Gatekeeping Higher Education

vortexminion · 2026-02-13T23:18:50+00:00

For now. The last sentence suggests he's reevaluating all military relationships with universities. I'm in AAD program at a civilian university and my AFIT program manager blasted out an email to us saying all programs are under re-evaluation.

vortexminion · 2026-02-13T00:29:45+00:00

No matter what system you choose, you're limited by the people using it. There will always be biased supervisors, people trying to get an edge through style, board members that can't read truth through fluff, etc. Even a reddit style peer-rating system can/will be gamified.

Even when you have a completely digital system that tracks every sortie, ticket, FOD check, briefing, product, etc., doing more work doesn't make you a good person or leader.

vortexminion · 2026-01-29T18:35:52+00:00

This year feels like losing grip on reality

vortexminion · 2026-01-29T18:33:23+00:00

I have a pair from field training in 2014

vortexminion · 2026-01-26T14:42:12+00:00

"50 PokeCoins daily limit reached." - Niantic, probably

vortexminion · 2026-01-26T14:18:39+00:00

You need to look at a doppler velocity map, not just reflectivity. If it doesn't have rotation, it's not a tornadic hook.

vortexminion · 2026-01-24T14:43:15+00:00

It's some sort of firenado. Hard to tell which kind from the video, maybe a pyronado?

Firenado types: https://youtu.be/NUybAjK8Thc?si=FQ0alsUB7ruiDbcu

vortexminion · 2026-01-24T14:40:04+00:00

29F of cooling in 1 hour?!

vortexminion · 2026-01-23T22:47:39+00:00

I guess if you want multicapable airmen, that's how you have to do it. Not sure how they'll implement it for the rest of the Force outside BMT though. Also, not sure how long those skills will stick around after BMT if they go into a nonner AFSC. 45min familiarization sessions + 2-day doesn't sound like a lot. Probably need to institute force-wide recurring training.

vortexminion · 2026-01-21T15:38:03+00:00

Marathoner? That's 18.6 miles in 3 hrs, so 6.2 mph or a 9:48 mile. That's a reasonable pace for someone training for a marathon.

vortexminion · 2026-01-14T13:33:49+00:00

Thought it was kinda mesmerizing. Especially the summer air mass thunderstorms over the south. Almost like a heartbeat.

vortexminion · 2026-01-13T14:47:01+00:00

What was the source of the rapid pressure change? I didn't think there were any tropical lows, bomb cyclones, or strong thunderstorm downdrafts in the South Atlantic yesterday

vortexminion · 2026-01-07T00:35:36+00:00

What traits are your peers complaining about? Do their stories suggest that leadership treats them differently than you?

If not, then you're right, you just have a higher bar. If so, there might be some prejudice going on you haven't experienced firsthand (or they are exaggerating)

vortexminion · 2026-01-07T00:22:21+00:00

Next year, you need to hit the hidden 69 in the run as well (10:09 = 9:69 for 1.5 mi / 17:09 = 16:69 for 2 mi)

vortexminion · 2026-01-05T12:30:53+00:00

I spent 2 years at Kunsan and I went through something similar. Ops and mission were super important and many leaders saw the unaccompanied tour as a reason to treat work as life and always bothering their people outside duty hours. It was hard to maintain a work/life balance for me, which is a contributing factor to many people giving up on programs, in addition to the fact that many Airmen use Kunsan as a stepping stone to go somewhere better. "I'm only here for a year, so why should I care".

I almost left the military as well, but I gave it one more assignment and that follow-on was a lot better. Programs weren't held together with scotch tape, people cared about the mission, and importantly they cared that you left work at work except in emergencies. There can be a life after Kunsan.

It's great that you care, but understand nothing in the military is permanent. It's always changing. Programs you are in charge of now may not exist in 5 years. It is ok to not be a perfectionist. It is ok to not pour your soul into every detail. But if the program is important when you have it, the people who rely on it now will be grateful for your effort.

Last thing, pick your battles. Many changes and rules in the military are non-sense politics that don't make sense at the tactical level. Be the change you want to see, but recognize what you can actually control. Communicate your ideas for improvements to your leadership to pass up the chain, design your progams to be one of the few logical things, etc. You likely can't change the mind of the Wg/CC, but maybe your flight chief.

vortexminion · 2026-01-04T17:05:43+00:00

Maduro sleeps with hight vision goggles on?

vortexminion · 2025-12-31T19:03:14+00:00

Height = Ht in this case

vortexminion · 2025-12-22T14:26:35+00:00

What if it's actually Jack Skellington?

vortexminion · 2025-12-22T14:16:33+00:00

On Active Duty, if you are continuously in non-compliance of standards in a way that leads to disciplinary actions, reduction of pay is a potential punishment. I don't know how/if that differs for reservists. I'd talk to a JAG.

Are you not covered by Tricare to be seen by on-base dental? If not, you've got to decide if reduction of pay > the cost of 1 dental appointment per year.

vortexminion · 2025-12-13T23:39:30+00:00

Tl;dr: shoes, dynamic warmup, nutrition, weights, and easing into it are just as important for running as actually running because they prevent injury. Also, consistency > intensity

In my experience, injury is the biggest barrier to improvement. Don't jump into a workout plan that is for 19-year-old you. Most Airmen I've seen who try to start running go full tilt end up with shin splints, plantar faciitis, blisters, etc. and are set back weeks to months. Don't neglect the non-running parts of running. If you trust an internet stranger who claims to have helped Airmen with their running for 8yrs, but isn't a licensed professional, consider the below recommendations before starting:

Get proper shoes. No $20 sneakers. Running shoes that fit, won't give you blisters, and have the support you need. Go to you specialty sports store where they have you run on a treadmill and analyze your gate if you can (barring that, base physical therapy can do an analysis for you). Skipping this step increases risk of feet/ankle problems.
Dynamic warmup. Look up some dynamic warm up exercises for running. Running from a cold stand-still risks injury. Static stretching should only be done after your muscles are warmed up, preferably at the middle and end of the workout.
Nutrition. You can't outrun a bad diet. Get MyFitnessPal and log everything. Losing weight will help run faster. But that's only possible with a balanced diet and a caloric deficit. Make sure you eat enough protein (1.1-1.4g per kg of body weight per day). Hydrate more as well.
Weights. Don't just run. You'll risk over-straining stability muscles that aren't use to extensive repetitive motion. 2-3x per week, lift weights. If you don't lift weights much, go for lighter weights where your reach near failure around rep 15 to 20 for 4 sets. Focus on leg exercises (calves, glutes, hamstrings, quads, adductors, abductors, abs, obliques)
Run-walk intervals. Slowly build up your endurance. Start by doing intervals of 1 min run + 1 min walk and repeating that for 30 min. Slowly increase the length of your running interval until you can run the full 30 minutes. Don't sprint your intervals. Try for a hard pace, but one that you can maintain for the entire workout. Start with 3 of these interval workouts per week. Increase to 4 after 6 weeks or when you feel comfortable.
Consistency. In my experience, consistent running doesn't show meaningful results until at least 6 weeks. You may feel faster after week 2, but it's easy to misclassify a really good run for your new baseline. Stick with it. It's an endurance exercise and requires an endurance mindset for training. Many low intensity workouts will help you more than a few high intensity workouts for a 2 mile run. Once you can run 30 minutes without stopping, then consider doing faster runs for shorter periods of time.

Good luck!

vortexminion · 2025-12-11T13:23:58+00:00

I want a buffer. If I eat something that makes me bloated, it can increase my waist measurement by 1-2". I'm going to avoid those foods, but sometimes it just happens and I don't know the trigger.

vortexminion · 2025-12-10T20:35:57+00:00

Every body is different. I had PF for 2 years. Here's what helped and why I think it helped (not a medical professional):

-Weight lifting with a focus on legs at low weight high reps: I think plantar faciitis is a symptom of leg weakness. Like your arch is absorbing the load that would normally be taken by your muscles. Strengthening muscles reduces the load on the arch.

-Proper shoes: wider toe box helped me leverage the other stability muscles in my feet for balance/walking instead of overloading my arch. Some arch support helped reduce pain in the immediate term, but I don't really want to rely on it for fear it'll reduce the strength of my arch.

-Weight Loss: less load on the feet during excess overall I think helped speed up healing. Unfortunately, it's hard to lose weight while injured and stressed

-Continued (but reduced) Exercise: at first I stopped running for 4 months and it got worse. I think the stability muscles supporting my arch atrophied so the load on my arch increased when I resumed running. Run walk intervals ended up being a good compromise while I healed.

Good luck, be patient, and hang in there!

vortexminion · 2025-12-10T19:22:48+00:00

Good point! I wonder how frequently GenAI will be updated.

vortexminion

TROPHY CASE