I guess Amazon is saving money by making prime day sales unsearchable... Everything I click takes me back to the homepage.
The Random Crap Thread 2: It Hits the Fan.
- Thread starter North_Ranger
- Start date
The warehouse worker strike must be impacting their coding here.
Dave
Staff member
Went to the eye doctor and got new contacts and glasses ordered. Two things of note here. First, AFTER insurance it came to about $822*. Second, they dilated my eyes and holy shit THE WORLD IS BRIGHT!!
* Flexible spending account means there was nothing out of my immediate pocket and paying for these was done incrementally and pre-taxed from my paychecks.
Now I have to set up an appointment to have my eyes checked for glaucoma. Yay for getting old! At least I don't have to worry about cataract surgery yet, so I got that going for me.
* Flexible spending account means there was nothing out of my immediate pocket and paying for these was done incrementally and pre-taxed from my paychecks.
Now I have to set up an appointment to have my eyes checked for glaucoma. Yay for getting old! At least I don't have to worry about cataract surgery yet, so I got that going for me.
I see the; there, they're, their errors so much that when someone uses their to show possession, I immediately assume it is wrong.
I had cataract surgery when I was in my late 30's. When I went in, I got asked (more than once!) by some person in their 80's "oh, hey young fella, you here supporting your grandpa?"
Do some type of variation of a current world power navy insignia? Not sure of how your Terran Federation came about, but would possibly be a logical progression of who ever was the "lead" in cementing the Federation. Just trying to toss stuff up to help.
Worldbuilding can be more fun than writing, so I understand completely.
Sometimes in my Facebook suggested friends list I'll encounter someone that I should theoretically know, but honestly have no clue who they are.
"Oh this guy has thirty friends in common with me... fifteen of them are my classmates from grad school, ten of them are my colleagues at my current company, and five of them are members of my family. But I've never seen this guy before in my life."
"Oh this guy has thirty friends in common with me... fifteen of them are my classmates from grad school, ten of them are my colleagues at my current company, and five of them are members of my family. But I've never seen this guy before in my life."
Dave
Staff member
Try this one: https://discord.gg/T6HcaR
B
BErt
And now your brain will never not do this
Going to have a phone interview soon for a job opportunity. If they call me in for a in-person interview, I'll go post in the Minor Vict thread. If that goes well, and I like what they offer, then I'll go post in the Epic thread. If it goes horribly wrong then I'll post in the sad-faced thread.
thanks dave!
UPDATE: Phone call went okay. Lots of generic HR interview questions. If I passed the interview then I will get another phone interview from a regional manager, and if that goes well THEN I get an in-person interview.
Last edited:
I came up with a system of ranks and insignia that I'm pleased with. They should be discernable at a glance without being too elaborate.
Terran Federation Navy Rank Structure:
Commissioned Officers:
Ensign (O-1): Lowest ranked commissioned officer; a graduate of the Academy or OCS. Insignia: Triangular pennant flag over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant, Junior Grade (O-2): A promoted Ensign, usually with less than 5 years of service. Insignia: Rectangular bar with blue slash lengthwise over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant (O-3): A junior officer, usually with 5 to 10 years of service. Lowest rank eligible to be in charge of a section. Insignia: Rectangular bar, solid, over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant Commander (O-4): Experienced officer, with 10 to 15 years of service. Frequently a section head (engineering, medical, security, etc). Insignia: Dual rectangular bar with blue slash, lengthwise, over two stripes, in silver.
Commander (O-5): Officer who has demonstrated excellent and command qualities, with 15 to 20 years service. Usually the Executive Officer of a capital ship. Insignia: Dual rectangular bar, solid, over two stripes, in silver.
Frigate Captain (O-6): Officer with command ability with 18-24 years of service including as an executive officer. Given command of a Frigate as on-the-job training for the role of a Captain; Frigates being the smallest warship in the Terran fleet. Insignia: Anchor over three stripes, in gold.
Captain (O-7): Command officer of a capital ship, with 24-50 years of service with demonstrated excellence and command performance. Insignia: Anchor with chain over three stripes, in silver.
Commodore (O-8): Command officer of a squadron, battle group, or minor task force. The lowest flag rank, requiring at least 10 years of service at the rank of Captain. Insignia: Anchor and star over 4 stripes, in gold.
Admiral (O-9): The highest flag rank to see active duty aboard ship. At least 20 years as Captain required as well as recommendations and distinguished service (medals, etc). The commanding officer of a Fleet or major Task Force. Insignia: Anchor with chain and star over 4 stripes, in silver.
Grand Admiral (O-10): Commander-in-Chief of the Terran Federation Fleet, coordinating task forces, patrol ships, supply lines, etc, as well as R&D, procurement, and logistics. There is only one Grand Admiral at a time and they remain stationed either in the Sol System or Fleet Command Station. Insignia: Anchor with chain and 5 stars, in platinum.
Terran Federation Navy Rank Structure:
Commissioned Officers:
Ensign (O-1): Lowest ranked commissioned officer; a graduate of the Academy or OCS. Insignia: Triangular pennant flag over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant, Junior Grade (O-2): A promoted Ensign, usually with less than 5 years of service. Insignia: Rectangular bar with blue slash lengthwise over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant (O-3): A junior officer, usually with 5 to 10 years of service. Lowest rank eligible to be in charge of a section. Insignia: Rectangular bar, solid, over stripe, in gold.
Lieutenant Commander (O-4): Experienced officer, with 10 to 15 years of service. Frequently a section head (engineering, medical, security, etc). Insignia: Dual rectangular bar with blue slash, lengthwise, over two stripes, in silver.
Commander (O-5): Officer who has demonstrated excellent and command qualities, with 15 to 20 years service. Usually the Executive Officer of a capital ship. Insignia: Dual rectangular bar, solid, over two stripes, in silver.
Frigate Captain (O-6): Officer with command ability with 18-24 years of service including as an executive officer. Given command of a Frigate as on-the-job training for the role of a Captain; Frigates being the smallest warship in the Terran fleet. Insignia: Anchor over three stripes, in gold.
Captain (O-7): Command officer of a capital ship, with 24-50 years of service with demonstrated excellence and command performance. Insignia: Anchor with chain over three stripes, in silver.
Commodore (O-8): Command officer of a squadron, battle group, or minor task force. The lowest flag rank, requiring at least 10 years of service at the rank of Captain. Insignia: Anchor and star over 4 stripes, in gold.
Admiral (O-9): The highest flag rank to see active duty aboard ship. At least 20 years as Captain required as well as recommendations and distinguished service (medals, etc). The commanding officer of a Fleet or major Task Force. Insignia: Anchor with chain and star over 4 stripes, in silver.
Grand Admiral (O-10): Commander-in-Chief of the Terran Federation Fleet, coordinating task forces, patrol ships, supply lines, etc, as well as R&D, procurement, and logistics. There is only one Grand Admiral at a time and they remain stationed either in the Sol System or Fleet Command Station. Insignia: Anchor with chain and 5 stars, in platinum.
Ya’ll I’m having a moment and wanted to let everyone know how much I love @figmentPez !!
He’s literally one of my best friends in the entire world and we talk almost every day and I’m forever grateful to Dave, as well as any other person that built this place because otherwise I wouldn’t have met Pez. And my life would be much sadder if he wasn’t here for me.
He puts up with so much - cause I’m genuinely a wreck 80% of the time. And I’m really grateful how good a friend he is.
THATS ALL. IM SORRY for my sappy post. :/
He’s literally one of my best friends in the entire world and we talk almost every day and I’m forever grateful to Dave, as well as any other person that built this place because otherwise I wouldn’t have met Pez. And my life would be much sadder if he wasn’t here for me.
He puts up with so much - cause I’m genuinely a wreck 80% of the time. And I’m really grateful how good a friend he is.
THATS ALL. IM SORRY for my sappy post. :/
Dave
Staff member
No enlisted?
That was my response too. One of the failings of Star Trek, as sci-fi show, is that outside of a single major character (Miles O'Brien) there is never a focus on what exactly all the non-commissioned folks are doing... despite it being their job to actually keep everything running. Remember your enlisted folks! And always think about what they would be doing!
Well, we're proud owners of a car loan attached to a 2015 VW Passat.
Dave
Staff member
This should actually help you figure out the levels of ranks.
You can probably make your own names as the ones I posted are army, but just knowing the numbers will help. Remember that you rise automatically through the ranks until you hit E-4, then you need to take special schooling or gain awards. You get points (commendations, schooling, physical fitness scores, etc.) and you have to meet that score threshold to be eligible for promotion.
For your officers, here's the army's time in grade sheet. Maybe your space corps is different, but 5 years to go from O-1 to O-2 is a really long time. Like 3-4 times the length of movement in the army. The navy is a bit different and closer to your timeline, but still you are WAY out.
Things can be best summed up in this handy little chart:
Again, most of your numbers are pretty spot on, but the earlier ones might be a bit harsh.
Eh, I understand where you're coming from and looking at real life counterparts is certainly useful/interesting, but I don't know if you need to follow it all that close. Plenty of real life armies have stricter or looser time tables, not to mention the armies where age/duration of holding a grade isn't taken into account for promotion and it's all based on testing/physical tests/judgement from superiors/etc.
Also, Dave, the problem is that the Navy uses a vastly different system where most enlisted may have a certain paygrade that's equal to an Army rank, but will have a completely different title based on their station and special training, called a "rate".
Ranks E-1 through E-3 are considered to be apprenticeships, with basic titles based off their MOS, so you have Airman, Seaman, Fireman,Earthman Constructionman at "recruit", "apprentice" and full levels.
The pay grades E-4 (petty officer third class) through E-9 (master chief petty officer) fall within the rating structure. It is further broken down into four types of ratings and classifications:
SO
For simplicity's sake, I'm going to have to trim that down a bit. Like, instead of Fire Controlman and Gunner's Mate, combine them into "weapons tech" or "weapon systems officer"; Radar, Lidar, and gravitic sensors would just be "sensors tech", etc.
Ranks E-1 through E-3 are considered to be apprenticeships, with basic titles based off their MOS, so you have Airman, Seaman, Fireman,
The pay grades E-4 (petty officer third class) through E-9 (master chief petty officer) fall within the rating structure. It is further broken down into four types of ratings and classifications:
- 57 General ratings: consisting of broad occupational fields such as boatswain's mate, electronics technician, machinist's mate, fire controlman etc.
- 37 Service ratings: which are made up of sub categories of general ratings that require further specialized training and qualifications – Service ratings are established, changed, and removed depending on service requirements and changes in the way personnel are managed.
- 5 Compression ratings: Identify the combining of several general or service ratings at paygrade E-9 to form broader career fields when the occupational content is similar. These ratings exist only at the E-9 level and are not identified previously as a general or service rating.
- Navy Enlisted Classifications (NEC), which are numerical codes attached to a specific rating and are frequently used to indicate specialized qualifications and Emergency ratings.
- Emergency ratings, which are specific ratings that can be established in time of war and are distinguished by a letter of the alphabet enclosed in a diamond.[11]
- 3 – Petty officer third class (paygrade E-4)
- 2 – Petty officer second class (paygrade E-5)
- 1 – Petty officer first class (paygrade E-6)
- C – Chief petty officer (paygrade E-7)
- CS – Senior chief petty officer (paygrade E-8)
- CM – Master chief petty officer (paygrade E-9)
SO
For simplicity's sake, I'm going to have to trim that down a bit. Like, instead of Fire Controlman and Gunner's Mate, combine them into "weapons tech" or "weapon systems officer"; Radar, Lidar, and gravitic sensors would just be "sensors tech", etc.
The director of my old graduate institute has been actively schmoozing me, because she wants me to go back and teach full time. I'm flattered, but on the whole I don't think I'm going to take the offer. Firstly I'm not sure if academia is for me, what with all the research and politics and all, secondly I'm not sure if I'm good enough to actually teach, and thirdly I'm pretty well settled in my current job, which probably pays more than an academic teaching job would. Plus, despite all my complaints about moronic translators and clients, I actually rather like what I do.
Still though, it's nice to be asked.
Still though, it's nice to be asked.
My wife went out of town bout a year or so back, left me by myself to batch and after five straight nights of TV I was ready to scream.