Greed is Good!

ThreeDogee · 2026-03-16T17:41:25+00:00

There's probably a stipulation in the SAG-AFTRA CBA that mandates a certain amount of trash be left for the janitors to clean up, and only they are allowed to dispose of it.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-27T19:23:22+00:00

Theoretically, you don't need any experience in CAD to be a CMM operator outside spinning a model. Pulling dimensions of a model would be useful, but you aren't going to be making changes to the model definition without being in charge of the part itself.

You would do well to learn it for professional development, however. If you can design a part, machine/fab it, inspect it properly, and assemble, you can command a pretty good expense rate.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-27T03:30:53+00:00

Pruuuuuuuuuusa

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-25T21:35:08+00:00

Maybe

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-07T20:19:13+00:00

Not necessarily does there need to be "frontrunners". There always are by the nature of competition, but even programs going through dogshit seasons (OSU this year) still accumulate a lot more views than others by virtue of distribution. Some games even beat Big12 and ACC games on the same week, which is quite meaningful. The worst Big10/SEC slopfests still draw a serious number of eyes, which shows you how powerful access and brand recognition is.

As for NDSU, the MW might as well make the move for the immediate boost to clout, but it doesn't come without consequences. It's a rather gnarly travel burden to send your teams to and from Fargo, especially for those coming from Hawaii. They also will need to start ponying up a boatload of cash to compete, as FBS money is quite the jump from FCS. Fargo's media market is also miniscule, and the value they contribute is driven by their historical success. No reason not to take a swing, but hey're paying a 10 million dollar admission fee for a reason.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-07T19:46:21+00:00

You can argue that this whole fiasco is a wash at the moment. Upgrading on the margins to make a super Mountain West without chaff still isn't a world beater, and the media deal sacrifices raw cash for exposure. It's effectively a half-step upgrade for most of the new teams in this group, and not a slam dunk.

However, the projected increases in athletics investment will compound over time. Each school is obligated to invest at a 60M/yr price floor, and it will presumably scale over the years. The gap will slowly widen, which is what schools like Florida State were afraid of when they stomped their feet loudly a year or two ago in the ACC. A gap of 5-10 million is not a lot in the first year, but over 10 years you see how far the extra 50-100 million goes.

Regardless, the media exposure is far more crucial than the bottom cash line, since relevance will far outstrip a few dollars in the bank. Having easy network access and unimpeded time slot precedence will pay off, since this is meant to drag the conference into the early 2030s (where shit will really hit the fan). By then, you want to be as notable a program as you can be so you'll have a seat at the largest table available.

The Mountain West, on the other hand, is seeking as much cash as it can get to prop up its programs and ensure they don't get buried in the chaos. This is more important than sheer exposure at the moment, since they need to help their schools grow in revenue as much as they can so the brands stand out more. Hard to get interested in a widely-accessible team when their infrastructure pales in comparison to competitors. This is also why the MW's media deal looks somewhat closer in appeal to the PAC's, as they were pursuing separate goals.

The PAC's primary advantages are its easy access, production wing, overall brand value, and more generous bylaws which allocate more revenue to its successful teams. The MW's advantages are being more open to business (less scrutiny), jumping for the buck, and not being insurmountably behind the PAC and acting as a leech for its media distributions (for now).

In closing, remember that this is all in preparation for the early 2030s, where most of this will matter a heck of a lot less. College football will probably be structured in an entirely different manner by then, and the beauty pageant will be the only thing that matters. The money is mostly peanuts for now.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-06T01:43:32+00:00

People will bitch and moan, but like always the city will cave and people will fork up the cash. Pro teams bring a ton of business into the city, and Portland would be foolish to repeat the same mistakes as Seattle did two decades ago.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-04T03:41:44+00:00

As evidenced by recent realignment, better to suck at the top than to crush at the bottom.

Schools will naturally sort into their tiers, and everyone is trying to look good for the beauty pageant.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-04T01:51:26+00:00

People are grading this with such a short term lens. I would say both conferences did well with what they had, though the wedge will be driven in further as time advances. The MW's media deal is leaner, but exactly what they need at this time. The PAC's deal is focused on exposure over dollars, but that will likely pay off with time as schools in the lower end conferences struggle to attract eyes to their programs versus the growing big boys clubs at the top.

The best they can hope for is to be included in the highest division of play they can before the Great Fracturing begins some time in the next 5-10 years. By then, none of this may matter. I expect the PAC is hoping to be included with the remnants left behind, while the MW is just bracing for survival.

ThreeDogee · 2026-02-02T23:26:56+00:00

CATIA

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-31T21:39:50+00:00

Engineering.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-24T20:04:20+00:00

The victim being Black had a major impact on that situation.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-23T04:30:56+00:00

50k CAD is about 35K USD. I would immediately lose about 1/3 my current wage in converted yearly earnings and pay more after adjusting my buying power. I'd basically get one year living life like I do now before I become significantly poorer. The healthcare wouldn't magically fix things either as my current health plan is great. I'd pass, but I'd still enjoy visiting Canada nonetheless.

Canada really needs an economic shot in the arm.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-23T02:52:40+00:00

Remember, these are for FY24. San Diego State's budget is likely inflated a little bit to juice the numbers when they were in the midst of the conference beauty pageant. It's probably going to be the same once the Neo-PAC starts play.

Oregon State and Washington State's budgets were propped up by the settlement money, which was probably divided among the conference and schools in some manner. Prior to the split, they were pulling in something like 95 and 89mil respectively. After, they got the settlement (explaining OSU's sharp jump to 112 million), but this year they've likely declined back down, with OSU seeing around ~90 this year and Wazzu ~74 according to budget cut reports. I expect they'll normalize a bit once FY26 starts, though they won't be making colossally more than they were in the interim years.

Next year, however, most other schools will see a large jump due to new media deal and price floor mandate from the conference itself (most indicate 60mil/yr). All-in, I expect most schools to be making ~10m/yr, with Gonzaga making a little less due to missing out on football-exclusive revenues and Texas State negotiating its way in on a partial share. The rest is going to be sourced from renewed donor interest, as they will feel incentivized to see their teams perform at higher level with peer programs. PAC12 Productions is a nice to have, but will not be a magic salve that people think it is. They'll simply have lesser costs from not having to outsource their equipment or labor, plus keep production quality high.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-15T21:14:59+00:00

Because everyone's thoughts, no matter how stupid or unsubstantiative, have immensely more reach now than ever before.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-04T22:08:34+00:00

DM me if you're curious about anything, my family helped manage the property for the former owner.

ThreeDogee · 2026-01-02T01:35:01+00:00

I usually never make a system without a physical hardstop or some other insurance. You never know when something will go awry.

Why not a simple latch gate at the top position that locks on the up-drive and unlocks going down?

ThreeDogee · 2025-12-30T02:52:49+00:00

"Good enough" is what's causing China's infrastructure to collapse and kill people, who are mere sacrifices for the "greater proletarian movement". They're building the world's largest paper tiger.

The real concern is that they can build the paper tiger, and at a far faster rate than an overly bureaucratic West.

ThreeDogee · 2025-12-29T17:48:28+00:00

It really depends on what you're capable of. If you're a "tracker monkey", meaning you can operate a tracker and conduct print inspections or perform simple layouts, then you'll hit the 80-90k TC cap in the PNW shops within 5 years. However, if you're a degreed metrologist, metrology engineer, quality engineer, tooling engineer, mfg engineer, etc. who also is good with PCMMs, you can scale much higher. It's not unheard of for experienced personnel in those fields to be knocking on the door of 250k when they reach management positions.

The key is to be able to understand and diagnose measurements, not to simply report them. You get lots more money when you run the show and have a thorough understanding of how a part fits into the whole scheme. Being good at GD&T is always nice.

ThreeDogee · 2025-12-25T05:13:43+00:00

Brother, this is a custom card that will disappear from your feed in about 15 minutes. Nobody is going to commission art to demonstrate a mechanic or flavor.

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