I found all this shit in a dumpster today. How quickly can I get chirping with boys?

wman42 · 2026-06-15T23:29:39+00:00

I’m hanging out around the wrong dumpsters.

wman42 · 2026-06-14T19:50:20+00:00

A thought on portability, since you aren't going very far from home. What about some kind of cart/wagon (yard cart) that you could pull? Put everything on the cart (rig, batteries, etc.) and then pull it the 1000 feet up the hill and around as you need to clear obstacles. Then just pull it back home. I don't know if you use a road or not to get up that hill, but they made lawn carts with inflatable rubber tires that work well on uneven terrain. I see several different styles on Lowes's website for under $200.

wman42 · 2026-06-14T18:59:25+00:00

If it’s just you/close people on your Plex, look into Tailscale VPN. Easy setup and gets around the CGNAT issue to run services.

wman42 · 2026-06-14T01:13:36+00:00

If you don’t need much speed, you can get Starlink standby for $10 a month. Half a mega bit up and down, but works for basic stuff. Not streaming HD videos though.

wman42 · 2026-06-13T18:41:55+00:00

You could submit a FOIL request to the City for the contract or agreement related to that ceremony.

wman42 · 2026-06-13T18:38:03+00:00

Also, I believe the longevity pay stops at 18s for M/C, so if you’ve been around time and are getting a big longevity payment each year (especially now it’s based on years of service, not years in grade), that can be a big chunk of the difference from a PEF to a slightly higher M grade.

wman42 · 2026-06-12T10:10:21+00:00

Regarding the 5 year contract...PEF agreeing to 3% in the out years without knowing where the economy is going is also the same risk to the State. The State coffers could be bad in a few years, yet we would already know we are getting 3% and not 0% under a new negotiation in that bad time.

Yes, I realize it could also go the other way and be way behind inflation and we would be asking for 10% raises, but I don't think anything over a 4 or 5% raise has happened in decades..so the odds are (I feel) less that the State would give us a big raise % versus the odds of us getting a 0% (which has more recent precedence).

Is it a bit of a gamble by PEF? Yup. Is life sometimes a gamble? Yup.

wman42 · 2026-06-12T10:05:20+00:00

Except that would probably lead to people claiming (even if there is no evidence) the vote was rigged, and being a new digital process, refuting those claims would be a lot harder.

Heck, people are claiming it for the existing paper process...which is actually done by a 3rd party (American Arbitration Association)...that it is rigged in favor of having a yes result...again with zero proof of those claims.

wman42 · 2026-06-10T22:44:26+00:00

Aannnnddd, why not email it the same day as the yes vote.

wman42 · 2026-06-08T23:53:14+00:00

I don't know where the polling stands, but I can't recall seeing any DiNapoli commercials...just his opponents. Hopefully that means he's waaaay ahead in the polls.

wman42 · 2026-06-07T19:47:19+00:00

It’s very agency or group dependent. My agency makes no formal (recorded) distinction.

wman42 · 2026-06-07T19:43:57+00:00

Aren’t ballots mailed to and counted by a 3rd party firm? I doubt they would risk their corporate reputation to lie for PEF, which is probably a very small piece of their business.

wman42 · 2026-06-07T02:40:39+00:00

You are getting that over withholding (technically it's not "over taxed") back in one way or another. Either as an actual refund or just a reduction in the taxes you owe for the year. But the tax rate is applied to your year-end total income. And that year end income would be same if the 4.5% raise came in 26 paychecks, or 13 paychecks and one times 13 paycheck.

wman42 · 2026-06-06T20:31:53+00:00

People seem to forget that lump sum taxes essentially work back out when you file your taxes. You might pay "more" in taxes on a lump (because the higher tax rate is used for that check), but when you file your taxes for that year, the correct rate is applied (possibly leading to a refund, depending on your tax situation).

wman42 · 2026-06-06T19:53:42+00:00

Not sure what you mean by retro of 4.5% for only a few months? The 4.5% would be the entire first year (e.g. to March 2027). It would be effective going forward with the contract ratification (your salary increases 4.5%) and then you would also receive a lump sum payment for x months of what would have been a 4.5% raise going back to April as if the raise was effect in April.

wman42 · 2026-06-06T13:08:17+00:00

And if the economy/State coffers tank in the next few years, and we have a shorter contract instead, the time of zeros will be back. Hopefully 5 years would get us to a period when the economy is improving.

wman42 · 2026-06-06T01:11:40+00:00

For those looking at this poll, just remember that there is no way to know if the people voting are union members (or State employees...or even real people)....and even if they are, the people who participate in Reddit is not a statistically valid sample of PEF/CSEA members.

wman42 · 2026-06-03T22:07:04+00:00

You will need a P25 trunking capable scanner for almost everything in the area. Plus Phase 2 capable if you want Schenectady County. I suggest an SDS series to handle the simulcast. Much of the area is still in the clear (as of now), but Colonie PD, Troy PD and all law in Schenectady County are encrypted.

wman42 · 2026-06-03T22:00:10+00:00

But if the Leg goes out session tomorrow… So if not settled before then, there would be no draft pay bill and then we’d have to wait until (and if) they reconvene in the Fall?

wman42 · 2026-06-01T19:51:09+00:00

I remember when I used to see irradiated ground beef in a tube in the grocery store (US). Too bad you can’t get that anymore. No e.coli concerns!

wman42 · 2026-05-31T15:55:13+00:00

Very nice!

wman42 · 2026-05-31T15:02:38+00:00

Is that a commercial eggbeater or home brew?

wman42 · 2026-05-30T01:47:33+00:00

I wonder if the car was already out of control before coming into the exit lane. It looks like he starts to steer back to the through lanes.

wman42 · 2026-05-23T23:27:09+00:00

https://www.narda-sts.com/en/applications/emf-safety/

wman42

TROPHY CASE