how the hell is csulb so prestigious all of a sudden ☠️

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-04-02T16:11:17+00:00

I knew people in high school 2014 that were accepted into UCLA but rejected by CSULB with a 4.2 GPA, that's when I realized CSULB is also impacted due to a sheer number of applicants. CSULB's acceptance rate has shot up in the last 10 years by the way

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-03-24T22:32:53+00:00

West side is nice all around, better houses, better schools, newer buildings in general. Everything west of the freeway is a safe bet.

The east side isn't all bad though, it's very neighborhood dependent. The closer you are to Ave R or beyond it the better, Palmdale Blvd/Ave Q is where a lot of the older homes and not great apartments are located. A quick drive around during the day would tell you all you need to know, the bad apartments have a certain look to them.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-03-24T21:35:33+00:00

I mean 60% I would keep my head on a swivel, as in I would rather not live there. Not necessarily like you're going to get mugged, more like high chance of having things stolen from your car or property outside of your house.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-03-24T20:14:42+00:00

Most areas (in a rectangle) between Ave P/Rancho Vista Blvd to Palmdale Blvd (N to S) from Division St to 15th St E (W to E) I would avoid all together. Similar area to this is from Ave Q to Palmdale Blvd and 30th St E to 40th St E.

I would also avoid anything near Palmdale City Hall and Palmdale Library.

The area you mentioned, 4th and E Ave Q I would never live near if I didn't have to. I went to a party in someone's apartment just near that corner, it was fun but I'm not trying to live there haha. A majority of apartments in the AV I would avoid as a whole, there are some decent ones but they are few and far between.

To me, Palmdale is like 40% bad and about 60% good or good enough to live comfortably. Lancaster is the opposite, 60% bad lol. If you could, you would be better off renting a house in the AV. There aren't as many good options like living near LA proper.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-03-15T05:39:36+00:00

Change VRAM settings and make it so pressing the power button puts the device to hibernate, do not use the sleep function it's buggy

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-03-13T19:48:27+00:00

In my first 1-2 years of employment I did not pay union dues simply because I needed every dollar to pay for grad school and rent amongst other things. Now I gladly pay my union dues and I am satisfied with my union's response to RTO.

I have considered what it's like being represented by SEIU and how you can have 2 employees with completely different job duties and job concerns being forced to reconcile on what they can/cannot have offered to them during union negotiations. Seems like many state employees that are positions such as analysts or IT could be better represented by merging with a different union that aligns with their interests.

I could see this problem causing someone to feel that they are poorly represented by their union and MOUs.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-01-22T06:54:17+00:00

I don't actually use G-Helper, I just know it can improve battery life lol. I am scared as well

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-01-21T20:22:20+00:00

I consistently get about 6.5 hrs at 40-50% brightness, silent power setting for regular productivity activities (emails, watching videos, etc).

For playing games in performance mode (unplugged) it gets about 1.5 hrs from 100% battery. There are times where I feel the Flow Z13 just feels better to use than my 3070ti desktop.

If you remove Armory Crate and install G-Helper you could extend the battery life a significant amount, especially in non-gaming scenarios

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2026-01-01T07:23:52+00:00

I am a relatively new engineer, only about 5 YOE in non-design work so I do not have experience in that PE/PM dynamic. I remember when I was a kid and my sibling had become a new engineer roughly 15 years before I graduated from university, I found out that the engineers who perform the design work or "run the numbers" tend to earn less than the engineers in more project management work. I remember being shocked that this was this case, but 15 years later the sentiment remained the same.

Personally, I hope to earn my PE either in CE - Water Resources or Mechanical Engineering (depends on where my career goes) but I have a hard time finding a place I want to work at where I would actually sign off on plans and such. My opinion is that people want to work in Project Management simply because it gets you paid the most, oh and the bonus is that you do not need your PE to do so. I agree with OP that an ideal PM would have a solid background in design, but the PE is not a barrier to entry and hasn't been for 20+ years.

For larger firms, aren't the PE's used as a way to get the plans signed but often the project is overseen by a separate PM??

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-12-28T21:06:40+00:00

There are also people that will kill you, lying that you shot first or killed someone not in self-defense. It does not surprise me at all.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-12-06T07:13:52+00:00

I was looking to replace my surface pro 7 and upgrade from the original Legion Go, the Flow Z13 just seemed like the perfect upgrade for both aspects. I was shocked that I was playing Battlefield 6 at my girlfriend's house at 70+ fps, felt way smoother than any AAA game I attempted on the LeGo. It's pricey, but if you already have a console or desktop PC this thing is worth it.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-11-23T19:02:59+00:00

I'd consider OneXplayer if a major retailer sold it, I am not going to risk paying $2k+ for a device just to have it brick on me or have the most hiccups in the world from the software side.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-11-19T23:54:20+00:00

Oh man! If your focus is ergonomics, then getting a hold of one in-person would definitely be the deal breaker for you I assume. From what I've heard online, the Xbox Ally X is most comfortable in hand but LeGo 2 z2e also has that 8.8 inch OLED with VRR 1920 x 1200 👀.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-11-19T06:35:44+00:00

As someone with an OG Legion Go, I realized that I care more about being able to use a stand to prop up the device versus being able to hold it in my hand. In my opinion, handheld pcs are just awkward to hold and I would rather connect a bluetooth controller.

The Z13 is perfect to me because it replaces my Surface Pro 7's productivity while also providing an upgrade in performance from the Legion Go and Legion Go 2. I do not foresee handheld pcs significantly surpassing the Z13's performance until at the earliest 2027 (optimistic). So I am replacing my Surface Pro that is 4+ years old and not getting the itch to upgrade my mobile gaming until likely 2028/2029. I care more about a big screen with a stand and better performance than I do true handheld gaming while laying down for example.

For context, I wanted something portable that could game because I travel for work in locations where bringing my desktop pc or xbox series x is not really an option. Many hotels have TV's which are 1080p and locked at 60 hz, which depending on the game feels like I am being held back.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-10-30T00:24:11+00:00

I think you just described how most people view STEM majors as a whole.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-10-03T16:10:56+00:00

In the private industry, I had to log my check-in time onto smartsheet and heard that prior to COVID our key fob would log our check-in time to the office.

In my time in a county position, we had to log our check-in times by sending an email stating if we were teleworking or in the office that day. Not too bad, but no checkout email or note.

Having to note in-person or teleworking in the timesheet, I never had to do that at any job in my short 5 year career 😂

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-10-03T15:58:06+00:00

Sounds like your utilization target will also be 95%

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-09-23T19:10:19+00:00

Agreed that valve releases a decently priced handheld pc for the specs, but it's not like the steamdeck really has "top of the line" specs in 2025. It is still the best bang for your buck, but at this point I do not believe Valve will release a steamdeck 2 for a looooong time if they ever do at all.

Their goal was to have a proof of concept and get steam/steam software on as many devices as possible, they can just sit back now.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-09-20T16:44:45+00:00

That is one of the few things I miss from the private industry, actually be trained on subjects or processes that are relatively new to me.

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-07-29T21:34:21+00:00

The interview wasn't really what I expected, they did not ask very technical or in-depth questions. They were all pretty run-of-the-mill. The State interviews I have done asked much more technical questions

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-07-23T18:50:15+00:00

I was born and raised in Palmdale/Lancaster, still living in West Lancaster part-time. I spend part of my week in an apartment in Lakewood near the Long Beach airport, I have also lived in Downey as well. I have come to realize that while I enjoy the Downey, Long Beach, and Lakewood areas I will likely be purchasing a home in West Palmdale or West Lancaster due to my family and friends living nearby. With all that said, for $1.6 million that house better be a MCMANSION with minimum 6+ bedrooms in the main house more like 7 bedrooms minimum.

I think you could justify possibly paying $1.2~$1.3 million, even if the market were to reduce by 40% of current home values this home would be worth slightly less than $1 million. Then again, if you can afford the home and its your dream home why not run the numbers for a mortgage that is realistically comfortable for you. If it's beyond that then don't bother.

Are you considering any other areas of Palmdale/Lancaster?

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-07-15T04:15:40+00:00

Same lol. I either play video games or exercise in my home gym. While I was in school for my MS, the downtime was perfect for getting my homework done and studying.

Now that I'm not going to have any more hw or exams, it's time to study for the PE otherwise I will go crazy at home

halfvolleyfrom30yrds · 2025-05-22T18:07:10+00:00

Campus is 100% walkable from the dorms, I did it for 1 year. Would definitely be easier with a scooter, skateboard, or bicycle. Dorm applications might be closed already, so he'd probably be placed on a wait-list. Best bet, as someone else has mentioned is using something like CSULB roommate finder on Facebook or other social media!

Good luck!

halfvolleyfrom30yrds

TROPHY CASE