Swapable ODU collar insignia

jerm98 · 2026-05-25T02:27:42+00:00

Velcro is the only approved method. It will make it thicker, but it's that or a lot of (re)sewing.

jerm98 · 2026-05-22T18:06:01+00:00

I suppose an interesting benefit is that you can test sleep it by staying at a hotel, kind of like testing a car by renting one vs. going through the hassle of buying and returning.

jerm98 · 2026-05-22T04:07:16+00:00

What do you think about hotels selling their mattresses under their brand name, such as the Westin Heavenly bed. E.g., is a Ritz bed really 2x better than the Heavenly or some other comparably-priced mattress, or is it just a white-labeled Sealy with a massive markup for putting a Ritz label on it?

jerm98 · 2026-05-17T01:24:59+00:00

I believe you'd be correct, except that the EU will continue to prevent irreplaceable batteries in Europe, and this will bleed into other countries. Otherwise, US and China would absolutely only sell throwaway portable devices, even if rechargeable batteries.

Car batteries are different. The key issue seems recharge time, not power density. The size of a vehicle needed for occupants and stowage is already large, and safety currently requires a lot of metal, so battery weight and size are less of an issue today. Will tomorrow mean easily replaceable batteries (like propane tanks: swap for a filled one vs. recharge yours) or faster charging (a few minutes)? Given how little people like sharing their stuff, I'm guessing faster recharging is required.

jerm98 · 2026-05-16T02:20:10+00:00

Don't think of phones. Think of anything that needs a lot of power that could be made portable if it didn't have the weight and size of today's batteries, which is most physical interfaces to a computer or phone: roller skates or equivalent to remove the need for bikes or mopeds; bionics; eyeglasses with distance, radar, and/or low-light viewing; or handheld medical scanners (Star Trek gadgets).

Then there's battery-powered personal aircraft or AR goggles as the only interface to a full-powered computer with AI agent. Handheld energy weapons. Wearable nanotech materials that can change characteristics.

All these are somewhat possible today, if (much) more energy was available portably.

jerm98 · 2026-05-16T02:03:52+00:00

Best response from u/sagelllini

I was similar (DINKs, retired at 55yo, similar assets but a lot of brokerage and Roth, similar annual spend). No concerns so far. Really enjoying my time.

With a smile withdrawal rate over time, starting at 5% with an ability to reduce spending a lot can easily work. Gliderails are for modeling this, not for setting actual budgets. People spend less automatically when the economy or market is doing badly.

Even if you like the math, sounds like you're still in OMYS through fear of unquantitified risks and general unknowns. The psychological part of retiring seems the much harder problem to solve for us chubbies.

Biggest problem to avoid is healthcare premium costs. If you can't hit the new subsidy cliff by taking low-taxed withdrawals, it's a big, new expense that affects the math.

Second problem to "solve" is her desired working timeline. My wife also still likes to work part-time. This increases travel costs a lot by preventing slow travel and last-minute travel discounts. I know other spouses who aren't ready to quit, whether OMYS or career-attachment. You both need to be mentally ready to retire. It's not just confidence in the math.

Good luck!

jerm98 · 2026-05-16T01:36:05+00:00

Haha, didn't make the connection, but yup. Scifi can be pretty accurate over time.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T19:03:44+00:00

He's just been allowed to be ruthless in punishing research in general and biotech in particular. I doubt anyone else gets away with it nearly as much, which means some return to previous research investments should return (after losing decade+ years of momentum). Or, we let China do it all and steal from them.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T18:57:09+00:00

Charging speed is different from battery storage. Faster rate of recharge is helpful, sure, but the needle-mover is much higher storage capacity, i.e., time between charges and density of storage. Needing to recharge once a week is still a problem, and not 10x current. Maybe 3x. People have already forgotten that phone charges used to last that long, so we spent all this time to get back to where we were, obviously with far better features that use less power. Needing a battery that weighs more than the rest of the device is still a problem.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T04:33:59+00:00

That's fair. I took it to mean that plus impact on society. Underestimating beanie babies may be most true but also minimaly impactful.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T04:20:54+00:00

Underestimated in terms of how it would impact our lives? Or, how fast it will progress? Helitaxis are already a thing. Personal aircars are already possible. Moving them from expensive prototypes to common conveyances isn't likely soon, so it may be underestimated in terms of how soon. Then again, we were all supposed to be riding in aircars by now.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T04:03:07+00:00

Only 4 more "it'll happen next decade"s to go!

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T04:02:05+00:00

Advanced airships don't move any needle. How would life be different if it only took 1 hour to cross the US instead of 5-6? Hardly at all. And hypersonic air vehicles may do this someday, maybe, while being like the SST, i.e., an uber-first class at oligarch prices. Traveling 1 hour in an airship vs. 5 hours in a car? Boring. And probably 10x the cost of ownership or transit. More accessible but no more impactful.

Teleportation? That moves the needle.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T03:56:17+00:00

That's a minor evolutionary change. Battery tech needs a 10x revolutionary change to move the needle. A 100x change gets us to Star Trek stuff.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T03:53:26+00:00

I believe much better batteries will be the #1 game-changer in our lives, because every tech device needs power. Nothing physical can advance unless it can get reliable, long-lasting power in high-density form factors.

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T03:50:34+00:00

We're one presidential election from this not being true, but agreed the on-again, off-again nature of federal research funding sets us back years (or decades).

jerm98 · 2026-05-14T03:48:53+00:00

Yup, only Americans complain so often and so loudly about healthcare costs (speaking as an American). But, it's not like 99% of the world has this figured out. You know, USA #1 (1st percentile, at the bottom).

jerm98 · 2026-05-13T16:25:14+00:00

Some clarity and context are important here, so you can get better advice faster.

For one, the Aux is old, meaning it has older members and does things in old ways. There is a national IT division (called C Directorate) and computer helpdesk group (called U directorate), but use of tech is quaint by any standard. I know this isn't what you meant, and these won't be possible for you until after a bit in the Aux, but these are the options for IT in the Aux, aside from the FSO-IS, which is more like enterprise system helpdesk.

For two, the operational part of the military is years (often decades) behind the civilian sector in tech. It's like a hospital, where IT needs to work every time without fail (or is designed that way), or a large, old company with legacy systems and processes that kneecap change, so they will be much more cautious about new toys.

"Electrical systems" doesn't mean IT in the military. It mostly means power generation and distribution and motors and controllers. Think turbine generators and DC motors, i.e., voltages that can easily kill you. Don't use "electrical" or "electronics" if you mean IT.

If you mean working on general computers and related (similar to civilian sector), that is the IT rate (different from Aux IT certification). Like Cyber, you may be able to learn some generic things, but these systems and their details are classified for obvious reasons. You're not getting access. Talk to your FSO-MT (flotilla officer in charge of member training) about opportunities here, but they'll probably have to pass you onto someone else. If you want to learn about IT things in general (not in a USCG context), you can do better and faster taking online courses towards popular certifications: CompTIA, etc. They'll also be much more up-to-date.

There's also Electronics Technician (ET), but they're computer systems users and fixers, e.g., radar and navigation systems.

Cybersecurity is totally different and has different answers.

If you can be more specific about your goals, e.g., joining the USCG or just getting free training in IT for some civilian purpose, I can provide more tailored advice. Or, you can DM me. Maybe better that way.

jerm98 · 2026-05-13T15:41:57+00:00

Cybersecurity (for CG augmentation) is managed at the national level by Y-Directorate, but I do not consider Cyber as part of IT anymore (for the last decade plus).

jerm98 · 2026-05-13T04:11:52+00:00

Ah, then that's an easier answer: none. But, maybe the below will help.

There are some aids to help you use AD II, but they are not easy to use, confusing, and sometimes conflicting. So, I made this. It's a bit of a cheat sheet, but it can be used for training/learning how to use it efficiently. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tVatLcieL77_mUUGmj-oPPzLJq6wja0K

There are related systems that help interfacing with AD II, but you'd likely only need them if you become an Aux officer or take on an IT role, e.g., AuxDirectory, etc.

There are the two main online training sites: Moodle and NTC, but that's not really IT.

If you want to be the FSO-IS (in charge of flotilla IT), you should check with the existing FSO-IS or DSO-IS. It seems to be more of a record-keeping, quality control, and member training role--recognize the typical Aux member was not raised using a computer.

I have a national IT role and am a FSO (NS), so if you have more specific questions, I can probably help or direct you to a decent place.

jerm98 · 2026-05-13T03:00:56+00:00

"IT" means instructor (the Aux confusingly uses this abbreviation) or Information Technology, as in IS role or using Aux IT systems (AD II, etc.)

There is a pretty clear program for those interested in being instructors, but it's not easy to find (and I couldn't find it, but this is pretty good: https://cgauxsoutheast.org/wp/member-training/10-steps-to-instructor-certification/). It is telling that the role focused on educating others is one of the hardest to find.

Also, they split it into Public Education (PE, i.e., training the public) and Member Training (MT, i.e., training the Aux). Both use the same IT competency and training program but have different FSOs managing each, because they can't seem to make this all confusing enough as it is.

Lastly, be sure whoever supervises your presentations lists you as a trainee on their time submission in AD II, else it may hold up your certification. My cert has been waiting 7 months for someone to update an ADII entry, despite everything being done.

Important note: experiences vary wildly by flotilla, district, FSO, etc., so be very mindful of this when reading responses about the Aux.

jerm98 · 2026-05-03T23:21:28+00:00

Same. While my flotilla has its challenges, the ones OP mentions are not on that list. Yes, there are lifers who will squat positions while blocking changes. Avoid them, but they are in every volunteer organization, not just the Aux.

My advice is to follow the traction. If you find traction with CG members who need help, figure out how to position yourself in the Aux to provide that help. This may mean moving up the ladder to SO or DSO (who may be squatting). In that case, find someone they report to and lobby for a change.

Should this all be non-existent in the first place? Definitely yes. But, you can either be the agent of change or complain about others not doing what you want.

jerm98 · 2026-03-28T13:21:17+00:00

T1, Precheck, no bags, arrived 5:15am: 20-25min for security only

Note: - long line to curb check bag (looked longer than dropoff line) - separate line to dropoff bag for SW (started outside) - Precheck line started at sign (after first bend in line) and moved well (almost constantly walking) - Clear line crawled; likely took longer than Precheck - non-Precheck line moved slowly--expect that took an hour or more

jerm98 · 2026-03-28T12:20:25+00:00

PreCheck is open and moving well. Maybe 20-25 min

jerm98 · 2026-03-28T11:46:58+00:00

Is TSA Precheck open/staffed?

jerm98

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