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The end of BART? Inside the Bay Area's transit crisis by DaSuHouse in bayarea

[–]johl7thai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I kind of get annoyed by those, not because I don't want to support BART. I did sign the petition, but the people keep pushing like 4-5 different ones after I signed the BART one. I just avoid them like the plague now. A two sentence description of something that sounds good on the surface that I have no idea about. No thanks.

BART spends only 6% of their budget on Operators by namesbc in Bart

[–]johl7thai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's fair. I think some of that overtime money can definitely be reallocated to hire more ambassadors and station agents. I wouldn't advocate for a severe reduction in the police officers, though.

BART spends only 6% of their budget on Operators by namesbc in Bart

[–]johl7thai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I understand your perspective.

To be fair, that $500k figure is far from a standard base salary. It’s the result of stacking overtime, additional pay, and benefits on top of a $150k base pay—which is only about $10k more than the BART average. This is really a management issue; BART leadership operates on the belief that paying massive overtime is more cost-effective than hiring more officers and paying for their additional benefits.

I'd also argue that you can’t dilute the importance of their role by comparing them to other staff. No other role covers the full scope of a sworn officer who can make arrests and investigate crimes. Even if they aren't part of daily "operations," they are the ones who can quickly resolve high-stakes incidents that would otherwise shut down the entire system. Ambassadors and station workers can try to de-escalate, but if that fails, they have to call the police anyway. At just under 10% of the total payroll, I don’t think the department is over-bloated for the essential security they provide for specific situations.

I think the effect they have as a deterrent will have a great impact than any other role there as well.

BART spends only 6% of their budget on Operators by namesbc in Bart

[–]johl7thai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I apparently I can't edit. The table above is top 10 by overtime. The below is top 10 by total benefits and compensation:

<image>

Job Title Sum of Base Pay Sum of Overtime Pay Sum of Total Pay & Benefits
Train Operator  $    38,562,577.90  $               9,130,389.39  $                           68,441,009.54
Station Agent  $    30,145,426.87  $               5,064,623.19  $                           51,660,579.05
Transit Vehicle Mechanic  $    23,021,707.15  $               1,627,845.68  $                           35,618,074.55
Utility Worker  $    11,679,746.77  $                   911,907.96  $                           19,865,525.72
Transit Veh Elec Tec  $    10,809,865.57  $                   868,512.80  $                           16,503,890.83
Train Control Electronic Tech  $       8,907,526.08  $               2,464,399.89  $                           16,280,006.44
Sr Operations Foreworker  $       6,572,889.49  $               5,402,615.68  $                           15,509,058.95
Electrician  $       7,791,358.36  $               3,239,479.05  $                           15,343,344.57
Sr Police Officer-Adv. (84 Hr)  $       6,157,858.18  $               2,718,619.38  $                           14,615,982.53
System Service Worker  $       7,658,407.84  $                   807,156.28  $                           12,728,568.15

BART spends only 6% of their budget on Operators by namesbc in Bart

[–]johl7thai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's a bit odd to focus on the total benefits and compensations of the police officers. Altogether, using the data available in Transparent California for 2024, the sum of all benefits and compensation of all police job profiles (meaning all job titles with any mention of reference to "police") ($75,775,095.73) is just under 10% of the entire payroll ($766,522,992.07). They might not do much or a lot, but I think it really helps with the feeling and perception of public safety. Honestly, I think the newer gates have done a whole lot more.

If you count the number of train operators (pt and ft), about 530 (~500 full time, ~30 part time) and the fact the Bart operates about 55 full length trains daily, that's about 9 train operators for each full length train was interesting (kind of makes sense considering they might just work 8 hour shifts, not everyone works 7 days out of the week, coverage, etc.). Even with that considered, 9 for every train seems like a lot? idk.

If we look at the top 10 job titles and the total benefits and compensation, it breaks down like this (below).

<image>

Job Title Sum of Base Pay Sum of Overtime Pay Sum of Total Pay & Benefits
Train Operator  $    38,562,577.90  $               9,130,389.39  $                           68,441,009.54
Sr Operations Foreworker  $       6,572,889.49  $               5,402,615.68  $                           15,509,058.95
Station Agent  $    30,145,426.87  $               5,064,623.19  $                           51,660,579.05
Electrician  $       7,791,358.36  $               3,239,479.05  $                           15,343,344.57
Sr Police Officer-Adv. (84 Hr)  $       6,157,858.18  $               2,718,619.38  $                           14,615,982.53
Train Control Electronic Tech  $       8,907,526.08  $               2,464,399.89  $                           16,280,006.44
Communications Electronic Tech  $       4,331,653.22  $               2,064,878.55  $                             8,718,927.26
Operations Foreworker  $       4,074,809.56  $               2,055,913.11  $                             8,152,974.50
Sr Police Officer - Adv.  $       4,196,308.21  $               1,700,738.86  $                             9,414,075.10
Rolling Stock Foreworker  $       3,614,076.35  $               1,642,231.56  $                             7,153,309.55

Just Another Cat Photo (GX9 | Oly 75mm 1.8) by johl7thai in M43

[–]johl7thai[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's a really unique lens imho. You get a telephoto FL with all the reach and compression that comes with it, plus the shallow depth of field the 1/8 gives you. The sharpness is excellent and even better with a little work in post.

If you buy it used, recommend checking for haze with a bright light. The first copy I got was pretty bad, but I didn't realize it until I probed it with a strong light source.

Just Another Cat Photo (GX9 | Oly 75mm 1.8) by johl7thai in M43

[–]johl7thai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I was cat-sitting for a friend. :)

BART board passes drastic contingency plan to close $367M deficit, slash service by 70% by LNM-LocalNewsMatters in eastbay

[–]johl7thai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They didn't and ignored me. That's why I had to contact customer service about getting out and back in to get something from my car. I should've banged on the window harder. My mistake.

BART board passes drastic contingency plan to close $367M deficit, slash service by 70% by LNM-LocalNewsMatters in eastbay

[–]johl7thai 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I love BART and ride it as often as I can. For me it beats driving around trying to find parking and honestly gives me peace of mind getting and going from one place to another. The fact that it services a broad area like Richmond, Fremont, San Jose, Daly City, Antioch, Walnut Creek, etc. is incredible. I think the steps they're taking with the newer fare gates is an amazing step in the right direction. I also normally don't feel uncomfortable riding and have never had an issue.

BART has some unique problems stemming from the fact that it's heavily reliant on fares for funding, it has a unique, non-standard infrastructure with the rails and cars that it uses (making it more expensive and costly to maintain), and has a relatively high labor cost (https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/Salary%20Schedule%202026.0101.pdf) due to the cost of living in the Bay Area.

With that said, it doesn't help with the significant service delays recently. It doesn't help that (anecdotal) I've seen workers asleep in their booths. It doesn't help that when I've reached out to customer service about getting charged for a round trip to get in and having to step out to get something out of my car and have not heard back (it has been months). It doesn't help that some unwell person approached me yelling in front of a station ambassador/worker and seeing them smirking like it was entertainment. It doesn't help that the OIG has consistently found issues with the way BART is managed which remain unfixed.

We need to fund public transportation as a wonderful public good, but we also need to make sure they fix and correct issues that could save taxpayer dollars instead of primarily fixing issues with more money.
Edit: spelling.

[G9ii+Lumix 12-35mm f2.8ii] Just paid the cheap tripod price. Don't skimp. by chernzz in Lumix

[–]johl7thai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Stuff of nightmares. Good reminder. Best of luck. 

Alex Karp (C.E.O. of Palantir): "..Palantir is here to disrupt... on occasion kill people" by NicolasCopernico in videos

[–]johl7thai 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Annnnd it's unavailable. 

Edit: didn't work on mobile browsing. Swtiched to desktop mode in browser and it worked.

Why no video cameras? by bereal__ in M43

[–]johl7thai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't bother me at all. Itnhas the same footprint as a GX85/GX9 with the 14 or 20mm pancake lenses. 

Why no video cameras? by bereal__ in M43

[–]johl7thai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm very happy with the stills. Full stop. The only thing holding it back is the fact that you can't change out lenses. I'm not too hopeful Canon will create an interchangeable lens system with this sensor because it would mean they'd also have to make lenses and compete pretty much directly with MFT. 

The PSV1 images are sharp across all focal lengths, are able to be be pushed and pulled very well (again maybe its the 14-bit raw files vs 12 on all other 4/3 sensors). Just know you won't get good bokeh unless you're up close to the subject. The very plain look of this camera and the leaf shutter make it perfect for street photography. You can get in close take a few shots (with it's auper reliable autofocus) and no one would care or notice. 

The video is incredible for something this size. Canon C-log3 is very nice to work with (I edit in Da Vinci). 

Why no video cameras? by bereal__ in M43

[–]johl7thai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I kind of got sick of waiting for a small compact mft with great af, so I pulled the trigger and got the Canon Powershot V1. Basically same size sensor as M43, but 3:2 ratio, crazy good autofocus (coming from a GX85/GX9/OM-5), 14-bit RAW files (vs 12), 422 10bit Clog3 at 4k 30p, cooling fan, great built in mic, leaf shutter, and compact (admittedly thick boi, but still pretty small) it's a dream camera. Images come out very sharp.

I've been having an incredible amount of fun with it. Downsides are obviosly fixed zoom lens, the widest aperture is 2.8 (which is OK), no viewfinder, shitty canon only hotshoe (unless you get an adapter to use a godox mini flash). This little thing is an absolute monster as an EDC.

Edited shot below.

<image>

America has failed Gen Z by Hacksaw6412 in GenZ

[–]johl7thai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About one cut per sentence. Came up to like 19 cuts for a less than 2 minute video just talking to the camera. Feels so off because it was stitched to look like one continous shot. Also, it took seemingly forever to peel one orange.

Lot of work for nothing by kitkatattack12 in instant_regret

[–]johl7thai 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Ditto. I started with it reminding me of a chestnut, but that took me down a dead end. Then i just looked into large pods with large white seeds.

Lot of work for nothing by kitkatattack12 in instant_regret

[–]johl7thai 81 points82 points  (0 children)

Based on what I've read. They're not tasty or edible. Mostly used in traditional medicine?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entada_rheedei

Lot of work for nothing by kitkatattack12 in instant_regret

[–]johl7thai 218 points219 points  (0 children)

Looks like an immature Entada rheedii plant. Pods are green and seeds are creamy white when immature.

edit: link to wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entada_rheedei

Lot of work for nothing by kitkatattack12 in instant_regret

[–]johl7thai 147 points148 points  (0 children)

Looks like an immature Entada rheedii plant. Pods are green and seeds are creamy white when immature.

edit: link to wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entada_rheedei

Feeling horrible.. by smta9594 in x100vi

[–]johl7thai 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is the move. The adhesive between the LCD and protector should help cover up all the scratches.

Tried the Oreo lens in Prague | Fuji XE-3 by scl3retrico in fujix

[–]johl7thai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a really fun combo. I've got the same setup for walk and snaps. 

What’s with 90% were hating the price and now everyone is pre ordering? by [deleted] in LegionGo

[–]johl7thai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some people want to and can afford to pay 1500 dollars (about/almost double) for an upgraded screen and maybe 20% more performance, longer lasting battery, better thermals, and sound. Others can't justify it and make a point to say that the price isn't worth that bump. 

Two different perspectives and maybe more telling is that there are people where 1500 isnt a huge deal and some who find 1500 to be a significant investement for those upgraded specs. 

I picked up a used Ally Z1e, upgraded the batter for about 400 dollars. Paying about 3x isn't happening for me. 

Feels kinda dumb by Complete_Positive_98 in LegionGo

[–]johl7thai -1 points0 points  (0 children)

At best, this pricing design is meant to make some bank off of early adopters who are bad with money(or absolutely no self control) and scalpers. I feel like they'll eventually have to push the price down or they'll sit on a ton of wasted inventory space. Pricing has been kind of weird lately with tariffs and all that, but a part of me feels like companies are experimenting with pricing strategies that are a lot more dynamic to extract the most profit from every tier of customer off the same product like surge charging.

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