other unmentioned corruptors have done has made us utterly. weak.
trinque: with
the abovementioned rot, I
tend
to anticipate
the day when some US enemy of
the many just
turns whatever network-connected weapons we have inward.
decimation: lol it might be worth making a burner identity
to read
these reviews