Nothing in particular

RobertDyck · 2015-06-30 11:49:55

Before the Great Crash there use to be a topic with a title something like this. General chat, not space related. I keep looking for it, but may as well create a new one.

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. I'm...well...Can I divide my age in half? I know, Martian years! Orbital period of Mars is 686.971 Earth days, but a solar day or "sol" on Mars is 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.244 seconds. One Mars year is 668.5991 sols. Earth's orbital period is 365.256363004 days. (They measured it very accurately so GPS satellites can work). To convert my age into Martian years, divide by 1.88079. Ok, that sounds better. (No, I don't want to admit what it is.)

I'm the founder and president of the local chapter of the Mars Society. We hold monthly meetings. For years our June meeting has been a picnic. Gotta enjoy summer while it lasts. This year is the 10th annual picnic. And this year happens to fall on my birthday. So the local Martians are coming to my back yard.

RobertDyck · 2015-10-20 10:17:48

Canada had a federal election yesterday. Amazing results! I am a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, our party won! We won big! Last election was a big loss for us. In 2011, the Conservative Party of Canada went from minority to majority, but our party lost so badly that the third party, the NDP, won more seats in the House of Commons that we did. That made the NDP the Official Opposition for the first time. Since Canada was founded, the Liberal and Conservative parties have been government or opposition; both parties have gone through major changes, but it has always been one or the other. The NDP is a socialist party, they've been third or worse since they were created. But last election they did very well, relegating our party to third position. This election we won. We went from third party to government, the first time in Canadian history a party did that. But we didn't just form government, we won a majority.

I have mixed emotions about this. I tried for the Liberal nomination in my riding, and do have support from the riding association (electoral district association), but it was manipulated at the provincial level. However, I believe in fiscal responsibility. The Liberal party was government from the September 1993 to January 2006, the Finance Minister got us out of an incredible mess. He cut spending, eliminated the deficit, reduced debt, reduced taxes. I still believe in that. Before the election campaign started, the current Liberal leader made statements in support of both the left-wing and fiscally-responsible factions of the party. However, during the current election campaign, the Liberal leader said he would increase spending and run a deficit. Conservatives had dramatically increased spending; starting the first day they were elected. The last Liberal budget included spending projections for that year and 5 years in the future. Conservatives claim they cut spending for this year, but if you project spending from the last Liberal budget to this year, their spending is still far above what Liberal spending would be. But the current Liberal leader wants to increase spending further?

If the Liberal party had won with a minority, there might have been a chance they would have listened to me. I would argue for return to fiscally responsible policies from the last time they were in power. But with this majority, they will implement their election platform. That means spend-and-deficit.

I've seen politicians twist things around to make a loss sound like a win. I guess I have to find a way to do this. My party won. The Liberal candidate who won in my riding/electoral district did not. She actually did well, received more votes that Liberal candidates in a long time. In 1993 the Liberal candidate got more votes; that was the last time the Liberal party unseated a Conservative government to win a majority. My riding is the only one in the city of Winnipeg that did not elect a Liberal candidate. The Conservative incumbent was unseated, the son of the previous NDP Member of Parliament won, unseating him by a slim margin: 34.26% vs 34.14%. He won by 51 votes. The Liberal candidate got 29.22% and the Green candidate 2.37%. So how do I turn this to my advantage?

RobertDyck · 2016-09-14 16:37:43

I applied for a job with SpaceX. Probably won't get it. I'm Canadian, would require sponsorship from an American employer. And others have pointed out SpaceX doesn't hire people over the age of 40; I'm 54. But I had to try.

It's a computer job, something I've done since 1981. They want someone with "full stack" experience. I've worked with computer not only before the internet, but before TCP/IP was invented. I have worked on integrated manufacturing systems for New Flyer who manufactures city buses, Phason who manufactures equipment to automate hog farms, and Micropilot who manufactures autopilots for miniature UAVs. I also worked on computer systems for the Superstore, and Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. The last one has a factory to process fish, packaging them for grocery stores. I worked in the United States twice: 6 months in 1996 in a suburb of Richmond Virginia for Allied Signal Fibres, and 9½ months in Miami Florida for Miami-Dade County. The last job required security clearance from the FBI because I was solely responsible for the computer system for a county tax. I submitted bids to NASA a couple times. When I bid for the Shuttle Unit Revalidation Equipment (SURE), I got ITAR clearance and Canadian government certification to work on ballistic missiles. The Shuttle was considered a ballistic missile.

So I am qualified. However, I'm not an American, would require an employer to sponsor me to get a work visa or green card, and I'm over 40. But I had to try. It would be a dream job. When I was a pre-schooler in the 1960s, I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I ended up becoming a computer programmer, took computer science in university. So this would be a dream job. Had to try. It would be like winning the lottery.

Tom Kalbfus · 2016-09-15 00:56:25

RobertDyck wrote:

Canada had a federal election yesterday. Amazing results! I am a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, our party won! We won big! Last election was a big loss for us. In 2011, the Conservative Party of Canada went from minority to majority, but our party lost so badly that the third party, the NDP, won more seats in the House of Commons that we did. That made the NDP the Official Opposition for the first time. Since Canada was founded, the Liberal and Conservative parties have been government or opposition; both parties have gone through major changes, but it has always been one or the other. The NDP is a socialist party, they've been third or worse since they were created. But last election they did very well, relegating our party to third position. This election we won. We went from third party to government, the first time in Canadian history a party did that. But we didn't just form government, we won a majority.
I have mixed emotions about this. I tried for the Liberal nomination in my riding, and do have support from the riding association (electoral district association), but it was manipulated at the provincial level. However, I believe in fiscal responsibility. The Liberal party was government from the September 1993 to January 2006, the Finance Minister got us out of an incredible mess. He cut spending, eliminated the deficit, reduced debt, reduced taxes. I still believe in that. Before the election campaign started, the current Liberal leader made statements in support of both the left-wing and fiscally-responsible factions of the party. However, during the current election campaign, the Liberal leader said he would increase spending and run a deficit. Conservatives had dramatically increased spending; starting the first day they were elected. The last Liberal budget included spending projections for that year and 5 years in the future. Conservatives claim they cut spending for this year, but if you project spending from the last Liberal budget to this year, their spending is still far above what Liberal spending would be. But the current Liberal leader wants to increase spending further?
If the Liberal party had won with a minority, there might have been a chance they would have listened to me. I would argue for return to fiscally responsible policies from the last time they were in power. But with this majority, they will implement their election platform. That means spend-and-deficit.
I've seen politicians twist things around to make a loss sound like a win. I guess I have to find a way to do this. My party won. The Liberal candidate who won in my riding/electoral district did not. She actually did well, received more votes that Liberal candidates in a long time. In 1993 the Liberal candidate got more votes; that was the last time the Liberal party unseated a Conservative government to win a majority. My riding is the only one in the city of Winnipeg that did not elect a Liberal candidate. The Conservative incumbent was unseated, the son of the previous NDP Member of Parliament won, unseating him by a slim margin: 34.26% vs 34.14%. He won by 51 votes. The Liberal candidate got 29.22% and the Green candidate 2.37%. So how do I turn this to my advantage?

Liberal Press! Its not the Liberal Party that won, it was the Liberal Press. The Liberal Press controls the party agenda, it determines who gets elected, the Liberal Press is the same in Canada or the United States, and logic dictates that since the liberals like big government, they would coordinate the party agendas of both the United States Democratic Party, and Canada's Liberal Party, they will see to it that Liberal and Democratic Politicians that advocate for Unification of Canada, the United States, and of course the Mexicans, so they can get all those third world votes to cement their rule, and then they'll come up with a new flag for the North American Government, a new Constitution which cements their rule as the only party. The Media runs things, it has done most of the legwork for getting Hillary as far as she has got in the Presidential Election, and once she is President, they will control her, because if she doesn't do as they say, they will see to it that she is impeached, they got a lot of dirt on her that they've been holding back, she is their puppet, and if the Canadians aren't careful, she may end up being your President too! The Liberal Press doesn't want its puppet strings getting tangled, so they want only one puppet, and having only one country in North America makes things a lot simpler for them to control everything!

RobertDyck · 2016-09-15 01:45:38

This isn't supposed to be yet another political discussion. I wanted to celebrate that I actually submitted a job application with SpaceX. However, I will respond on the political thread.

GW Johnson · 2016-09-15 17:04:51

I hope you get the job, Bob. Let me know if there's anything I might do.

GW

RobertDyck · 2016-09-20 11:19:03

SpaceX does have jobs in engineering. Gary, you mentioned the need for experienced engineers. If you are interested, you could apply. Their website says the don't discriminate by age. You could try and see what happens.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Open Positions

I could pick jobs you might be interested in, but I'm not sure what would suit you. They have 3 openings for propulsion engineers, but they're all in Hawthorne, CA. I looked that up on Google Maps, it's outside Los Angeles, near LAX airport. A few are in McGregor, TX. Here's one:
Test Operations Engineer, Texas

RobertDyck · 2016-09-29 13:27:23

Well, they didn't hire me. Got an email from SpaceX today stating they will not hire me because of ITAR restrictions. I explained I received ITAR clearance when I bid on a NASA contract, and I lived in Canada at the time. They said I could re-apply after becoming a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident. But it doesn't work that way. *FIRST* you require sponsorship from a U.S. employer, *THEN* you can apply for Permanent Residency. They have it backwards.

Antius · 2016-09-29 13:48:44

RobertDyck wrote:

Well, they didn't hire me. Got an email from SpaceX today stating they will not hire me because of ITAR restrictions. I explained I received ITAR clearance when I bid on a NASA contract, and I lived in Canada at the time. They said I could re-apply after becoming a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident. But it doesn't work that way. *FIRST* you require sponsorship from a U.S. employer, *THEN* you can apply for Permanent Residency. They have it backwards.

ITAR restrictions. A good reason to avoid doing business with the US. They make it so difficult that it isn't worth bothering.

IanM · 2016-09-29 15:43:27

RobertDyck wrote:

Well, they didn't hire me. Got an email from SpaceX today stating they will not hire me because of ITAR restrictions. I explained I received ITAR clearance when I bid on a NASA contract, and I lived in Canada at the time. They said I could re-apply after becoming a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident. But it doesn't work that way. *FIRST* you require sponsorship from a U.S. employer, *THEN* you can apply for Permanent Residency. They have it backwards.

I'm sorry to hear that.

GW Johnson · 2016-09-30 11:04:29

Bob:

ITAR is the excuse to rig things to the outcome they want. They hire no one over age 40-45, because older folks won't or can't work the 60-80-hour weeks they chronically require.

That doesn't denigrate how wrong I think ITAR is. And has been for nearly 30 years now.

GW

RobertDyck · 2016-09-30 16:27:23

Ironically, I'm willing to work the long hours you describe. I've always wanted to work in the space industry, since I was a pre-schooler. This would be my dream job. I'm single, no wife or family. And I'm the one constantly in disagreement with the retired senior citizens I volunteer with. They want to punch a clock, or worse leave before our posted closing time. I keep trying to stay until the work is done. A couple of these senior citizens keep trying to treat me as if I'm doing something wrong. I've explained that in private industry, you are at your desk ready to start your job at the time your day is scheduled to start, and you continue until the doors are closed. Don't even thing of packing up to go home until the doors are closed. Doing so is an offence you can get fired for, and I've seen people get fired for it. I've seen government civil servants start packing up to go home at 3:00pm when official working ours go to 4:00pm. Normally private industry working hours go to 5:00pm, and you don't start packing up until after that. Stopping work at 3:00pm is half way through the afternoon. Only irresponsible teenagers do that. Government civil servants who do that are considered by private industry the same as irresponsible teenagers. But where I volunteer, I'm the only one still of working age. I treat it as my pseudo-job. I have a home business, this volunteer position is fixed hours at a shop location with co-workers. I do it to prove to employers that I can still get a regular job. And I have a supervisor who can give a reference. All other volunteers are retired, so they don't want to work hard.

My point is working long hours is not an issue. If they're worried about pay, the city I come from is cheap. Whatever they pay would be a raise vs any job I could get here.

At Q&A session at the end of Elon Musk's talk last Tuesday, one woman asked why he doesn't hire non-Americans. He gave the ITAR answer. I got the rejection email Thursday morning. So HR made a decision based on Elon's answer. Even though it doesn't apply in my case. As I described above, I have already gained ITAR clearance. Done it once, can do it again. Not sure what the real reason is. Possibly because they're afraid of having to do work re ITAR.

Mark Friedenbach · 2016-10-01 14:24:29

Robert, the most likely explanation is that they don't want to sponsor ITAR exemptions. Even if your role isn't ITAR or whatever, they still need to track in their HR system who can work on what and be careful about internal structures and information access and firewalls in a way that they simply don't want to be. They are a fast-moving startup, something I have experience with. The paperwork required to get you an exemption takes time & people resources that they don't have or don't want to spend. Not while there are qualified people that don't need that exemption, in any case.

Do you have a viable pathway to permanent residency? I would take what their recruiter says regarding that at face value -- if they say they'll reconsider with permanent residency, then I think they would.

RobertDyck · 2016-10-01 17:01:58

Mark Friedenbach wrote:

Do you have a viable pathway to permanent residency? I would take what their recruiter says regarding that at face value -- if they say they'll reconsider with permanent residency, then I think they would.

Yes, they did say they would reconsider with permanent residency. No, I don't have a viable way to do that. The only way I can work in the US is if an employer sponsors me. First, before crossing the border. The last two times I worked in the US, my employer provided paperwork necessary for me to apply for a TN work visa. That's "Temporary NAFTA". The Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) deliberately ensured my work visa expired the same day as the contract. So I was required to return to Canada when work was complete. To become a permanent resident, I require an employer sponsor me for exactly that. Then I would work for that employer, not SpaceX. And INS would not allow anyone to renew or apply for a work visa within the US.

In 1996, my employer considered renewing my work visa. I checked out the processes; I would have had to return to Canada, then apply for a new work visa at a point of entry to the US. That way if they don't like something, they just deny me entry to the US. However, my employer in 1996 said they would renew me, but never did. The work visa expired, so I had to return to Canada. I told them the process, but they did nothing. I cancelled my apartment, returned rented furniture, packed up and returned to Canada. Looked for employment back in Canada. After I returned, then they called me to say they would renew my contract. Too late. Frustrating.

Mark Friedenbach · 2016-10-01 19:06:22

Yeah I have some Canadian coworkers who have the TN visa and are trying for an actual green card. The situation is a little different though as they potentially qualify for the O1 visa, as they are truly the top of their field.

I was actually wondering if you maybe had any family members with USA citizenship or green cards? You could then get in under family immigration rules. If not that then trying for the H1-B is probably your best bet, although you'd have to find someone other than SpaceX to sponsor you, as I'd imagine they're not interested in that process either.

There's also the possibility of going back to school in the US, to get a masters in a relevant field, for example, and then working for up to 3 years on an OPT visa (12 months OTP and then a 24-month extension for STEM fields). This is NOT tied to an employer, but it is not immigration track either, although you can apply for the H1-B or other visa programs while here on OPT. I wounder if SpaceX / ITAR rules would let you work on a OPT visa? In that case you do a masters, maybe accelerated, maybe with a SpaceX internship. Then you work 12 months plus a separate 24-month STEM-field extension. Sometime before your time runs out you say "Hey boss, do you like my work? Would you like me to keep working? How about sponsoring a visa?" In that situation I'm sure that they would.

Lots of ifs there though. Much easier would be if you had a spouse / parent / child / sibling with US permanent residency (citizenship or green card).

It's all a lot of work. But if the master plan is get to Mars, I suppose it is worth the effort.

RobertDyck · 2016-10-01 22:34:40

I do have cousins in California. But that doesn't count. And frankly, I would want some assurance of a job before selling my house in Canada.

Antius · 2016-10-03 15:10:23

Maybe Blue Origin will be a bit more flexible?

GW Johnson · 2016-10-03 15:13:43

If not Blue Origin, try XCOR.

GW

clark · 2016-10-13 17:05:21

Toured spacex a while back and spoke with one of the program managers that oversaw falcon 9 launches. Interesting outfit and behind the scenes process management. Place burns through talent because of the tempo and demands from Musk. If you pursue it, know that it should be for the passion and not for the work life balance.

RobertDyck · 2016-10-13 22:54:44

I have no wife, no children. My idea of fun is designing spacecraft, or how to live on Mars. My idea of a fun vacation is a Mars Society convention. I drove up to KSC one long weekend when I lived in Miami. Flew down to JSC a couple times, but both included visiting a woman. I give a Mars talk at the local science fiction convention every year, the May long weekend. I could definitely skip a convention if I were working on a real spacecraft.

clark · 2016-10-13 23:07:05

The physical space of the plant is fairly interesting; they build right there (I saw Dragon capsules in various stages of build). Fun fact, the first Dragon is hanging above the stairs that lead to their cafeteria. Musk wanted to donate to the Smithsonian but they wanted SpaceX to give them money to take it. So now it hangs from the rafters of a warehouse in Hawthorne.

Good luck with your quest for building space ships. I'll keep dreaming in silver.

RobertDyck · 2016-12-01 18:14:17

Air Miles cancels expiry policy — your miles are safe

Air Miles' owner, Toronto-based LoyaltyOne, said that in a statement that it nixed the expiry rule due to "feedback from collectors" and an "uncertain legislative environment across Canada."
The Ontario government is set to vote on Monday on a private member's bill that would make it illegal for rewards programs like Air Miles to impose an expiry date on points.
"We have decided to cancel the expiry policy so that all collectors, regardless of location, can be confident that their balances will be protected," Bryan Pearson, president and CEO of LoyaltyOne, said in a statement.
CBC News has run numerous articles about Air Miles customers complaining about the expiry rule and the difficulty trying to redeem their miles for adequate rewards.

Woo hoo! I've been trying to save up enough points for a round-trip airline ticked to a Mars Society convention. I had 2/3 the points necessary if the convention is during off-peak season. I haven't been in years. When Robert Zubrin was asked to speak to a class at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, the local chapter of the Mars Society invited members from Manitoba to come down. I and one other member did. Robert Zubrin bugged me that I hadn't shown at a convention in years, and that was 2010.

RobertDyck · 2016-12-25 09:50:47

Merry Christmas! It's Christmas day. I celebrated with my sister Friday. I worked Saturday, when my family got together. My sister will get together with her husband's family today, as will my brother with his wife's family. I work tomorrow. In Canada, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. The day to put everything back in its box. It's a shopping day, stores have deep sales to try to get rid of their Christmas stuff. Boxing Day is as big a shopping day as Black Friday is in the US. American stores have tried to re-create Black Friday in Canada, but it still isn't as big as Boxing Day. However, I won't be shopping. I'll be working Boxing Day. But since Boxing Day is a holiday here, I get paid overtime for the whole day. Yea!

Most importantly, I got full-time work. Yea! It's only a call centre, and only minimum wage for this Province. That's CAD$11/hour, after exchange of the dollar that works out to US$8.12/hour. American federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour, so this isn't much above American federal minimum wage. Because I was on welfare most of the year, had a 25-hour/week job in June/July, I filled out the tax forms to say my total income for the year from all sources will be less than the basic personal exemption, also known as the basic personal amount. That means no federal or provincial income tax deducted from my paycheque. There is Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan premiums deducted, which together is Canadian equivalent to Social Security. And my employer said I have to fill out a "standard" tax form for the new year, so starting New Year's Day I will get standard tax deducted. But for now I get per week what welfare paid per month. Welfare screwed me over after last summer's work, they thought I could live until after Christmas on what I got from 2 months of a part-time job. I appealed and won, got welfare starting November. My summer job deferred their pay so I got paid the first half of August, but that means nothing for the last half or August or all of September or October. Still, I paid my mortgage when I had a good job in 1999 and year 2000. I used my summer job to pay my property tax for the whole year. Had enough left over to pay my house insurance for the whole year. My current job is temporary, November 21 through January 20, but "possibility of extension" after. That usually means no extension, but there is a chance. But I have already paid my bills up to date, paid my winter quarterly water bill, and my burglar alarm monitoring bill for the whole year. There are house repairs I haven't done, but can can afford simple repairs now.

I got a food package from the "Christmas Cheer Board" because technically I'm still on welfare. Once I report 2 months with no assistance, then they'll close the case. I got dental work done last fall. The dentist put a temporary filling in one tooth, then the clerk said the maximum that welfare will pay for the year has been reached. The temporary filling will have to be replaced with a permanent one in January. New year, new budget. Welfare will pay dental work for a few months after leaving welfare. My vehicle still isn't running, but I have a bus pass now. A haven't been able to make it to the food bank for groceries since I got full-time work, but one friend has a neighbour who volunteers at a food bank. The neighbour provides a gluten free grocery package became my friend has celiac disease. However, she's vegan, and doesn't like to accept charity. Her home business earns about as much as welfare, but she's proud. She gives away her grocery package. I get most of it. Last night she left a package with a box of Mandarin oranges, box of scallop potatoes, box of stove-top stuffing, margarine, and what looks like home-made macaroons. I don't understand why she didn't keep the margarine at least; oh well.

I still volunteer every Friday. Asked for Friday off work so I can continue to volunteer. They scheduled me for Saturday instead. The volunteer place had their Christmas party December 16. I got a box of chocolate Turtles.

So tonight is roast chicken, with scalloped potatoes, and home made stuffing. May throw some raw potatoes into the roasting pan with the chicken. And I plan to bake mincemeat tarts.

I made home-made mincemeat for my vegan friend. She gave me a couple boxes of gluten-free flour; the only thing I can think to do with it is bake for her. So I bought ingredients for home-made mincemeat to ensure it's vegan. Did you know it's made with booze? Got a 200ml bottle of Appleton Estates rum, and a "mickey" bottle (375ml) of St. Rémy French brandy. Used 180ml of rum and half the brandy to make a double batch of mincemeat. Drank the rest. Vegan mincemeat uses margarine instead of beef suet. Turned out really well. Intend to deliver the vegan tarts to her later today. But will make tarts for myself with pastry made with normal wheat flour.

It's good to have work again. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas! Or happy Noël. Or happy non-denominational winter solstice. We're half way through the dark.

Last edited by RobertDyck (2016-12-25 16:03:57)

RobertDyck · 2016-12-25 11:02:32

SpaceNut · 2016-12-25 13:09:04

Hooray for your success for full time employment and Merry Christmas

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#1 2015-06-30 11:49:55

Nothing in particular

#2 2015-10-20 10:17:48

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#3 2016-09-14 16:37:43

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#4 2016-09-15 00:56:25

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