Military Pay Scale: 2010

Just an FYI about how well we pay the people for risking their lives for us. The average trooper in the Mideast gets about $2K/month.

I note that as an E-5 in 1969, I made roughly $400/month, plus $100/month combat pay.

Military pay scales from 1949 to 2009 can be downloaded here, for historical interest.

2010 3.4 % Military Commissioned Officer Pay Chart
	<>	Over 2	Over 3	Over 4	Over 6	Over 8	Over 10	Over 12	Over 14
O10
O-9
O-8	$9,399.00	$9,706.80	$9,911.10	$9,968.40	$10,223.40	$10,649.10	$10,748.40	$11,152.80	$11,268.60
O-7	$7,809.90	$8,172.90	$8,340.60	$8,474.10	$8,715.60	$8,954.40	$9,230.40	$9,505.50	$9,781.80
O-6	$5,788.50	$6,359.40	$6,776.70	$6,776.70	$6,802.50	$7,094.10	$7,132.50	$7,132.50	$7,537.80
O-5	$4,825.50	$5,436.00	$5,812.50	$5,883.30	$6,117.90	$6,258.60	$6,567.60	$6,794.10	$7,086.90
O-4	$4,163.70	$4,819.80	$5,141.40	$5,213.10	$5,511.60	$5,831.70	$6,230.10	$6,540.60	$6,756.60
O-3	$3,660.60	$4,149.90	$4,479.30	$4,883.40	$5,117.10	$5,373.90	$5,540.10	$5,813.40	$5,955.60
O-2	$3,162.90	$3,602.40	$4,149.00	$4,289.10	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30
O-1	$2,745.60	$2,857.50	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20
	Over 16	Over 18	Over 20	Over 22	Over 24	Over 26	Over 30	Over 34	Over 38
O10			$15,188.10	$15,262.20	$15,579.60	$16,132.50	$16,939.20	$17,785.80	$18,675.30
O-9			$13,283.70	$13,475.10	$13,751.40	$14,233.80	$14,946.00	$15,693.30	$16,477.80
O-8	$11,617.20	$12,121.20	$12,586.20	$12,896.70	$12,896.70	$12,896.70	$13,219.20	$13,549.80	$13,549.80
O-7	$10,649.10	$11,381.40	$11,381.40	$11,381.40	$11,381.40	$11,439.30	$11,668.20	$11,668.20	$11,668.20
O-6	$8,254.80	$8,675.40	$9,095.70	$9,334.80	$9,577.20	$10,047.00	$10,247.70	$10,247.70	$10,247.70
O-5	$7,535.10	$7,748.10	$7,959.00	$8,198.40	$8,198.40	$8,198.40	$8,198.40	$8,198.40	$8,198.40
O-4	$6,880.20	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90	$6,951.90
O-3	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60	$5,955.60
O-2	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30	$4,377.30
O-1	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20	$3,454.20

2010 Military Officers (with prior enlisted experience)
	<>	Over 2	Over 3	Over 4	Over 6	Over 8	Over 10	Over 12	Over 14
03E				$4,883.40	$5,117.10	$5,373.90	$5,540.10	$5,813.40	$6,043.50
O2E				$4,289.10	$4,377.30	$4,516.80	$4,752.00	$4,933.80	$5,069.10
O1E				$3,454.20	$3,688.80	$3,825.00	$3,964.80	$4,101.60	$4,289.10
	Over 16	Over 18	Over 20	Over 22	Over 24	Over 26	Over 30	Over 34	Over 38
03E	$6,175.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80	$6,355.80
O2E	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10	$5,069.10
O1E	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10	$4,289.10

2010 3.4% Warrant Officer Pay Chart
	<>	Over 2	Over 3	Over 4	Over 6	Over 8	Over 10	Over 12	Over 14
W-5
W-4	$3,783.00	$4,069.50	$4,186.50	$4,301.10	$4,499.10	$4,695.00	$4,893.00	$5,191.80	$5,453.40
W-3	$3,454.50	$3,598.50	$3,746.10	$3,794.70	$3,949.50	$4,254.00	$4,571.10	$4,720.20	$4,892.70
W-2	$3,057.00	$3,346.20	$3,435.30	$3,496.50	$3,694.80	$4,002.90	$4,155.30	$4,305.90	$4,489.50
W-1	$2,683.50	$2,971.80	$3,049.80	$3,213.90	$3,408.30	$3,694.20	$3,827.70	$4,014.30	$4,197.90
	Over 16	Over 18	Over 20	Over 22	Over 24	Over 26	Over 30	Over 34	Over 38
W-5			$6,726.60	$7,068.00	$7,322.10	$7,603.50	$7,983.90	$8,383.20	$8,802.60
W-4	$5,702.10	$5,905.50	$6,104.10	$6,396.00	$6,635.40	$6,909.00	$7,047.00	$7,047.00	$7,047.00
W-3	$5,070.90	$5,390.40	$5,606.70	$5,736.00	$5,873.40	$6,060.00	$6,060.00	$6,060.00	$6,060.00
W-2	$4,633.20	$4,763.40	$4,918.80	$5,021.40	$5,102.70	$5,102.70	$5,102.70	$5,102.70	$5,102.70
W-1	$4,342.20	$4,475.40	$4,636.80	$4,636.80	$4,636.80	$4,636.80	$4,636.80	$4,636.80	$4,636.80

2010 Enlisted Pay Chart
	<>	Over 2	Over 3	Over 4	Over 6	Over 8	Over 10	Over 12	Over 14
E-9							$4,570.80	$4,674.30	$4,804.80
E-8						$3,741.60	$3,907.20	$4,009.50	$4,132.50
E-7	$2,601.00	$2,838.90	$2,947.50	$3,091.80	$3,204.00	$3,396.90	$3,505.50	$3,699.00	$3,859.50
E-6	$2,249.70	$2,475.30	$2,584.50	$2,690.70	$2,801.40	$3,051.00	$3,148.20	$3,336.00	$3,393.60
E-5	$2,061.30	$2,199.30	$2,305.50	$2,414.40	$2,583.90	$2,761.80	$2,906.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70
E-4	$1,889.70	$1,986.30	$2,094.00	$2,199.90	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80
E-3	$1,705.80	$1,813.20	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00
E-2	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10
E-1	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20	$1,447.20
*E-1 With less than 4 Months = $1,338.60
	Over 16	Over 18	Over 20	Over 22	Over 24	Over 26	Over 30	Over 34	Over 38
E-9	$4,958.40	$5,112.90	$5,361.60	$5,571.30	$5,792.40	$6,129.90	$6,436.20	$6,758.40	$7,096.50
E-8	$4,265.40	$4,505.40	$4,626.90	$4,833.90	$4,948.50	$5,231.40	$5,336.40	$5,336.40	$5,336.40
E-7	$3,969.00	$4,085.70	$4,131.30	$4,282.80	$4,364.40	$4,674.60	$4,674.60	$4,674.60	$4,674.60
E-6	$3,435.60	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50	$3,484.50
E-5	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70	$2,924.70
E-4	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80	$2,293.80
E-3	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00	$1,923.00
E-2	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10	$1,622.10
E-1	$1,447.20	$1,447.20

Coming Soon, from Barnes and Noble

B&N publishes a week-by-week list, covering the next five weeks of upcoming books

Week of February 8

A Dark Matter

by Peter Straub (Hardcover)

• $26.95 List Price
• $20.21 Online Price
• (save 25%)
• $18.18 Member Price
• (save 32%)

Also available this week:

• Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death by Jim Frederick
• Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
• The Bread of Angels: A Memoir of Love and Faith in Damascus by Stephanie Saldana
• Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
• Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan
• The Midnight House by Alex Berenson
• The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
• Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain Its Economic Superpower Status by Arthur B. Laffer
• The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today by Ted Conover
• To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West by Mark Lee Gardner
• The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
• Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S Hirsch

(Me) (Home)

Shortwave Log

Shortwave Log is a two-part software program. One part actually controls the radio ( if the radio allows computer control) and the other is a database of radio stations.

It is big, it is complicated, it is wonderful, it is free. I love it.

A very cool feature of Shortwave Log is its "What's Playing Now" form. In this form, all the current transmissions are plotted on a world map. Transmissions beamed to your location are highlighted in yellow and all other transmissions are marked in blue. Tuning to one of these transmissions is as simple as right-clicking on the location and selecting the desired frequency. The broadcasts can also be filtered by language, so that you can view only those broadcasts in English, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and so forth.

It lists all the stations that are on the air at any given time, drawing from twenty different databases. If you have one of the radios with a RS232 interface all you have to do is click the station to tune it. If you don't, you can manually tune the radio to the frequency.

If you hear a station, you can input the frequency to the program and it will list the possible choices you might be listening to. It can build a log of stations you have heard.

There is a bonus feature. The program allows you to connect to and tune other SW radios around the world over the net.

I don't have enough words to describe it. Visit the site, look at the features, then download it if it seems like something you can use.

Caveat: The databases do not come with the program, but there are links within it for downloading and installing them as needed.

(Me) (Home)

Illusions

Akiyoshi's illusion pages

Akiyoshi KITAOKA,

Professor, Department of Psychology, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
studying visual perception, visual illusion, optical illusion, trompe l'oeil AIC2009

Warning: Some of the pictures on this website can cause dizziness or might possibly epileptic seizures. The latter happens when the brain can't handle the conflicting information from your two eyes. If you start feeling unwell when using this website, immediately cover one eye with your hand and then leave the page. Do not close your eyes because that can make the attack worse.

Have fun!

(Me) (Home)

BRL-CAD

U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL) computer-aided design (CAD), BRL-CAD was designed for the computer simulation and engineering analysis of combat vehicle systems and environments and is capable of interactively displaying, editing, and interrogating geometric models.

Interestingly, this is free (Open Source) software that you can download and use, and the BRL-CAD source code repository is believed to be the oldest public version-controlled codebase in the world that's still under active development, dating back to 1983.

It is a powerful cross-platform Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) solid modeling system that includes interactive 3D solid geometry editing, high-performance ray-tracing support for rendering and geometric analysis, network-distributed framebuffer support, image and signal-processing tools, path-tracing and photon mapping support for realistic image synthesis, a system performance analysis benchmark suite, an embedded scripting interface, and libraries for robust high-performance geometric representation and analysis.

If you are interested in how it stacks up to other CAD programs, look at this Comparison of CAD Editors for Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Here is the documentation if you want a little more information.

Screenshot

Translucent Bradley Fighting Vehicle
Drawn with BRL-CAD.

(Me) (Home)

Pete's Pond, Botswana, Africa, Streaming Video

WildCam Africa at Pete's Pond in the Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana brings you live streaming video of animals in the wild.

----------

Pete Le Roux used the remnants of an old irrigation system from the area's failed attempts to grow cotton and carved Pete's Pond into the landscape as an alternative watering source—and as his answer to the rampant poaching and senseless killing of Africa's wildlife. The idea worked.

"We have effectively taken an area that was unsuccessful agricultural land and turned it into a viable wildlife preserve," says Le Roux as he gazes out on the pond. "That is the most rewarding thing we've done here, to see the game come back."

There's now a video camera permanently recording the activity along the water's edge and streaming it live to the internet - elephants wallowing and drinking, wildebeest and antelope stretching to sip nervously, guinea fowl scurrying on the banks. This is funded by National Geographic.

The camera is usually operated by volunteers, who will zoom in on the action so you're almost guaranteed of seeing animals and birds "live", particularly in the mornings and late afternoons (see comparative times below).

Botswana	London	Sydney	Tokyo	New York	Los Angeles
10am	9am	6pm	5pm	4am	1am
4pm	3pm	midnight	11pm	10am	7am

----------

The camera is down at the moment and previously recorded videos are being played. Funding for this project runs out on the 28th of this month (February.) Please check the Facebook page for updates. Lots of information on the pond and animals here.

----------

This site requires the Realplayer or Realalt plugin.

(Me) (Home)

World's Record Swiss Army Knives

The world's oldest Swiss Army type knife has been found - made 1,800 years before its modern counterpart. An intricately designed Roman implement, which dates back to 200AD, it is made from silver but has an iron blade. It features a spoon, fork as well as a retractable spike, spatula and small tooth-pick. Experts believe the spike may have been used by the Romans to extract meat from snails.

The Wenger knife above is now listed as the Guinness world's record knife, with 87 tools with over 112 functions. It is available for a mere $999.95 from the Swiss Knife Shop.

In 1992, this was the Guinness record holder with 314 blades.

I guess the difference is that the top knife is a (limited) production item, while the bigger Victorinox knife with the mother of pearl scales was a one-of-a-kind knife hand built by Master Cutler Hans Meister in 1991. He and his employees worked 750 hours to complete this knife with 314 blades and other instruments - for example, a potato peeler. The knife, shown recently in St. Gallen, Switzerland, weighs almost 11 pounds

(Me) (Home)

SMath: Freeware Mathcad Clone

Mathcad lets you do math like you were sitting at a desk with pencil and paper, but it costs $500. SMath lets you do the same thing and is free, and now it has an integrated math reference book.

Among SMath's capabilities are:

• Solving differential equations
• Graphing functions in two or three dimensions
• Symbolic calculations including solving systems of equations
• matrix operations including determinants
• Finding roots of polynomials and functions
• Symbolic and numeric differentiation of functions
• Numeric integration
• Simple multiline looped programs
• User defined functions

Want to figure 16 to the seventh power? Type 16^ 7 , =, and your answer is 2.6844*10^8. Want to add a column of figures? Type them in with a + between each number, hit =, and you have your answer. Ideal for high school or college math classes.

Simple. Powerful. Free. Unbeatable.

For more information, here is the PDF Introduction to the use of SMath Studio. If you want to try it, the latest version is 0.85, and you can download it here.

(Me) (Home)

The Flickr Commons

Visit the Commons, if you want to look at uncommon historical photos and perhaps comment on them. Historical photographs that have been preserved in national libraries and archives or photo agencies and news media operations are being displayed here by such diverse institutions as George Eastman House, Library of Congress, Brooklyn Museum, Nationaal Archief, National Archives and Records Administration, State Library of New South Wales, and Smithsonian Institution, the Australian War Memorial, and the National Galleries of Scotland.

These museums and archives post images released under a "no known restrictions" license. The goal of the license is to "firstly show you hidden treasures in the world's public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer."

(Me) (Home)

For the Birds

The IBC (Internet Bird Collection) is the first place to go to identify an unknown bird or find out more information on the species you do know. It is a non-profit endeavour with the ultimate goal of disseminating knowledge about the world's birds. It is an on-line audiovisual library of the world's birds that is available to the general public free of charge. While the initial aim is to post at least one video or photo per species, the long-term objective is to eventually include material showing a variety of biological aspects (e.g. feeding, breeding, etc.) for every species.

There are photographs of more than 6,000 of the world's 9863 known species, with more being added daily. there are 38883 videos, 17862 photos, and 3676 recordings. There are 6422 species with videos (65.11%), 6486 species with photos (65.76%), 2779 species with sounds (28.18%), 78.7% of all the known species are covered.

The U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory's Feather Atlas Website is the place to visit when you want to identify a bird by just a wing or tail feather. The contents of the site are designed to assist feather identification by providing high-resolution scans of flight feathers of major groups of North American birds.

The Royal Alberta Museum has the best online collection of wild bird eggs that I have found, but requires you to make an educated guess as to the species -- songbird, woodpecker, owl, etc -- before you get to the data and photos.

(Me) (Home)