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While recently deployed, I've found a lot of people are interested in setting up a home media server to play the movies and TV shows they "acquire" while they're down range. So, I wrote up a quick list of gear that helps a lot, and I will write up a "how-to" to follow! For the gear you need at home, there's three main categories: Something to play the media (Raspberry Pi 2 is my favorite choice), something to serve the media (WD My Cloud EX 2100 or similar is what I like), and a decent network to tie it together (I list a few examples). For the Raspberry Pi Kits:Raspberry Pi Kit with everything you need, I have one of these and I prefer the case more than the other kit:Raspberry Pi 2 Kit by VilrosOther Raspberry Pi Kit, don't care for the case as much:Raspberry Pi 2 Kit by CanaKitWith both of these kits, you can use "NOOBS" which is pre-installed on the SD Card in the kits. With "NOOBS", you just plug the SD Card in and boot up the Raspberry Pi. You'll get a screen with a list of options, and you just pick OSMC. Each of these particular kits are $69 For the NAS:The Ex 2100 w/ 4 TB is newer, and faster than the Ex 2. However, it's slightly more expensiveWD My Cloud Ex 2100 w/4 TB - $385 The Ex 2 w/ 4 TB is obviously then older and a little bit slower. But this is the system I'm using in the media room now, and it works great.WD My Cloud EX 2 w/ 4TB - $323 If you're considering spending the $385 on the EX 2100, you may also want to consider buying the EX 2 with 6 TB instead.WD My Cloud EX 2 w/ 6 TB - $385 For the Router:TP-LinkThis is what I own, it's a great price and works great:TP-LINK Archer C7 - $99 This is the next model up. it's a little bit faster, but costs a little bit more:TP-LINK Archer C9 - $129 This thing is ridiculous, but you won't need to upgrade for like 10 years (or 3):TP-Link AC3200 - $258 LinksysThis is what I will probably buy next, I'm a huge fan of Cisco products, and this one seems legit:Linksys AC3200 - $184So, if you have inputs about something you've found that you like better, let us know! I ordered an Amazon Fire TV stick, but I haven't been home yet to test it with the NAS.

Agree 100%, for maintainers 12+ hour days are the norm. Don't even ask for time away to go to the gym, CBPO (ahem... MPF), Finance, BX, Class VI, your kid being born, etc... Had my ass handed to me once by my flight chief for letting a dorm guy go to the Post Office prior to a 30+ day TDY to pick up a package that had been there over a month. Couldn't go during "normal" hours; had report to work a good two hours before PO opened, went home well after it's closed. Thank God for the flightline chow hall, such as it was; if it wasn't for that, NONE of dorm rats would have hot meals Mon-Fri.

I went over there as a non vol staff weenie. The orders were a gift on my 18 year, 360th day in the AF (no shit). Pretty much every prior E gets hit with these so I knew it was coming. I let it roll, because I wanted to roll the dice vs not having to serve a sentence at the 'Deid. I flew quite a bit as a "guardian angel" which means that while the IPs are trying to teach the Afghans to fly airplanes, you sit in back, ready to cap one that gets out of hand. I'm a 39 year old dude, and not made to run around with full body armor on every day, yet that's what I did. Even as a staff weenie, I still had an Afghan counterpart that I was trying to "mentor". As far as the flying goes, the Afghans are pretty terrible at it as a general rule. If you have never had the opportunity to teach a C-130 "AC" that he needs to keep one wing low when landing in a cross wind, this is your opportunity. Everything you do is dangerous. I raised my rifle with intent to shoot over two occasions in the one year I was there. I didn't end up pulling the trigger for different reasons each time, but the threat was still there. Had a truck bomb go off right outside the base gate one morning. If I had not been lazy, I would have been right by it on my morning run. Two of my former office mates were killed two weeks ago when their helo Caught a mooring cable from an aerostat on a routine visit to headquarters. Getting out of there in tact both physically and mentally is about luck, not skill. The mission is pretty hopeless, and you will come home disgruntled at both the Air Force and the 16 years of terrible foreign policy our country as a whole has had. Oh, add on to your 365 two months at lovely McGuire AFB under GO 1 for Air Advisor training, where you will receive a code on your SURF saying that you can do that and are highly susceptible to having to do it again. Overall, I'd take the Deid any day over that place. I promise I will write more coherently when I have not been drinking. Please feel free to fire away with further questions. That job + all the extraneous factors going on in the AF I joined 20 years ago made me push the button for retirement. I'm done. They took away any love I might have had left for our service. Sorry I can't speak more to the guard/reserve aspect, but I might be able to come up with what I remember when I have not been going shot for shot with my wife for every kid at our door who is that bitch from Frozen.

Noooooo. Really? The guy turned out to be a predator???

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