Pentagon Creating Student Database

[Rinnhart]

Clicky.

Yay! Now, the recruiters can ask me how I'm doing in philosophy and why I dropped that english class!

According to the Federal Register notice, the data will be open to "those who require the records in the performance of their official duties." It said the data would be protected by passwords.

So... everyone, essentially.

The system also gives the Pentagon the right, without notifying citizens, to share the data for numerous uses outside the military, including with law enforcement, state tax authorities and Congress.

Thanks, Big Bro. How's that 'stache coming in?

[Doc]

Nazi Germany.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will be waiting in my bunker pondering my future.

[Rhydderch Hael]

I had recruiters from all five services ring me up at home during high school, but that was because I had taken the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery— and scored the highest mark in the entire school.

I wish I could have gotten into Armor. :angry: There'd be a little spray-stenciled 'W.W.P.D.?' on the hull of my ship.

[Occhidiangela]

Nazi Germany.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will be waiting in my bunker pondering my future.
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What Would Patton Do on the side of your tank? Sweet. :D

Occhi

[Rinnhart]

What Would Patton Do on the side of your tank?  Sweet.  :D

Occhi
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Extremely.

[Rhydderch Hael]

I have imagined 'W.W.P.D.' would have been my understated fallback plan, should the idea of painting (in camo undertone, of course) the Autobot emblem on the glacis plate of the tank been rejected by Company or the like.

Things would have turned out far differently if I had enlisted. I just don't know if for better or worse.


And tanks were called 'tanks' only after they'd been shipped over from England into France during WWI. The initial idea behind the vehicles were that they were 'land ships'— armoured gunboats that sailed over the mud instead of the water. Leave it to the nautically-minded Brits who invented them to see them that way. ;)

From then on out, I can no longer see tanks as 'vehicles', but land-bound boats instead. It's got a gun turret, a deck, a hull, and a commander.

[whyBish]

I have imagined 'W.W.P.D.' would have been my understated fallback plan, should the idea of painting (in camo undertone, of course) the Autobot emblem on the glacis plate of the tank been rejected by Company or the like.
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But aren't the Deceptikonz so much cooler?

[Rhydderch Hael]

But aren't the Deceptikonz so much cooler?
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While there was a Decepticon who could transform into a tank, the whole 'land vehicles' niche was the domain of the Autobots while the Decepticons took to the air.

Of course, there were execptions even before the purpose-built Autobot jets and Decepticon cars were introduced.

[jahcs]

While there was a Decepticon who could transform into a tank, the whole 'land vehicles' niche was the domain of the Autobots while the Decepticons took to the air.

Of course, there were execptions even before the purpose-built Autobot jets and Decepticon cars were introduced.
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Wasn't the Decepticon tank a triple changer that also became a plane? (Blitzkreig, if I recall.) And didn't the decepticon cars have the heat reactive stickers that started as the Autobot symbol and then became the Decepticon symbol?

To preserve my almost-geek persona I will state I only owned 2 transformers - a friend had nearly all of the rest.

And on the database - The Government sharing info with itself isn't a bad thing. Selling or giving it out on the other hand...
The Government is a bit too free with the information it gives to recruiters. Until a prospective recruit initiates contact with a recruiter there shouldn't be any action taken by the Armed Forces.
BTW: taking the ASVAB is a way to initiate contact. No curriculum should require taking the test. I also wish there was a check box on the test that would state you don't wish to be contacted by recruiters.

[Doc]

Wasn't the Decepticon tank a triple changer that also became a plane?  (Blitzkreig, if I recall.)  And didn't the decepticon cars have the heat reactive stickers that started as the Autobot symbol and then became the Decepticon symbol?

To preserve my almost-geek persona I will state I only owned 2 transformers - a friend had nearly all of the rest.

And on the database - The Government sharing info with itself isn't a bad thing.  Selling or giving it out on the other hand...
The Government is a bit to free with the information it gives to recruiters.  Until a prospective recruit initiates contact with a recruiter there shouldn't be any action taken by the Armed Forces.
BTW: taking the ASVAB is a way to initiate contact.  No curriculum should require taking the test.  I also with there was a check box on the test that would state you don't wish to be contacted by recruiters.
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I bought all of the first gen toys when they came out in the 80s. When they were still die cast. And then they started coming out plastic. And cheap.

All metal Optimus Prime kicks ass.

And Shockwave is cool too.

Still have them all in their boxes. Stopped snapping up the toys about the time that the gestalt bots came out... Like the stunticons and the terrorcons. By then, the whole line was cheap POS plastic.

:wub:

I loved those things.

Infact, I have Megatron in gun form sitting on a rosewood rack right now. (His package is stored) People are always asking me what sort of gun that is.

[jahcs]

This could turn into a first class thread hijack...

The 2 transformers I had were Trailbreaker (a 4WD pickup truck with a canopy) and Mirage (a Grand Prix racecar.)

The friend I spoke of? He had basically every transformer from the first Optimus Prime up to the Predacons.

[Doc]

I took time away from a very important business meeting to go see Transformers the Movie when it very first came out.

I also took about a dozen kids with me and gave them the time of their lives... Most of them didn't get to go to the movies much. We liked it so much, I paid for a second showing.

Took them all to Chuckie Cheese's later for dinner. I remember that day, 'twas a good day.

"It's over Prime..."

[jahcs]

And why wasn't "Eat Blazing Electric Death!" on the list for greatest movie quotes? :angry:

The soundtrack for the movie was suprisingly good too.

[Doc]

This is gonna sound really really cheesy and bad, but in their epic struggle against each other I saw my own epic struggles against my foe. You could see how much they hated one another... How different they were. Black and white. Ying and Yang. Polar opposites. Everything around them in that moment became meaningless... There was only each other. Optimus, for all of goodness, let his own hatred of his foe get the best of him. In the end, their universal hatred of each other destroyed them both. Optimus died for better reasons. He engaged in this battle to save others. Megatron engaged simply to destroy what Optimus represented. There could only be one outcome in such a battle. Martyrdom.

Oh wow man... I just got all philosophical about a cartoon movie... Damn. I thought I was old enough to stop doing that now.

[Rhydderch Hael]

My parents were content on only getting me the miniature Transformers, which meant a large amount of the no-name Autobots. Did manage the get Soundwave, building up his entourage with both birds (Buzzbeak, and Soundscream?) and minions (Rumble and whatever was the other fellow). Never managed to snag Ravage.

Also got Red Alert, the FD captain twin of Swideswipe (I think. Whoever was the Lambroughini). Perceptor, the Microscope. Four out of six Constructicons. The aforementioned Blitzkrieg (yes, the triple-changer who could transform into both a tank and a MiG-25).

The crown jewel of my collection was, oddly enough, not a 'real' Transformer: I had Jetfire, which was in reality just a Robotech jet with Autobot stickers slapped on it and in no way related to the canonical character of Skyfire. But he was metal.



There was a quip in one of the newer CGI Transformer TV series a few years back where the heroes of the tale, descendants of the Autobots, re-encounted Ark while it lay buried in prehistoric Earth with all the original Transformers in stasis. When they were trying to break into the Ark to prevent a disaster, their weapons couldn't even scar the hull. One of them exclaimed at the Ark, "This thing wasn't built, it was poured!"

"Die-cast construction." their leader wryly remarked. "It's a lost art."

[Doc]

Die cast Optimus Prime is about 15 pounds of metal. His body, and his trailer are solid strong metal. After the first year or so, they switched to a plastic body and a plastic trailer. Kids were getting injured. Die Cast Soundwave was about 6 pounds of metal, and he was a giant. With all metal parts including his weapons and fireable projectiles. From what I understand, the die cast projectiles were causing serious injury and they switched to cromed plastic. The die cast figures are also harder to transform. Joints are stiff. Tough. Tight. The die cast figures had no plastic on them at all, except for the windshields and a few minor pieces like headlight covers or such. If you threw one at your little brother as a kid, you would brain him.

Even Prime's little blue fists that you plug into his headlight holes when you transform him are metal. In the recast, they are plastic.

The toys got cheap really fast. But kept the same price. Those who got the die cast versions were really really lucky.

[whyBish]

While there was a Decepticon who could transform into a tank, the whole 'land vehicles' niche was the domain of the Autobots while the Decepticons took to the air.

Of course, there were execptions even before the purpose-built Autobot jets and Decepticon cars were introduced.
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And here I was, trying to hijack the thread on to the topic of NZ music :P
I think I need to go read "The Prince" ;)