SkyDaemon

I've been through two bottles in five years. I only buy it duty-free, and it's a spectacular Scotch. I also have Johnie Walker, red, black, gold, blue, swing, and pure malt. Part of the fun of having all the Johnnies (and 62 single malts) is to have people over who are self-proclaimed Scotch snobs who arrive with an unfounded prejudice to drink "single malts only" and give them blind tests of Dalmore 29, Macallen 18, and some of my other favorites, and then a shot of Johnnie Blue and watch them prefer Johnnie blue, and then tell them it's a 25yo blended. Soon they're interested in trying Gold, Black, and Pure Malt. It's interesting to explain the story of Johnnie Walker as well. (how he was a shop keeper and he provided consistent flavor, versus sporadically changing single scotches. how the label was first accidently applied at that funny angle, which became his trademark, etc.) Blue is worth the cash (imho) if you drink a shot at a time, and -like- Scotch. If you're looking for something tasty to pound down, Glenmorangie 10yo is the most consumed Scotch in Scotland and is a damn good value (quality/dollar) at around $35/bottle. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Thank you both for your kind words. It was a painful pleasure to write and I'm glad it's brought a sense of knowledge and peace to some people. I think Josh would have wanted that. This weekend was an epic internal rollercoaster for myself and many others. There were many great stories told, many laughs, and many 'Firsts' and therefore many cases of beer. My first jump off a certain Washington "E" (and "S") First jump with Gabe videoing that didn't result in tragedy Largest groups A jumper's first jump in quite some time Many first meetings and many good times. I want to thank everyone who participated, and brought a sense of peace to myself, and many others. I look forward to seeing everyone and more this weekend at the Memorial. As much as you can: be well! -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Your signature became a lot more ironic today. (2/20/05)... The author went over the edge, and isn't here to talk about it. find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Doug, I think you're right, he would smile... and he is. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Chris, Thank you for your sympathies. The loss of Josh is a true loss to all of us individually, as he was a part of us, and just as though we'd lost a finger; we lost a part of who we are, and there is pain, frustration, confusion, and grief over this loss. The loss of Josh is also a loss to the greater community. Josh wasn't just a citizen of the world, he was a contributor and a part of it. He wasn't an audience member to the 'show' of life, he was a part of the production. Sometimes he was the starring actor, sometimes he was part of the stage crew, sometimes he was manager walking around with a clipboard making sure everything got done the way it was supposed to, and sometimes he was the anonymous person who sent you flowers before your first big performance. He was the person who would stay up late with you to rehearse your lines, or be the guy who always had an extra hankerchief because he knew you'd need one. It was his ability to change the lives of so many individuals for the sake of the team that made him essential to the community. He had the ability to play a role that few people even know exists, let alone could ever take upon themselves. He was the quiet glue that kept everything together, when it might otherwise become stressed, or even break apart. If Josh were here (there's a phrase I bet I say many more times...) and his best friend had died, he'd be the person writing emails to friends, sending cards to the family, organizing the services, with his own time, on his own dime (whether he had it or not). Josh knew what the right thing to do was, and he did the right thing... even when it hurt. He bore his pain silently and even smiled, because he knew that doing anything else would be wrong, and that wasn't who he was. Josh wasn't a preacher, he didn't believe in convincing people against their will, nor did he see it as a desirable aim in the first place. Josh led by example, he showed people the value of his beliefs by the way he treated others. He analyzed his life and took his actions and the effects they had on others very seriously. I admired that about him... he didn't need to lecture on people on who he was, he'd them figure it out. He let people figure him out by bearing witness to his actions and drawing their own conclusion. Josh didn't want robots around him, he didn't want the kind of people that could be easily convinced by a silver tongue. He wanted those around to him to have their minds engaged and to ask questions, and to discuss their skepticism, and ideas. He wanted to explore ideas and methods of thinking. He could always seperate ideas from the people who held them. He discussed ideas, not people. I hope to do him proud by developing that skill. I'd like to have his attitude of selfless service, responsibility, right and wrong, patience, and ability to seperate people and ideas. I learned what it means to be a solid support for other individuals and in doing so, for a team. He'll always be a part of many people's lives, a bright smiling part that brings out the best in us. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

I visited Josh in Seattle, with the hope of jumping a local object in the city. We ended up getting weathered out, my ghetto canopy wasn't up to the jump and he wasn't very excited about the wind conditions, so we went and got some beers, played some darts and called it a night. We got up early the next morning and headed south to a big "E" we both really liked. We had to take two cars (this object requires car shuffling) and we would race down the empty highway, passing each other, and smiling out the window. He had a slightly competitive edge that was there for the sake of pure fun. A couple of hours (and many pit stops ;-)) later, we arrived at the base of the cliff. The winds on the ground were great, so we drove up the cliff, and prepared for the hike to the exit point. Josh knew a "short cut" which he was certain was a much easier hike than the bush wacking I'd always done. As we went down the hill on a nice trail we continued our conversation and after awhile we were pretty certain this trail didn't go to the exit point. Josh just shrugged, and said "I said it was an easier hike, I didn't say where it was an easier hike to." we hiked back up the cliff, and took went through the woods the way I'm used to. Josh said he didn't know how to get there, so he'd just follow me. I went ahead and walked through a bunch of little shrubs covered with snow and ended up with snow all over myself. I asked Josh how he got to the exit point before, he said "The way you're going, I'm sure, but there was no snow the shrubs then, and now there isn't anymore (since it was all on me), and now it's coming back to me how to get there this way". As we hiked to exit he told me about his 2000th jump and getting pied for it. He really enjoyed that moment, and encouraged me to skydive again. By the time we got the to top of the cliff face, the winds were easily 20mph over the cliff face. Some rock drops showed that there wasn't going to be any wind at opening, but it was nonetheless scary. Worse yet it was frigid cold. We geared up and gave each other gear checks, cleared the snow from the exit point, and as I was getting ready to go, Josh said "Whoa, hey, wait... I missed something in the gear check." I stopped and froze and he looked a main lift web and said "just as I thought, your reserve handle is missing, you'll have to get that fixed." I smiled and pointed out that while a good joke, I wanted to get off this windy, cold cliff. He said "yah, we should leave before the -really- cold weather gets here." We had great jumps, good landings, and big smiles on the ground. That was the last jump I did with Josh, and the last BASE jump he ever did. I'll always remember it. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Josh's sense of humor is something I'm definitely going to miss. In the same voice he would use to speak on issues of religion, psychology, skydiving safety, BASE equipment, or other issues of the utmost seriousness was the same tone and inflection he would use to provide an amazingly witty and ironic response, which used to crack me up. He was amazingly skilled understanding the meta-conversation and bringing the important points to the forefront and responding to those in a humorous manner. The guy was -quick- too. His responses were so tailored to the situation that there was no possible way he could use a cliche or a one liner, or something he saw on TV. It was his own creativity. His creativity made some of the best humor. The last time I saw him, we were talking about his vacation, and the fact that he going to go south to sunny places of the country, including Arizona. I was encouraging him to cross the border and go experience Mexico for a little while, but also encouraging him to skip the border towns and get into the heart of the country. It would be easier on his budget and a chance to experience something truly new and different. He resisted saying "I'd like to stick with what I -know- I'll enjoy. I don't want to try something and find out I won't like, or get sick on the water, or something.". I persisted, and he came back with: "Well since we're negotiating with -my- vacation, I'll make you a deal: if someone from Arizona will go with me, I'll cross the border ok?". I laughed at how well, he pointed out that he was harrassed (in a friendly manner) by his friends and was being pressured to do something he wasn't sure about and was actually a little nervous about, and brought the main issue of the conversation to the forefront by pointing out it was -his- vacation. It was artistry. I wish I had that ability, I think I'd be a lot funnier if I did. :-) What was the funniest moment you experienced with Josh? -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Are you sure? Can't hurt (well... can't hurt -me-) to try ;-) j/k. A touch of humor is helpful from time to time... find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

I'd feel bad for the stand in... ouch! An interesting problem that plagues our culture is there really is no prescribed ritual for what to do when our friends die. In Josh's case many, many people are affected, from his family, to his best friend, to his friends, to the dropzone, to anyone who was counting on him to do something in the future. Cultural rituals for funerals serve the purpose of communal good-byes and providing a sense of closure, but also let each individual confront and address the internal strife they have endured during the grieving process. We all handle grief in our own way, for some of us it's anger and frustration, for others it's pure sadness, and yet others confusion and shock. And more than likely it's all of the above plus our own unique individual personal emotions mixed up into the potpourri. If there were a quick and easy solution to the grieving process, a pill we could take, or a dance we could do to relieve us: we would. But there isn't.... (you'd make a million dollars if you could invent one) Instead we're left with each other... a bunch of grieving, sad, frustrated, confused, shocked people leaning on each other for support during these difficult times. Josh didn't leave us the solution to overcoming our loss of him...and yet he did. Many of us haven't met, and here we are, sharing intimate details about ourselves and what Josh meant to us. I think he'd be proud... he'd look at that and smile at that bright side of humanity. I hope that some of the words we've written here will be of comfort to those who were close to him, and those who don't yet know how to handle what happened. Hopefully we've voiced some things that they've only felt and were unable to put into words. Hopefully it find provide some sense of clarity in the sea of chaos. I know it has for me. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Switch to *nix. Konquerer is your friend :-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

That's a fantastic picture... it has the smile and spark in his eyes that was always there, as well as his knowing smile... -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

The Seattle Skydivers website has some pictures of Josh, including this one from the 2004 Christmas party. http://www.seattleskydivers.org/gallery/xmasparty04/ssdxmaspty04-49.jpg The few I have of Josh aren't very good, but I'll keep looking. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

CrazyIvan... Have you ever analyzed your DZ.com posts to number of jumps ratio... Just curious. ;-) -=raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Yes. Many of his friends did how depressed he was. And he was seeking help. In so many ways, he did everything right... That's the interesting thing about depression, there's no pill, or ritual which removes it. Depression can be described as "learned helplessness", and it's not something the can be easily helped. Depression often involves many inescapable logic loops which lock the afflicted into a state of mental/emotional (and sometimes physical) paralysis. It part of what feeds the "there's no way out" attitude, and leads the depressed to resort to overly drastic means... Josh didn't do what he did, because he was missing good friends who did their best to help him. He knew his friends were trying as hard as they could. But he felt that if he didn't succeed with their advice and help, he would have failed them, which would have made him further depressed. (see the logical fallacy?) In his last letter to me, he made a point of that, he didn't want those around him to feel guilty or as though -they- had failed, if they couldn't cure his depression, or solve his problems. Strange little loop isn't it? Breaking the cycle is an extremely difficult task.. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Josh's sense of humor was a great one. That comic is right up his alley. I could almost see him being the author. His understanding of the human psyche was so intense that he was able to coalesce the nature of human existence and turn it into humor. I'll always remember his amazing sense of humor. He was quick too. He was able to listen carefully to what was said, process it, understand it, and provide poetically tailored response. I remember more than once wishing I could speak as eloquently as he could, not because I wanted to make the world a better place, but because it was some of the best humor I'd ever experienced. Josh was a skilled orator... soft spoken, quiet and in many ways shy, but what he lacked in quantity of words he made up for (in spades) in quality. I'll miss the conversations we had, walking around the city, hiking to an exit point, or next to a barrel at a pub playing darts. (He was one hell of a darts player... ;-) All friendships develop their own rapport. Maybe it's as simple as a set of inside jokes based on experience, or maybe it's words that you've made up together, or maybe it's an exchange style (straight-man and cut-up ala Abbot & Costello), but over time friends develop some kind of signature rapport. It's a source of affirmation of the friendship, and the rapport becomes a source of pride that defines what makes the team great. If you examine how you talk to your true friends... not your acquaintances, but your true friends, you'll likely find you can have entire conversations in a few words. Friends come to depend on the rapport they establish with each other. They count on it, and in the absence of their friend they find that the 'air' is missing something... it's missing their obvious responses, comebacks, cues, and triggers. It would be as though one day you woke up to find your dominant hand missing... would you still reach out with the stub of your arm out of habit? How long would it take to adapt and to remember that it's missing? Josh was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a son to his mother, a teacher and inspiration to many, and a friend to a chosen few. I'm doing my best to come to terms with the loss, but I offer my deepest sympathies to those who will see his empty seat at their dinner table. To those who will wonder where he is, when he should be arriving any moment for their weekly ritual pub trip. How soon until the manifest remembers that he's not going to be working there anymore, that he isn't sleeping in, he's just not there. The fact that the world has lost Josh is going to require all those who knew him to adapt to the -fact- that he is gone... and that'll likely involve the stages of the grieving process, but it's going to be those conspicuous absences that none of us have even considered yet that are going to be the hardest (I think). I think the hardest part for me is going to be that I never got to say "good bye". But, you know no one gets advanced warning. None of us know when our next CRW jump will be our last, or that we might "get off" our motorcycles at 70mph, or go sleep and just not wake up. Life is too short to live as though we have all the time the universe. There's not enough time to hold grudges, time to put off telling those we care for that we care for them, time to pretend that we can solve a quarrel later. What if your best friend died tomorrow... how would you feel about the way things had gone? What do you wish you'd told them? Why haven't you? Maybe it's just my emotions talking, but why are people so scared to tell their friends how important and loved they are? I once asked Josh who his friends were... whose lives had he made better. He had an answer. Not a cliche, or some form of evasion, but a real answer that I'm sure he thought through before I'd asked him. I also asked him who in his life considered him a friend. Who were the people who knew him, faults and all, and accepted, understood, and loved him anyways. He also had an answer... He knew and was willing to talk about who he considered close to him. It was an intense conversation which involved analysis and sharing -good- things about people when they weren't around. I think he died knowing he'd made many people's lives better, and that many people cared about him... his reasons for what he did are far more complex than can be explained in a post on "dropzone dot com" and it wouldn't be appropriate to even begin to address those reasons here. It would be disrespectful to even try... I'm waxing emotional, and I'm continuing to ramble. If anyone needs to talk, please feel free to email me: 787@e-raist.com As much as you can during these hard times: Be Well. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Thank you for the kind responses. I really appreciate them. A couple of months ago, Josh wanted a more "professional" email address for his resume. (Apparently 3ringheathen and uberheathen weren't looking great to potential employers) So I setup joshwhipple.com for him, on my servers so he could have the email address josh@joshwhipple.com. However, since I have the domain name, I've set it up as a place to post photos and stories about Josh. Feel free to send any photos or stories you have and I'll post them. I have to go find mine and scan them, but I'll try to get something up soon. find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

One of our fellow BASE jumpers is no longer with us. The discussion is currently in "The Bonfire" and at: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1480641; In Memorium. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

It's a shame that we tend to celebrate the memory of a person after they have departed rather than during their time with us. It's amazing how much respect and admiration we can hold for our friends and yet remain silent and not tell them. It's sad that we're quick to voice the things we wish people would change, but we're very reluctant to tell our friends how much they really mean to us, and how tragic it would be if they ever left. We should tell them... I just learned of Josh's death and I miss him already. Lj and I just had a great evening with Josh a week ago Monday and we had a fun time walking up and down the streets of Seattle, having dinner, coffee, and cigars. We exchanged a few emails and he seemed to be taking a little longer to reply than usual, I tried to contact him on Tuesday with no luck... and it was this morning I read this thread. Josh wasn't simply a skydiver, or a BASE jumper or someone who sought pleasure through adrenaline or flight. Josh was an artist, he was someone who saw and created beauty. He saw the awesome achievement in human flight, and sillyness of making a sport of our a life and death situation. One of his favorite aspects of skydiving was doing tandem videos and, handing a tandem student who had overcome their fears of jumping, a creative summary of their experience. Josh found ways to celebrate their achievement and in doing so, he saw the world as a richer place. He could see his contribution to the lives of others. He was a steward of the world, and never uttered the cliche "treat others as you would have them treat you" instead: he lived it. Josh saw the best in things. I remember my first BASE jump with him, it was on a local mountain which involved a multi-hour (how many hours, was dependent upon one's level of physical fitness), off trail hike. He had done the jump a few times before, and this was my first time off this particular object. There were five of us, and the mountain goat hikers took off and Josh and I lagged behind and got to know one another. We talked about how nice the woods were, our early hiking experiences, what our next career moves would be, why we skydived, why we BASE jumped. As we got lost in conversation, we also got lost on the mountain. We both laughed, at the point we realized we had no idea where we were, but the general direction of where were trying to go was "thataway". We trudged up what must have been a 70 degree slope, and finally got back on the trail. We had successful jumps together and landed in our campsite. Almost immediately upon landing Josh ran into his tent and emerged with a smile on his face and a small 'keg' of beer in his hands. He'd hiked that thing down the campsite (almost two miles) for us all to share. Josh's ability to see the best in things was impressive. He was an exceptionally skilled handyman, and his analytical mind would diagnose the problem, find a solution and a way to improve it while he was at it. He could look a box of nails, a cabinet full of tools and a pile of wood and see something useful... he just needed to put a little work into it. This skill made him a very skilled construction worker, and this attitude made him an awesome friend. He could see the potential in people, he could see what they had, where they wanted to go, and just as he was with mortar and wood, he was a craftsman with people. He could lay his hands on another person's life and create beauty. Much like Michealangelo who claimed "the sculpture was in the marble, I just removed the extra pieces." Josh would see the impressive sculpture in those around him, and just remove the extra pieces, that were in the way. Josh made people's colors brighter, his welcoming attitude brought flavor to their wine (beer) and made outsiders feel like part of the gang. Josh was the kind of person who would go behind your back and do something nice for you and never tell you he did it. He didn't ask for fame, fortune, or even a "thank you". He lived his life as he believed it should be lived. He didn't ask for pity, charity, or anything he didn't earn. Josh was a generous person, with a heart as big as all outdoors. If you had a $1 and he had $5 and the two of you needed to get lunch, he'd say "Well, we have six dollars, let's see what we can get". Josh took care of people. He didn't take care of people because he expected any reward for it, he took care of people because he knew it was the right thing to do. He took care of his parents during hard times in their lives, and towards the end he was taking care of his great aunt's estate. He took care of his friends, and even those he didn't know very well. Josh was just as comfortable in a supporting role as he was being the star of the show. When he in a supporting role he supported as best someone ever could support. He never felt bad about being out of the spotlight. He knew behind every star there's a solid support structure, and he knew how be that support structure better than most. Josh was an amazingly intelligent person. As one walks through the maze of life they encounter other people and the general feeling is that one can't tell if the other person is more and less intelligent than oneself, but there are a few rare gems in the world where it's obvious that you are standing in the presence of brilliance. Josh was one of those rare gems who exuded a calming sense of intellect and understanding of himself and those around him. He was a perpetual student, always learning, and always interested in the world around him. In my own cynical little mentality I believe "those who are bored, tend to be boring". I think that because those who are bored fail to take interest in anything around them, which means they offer very little which is interesting. Josh was the opposite, he could take interest in anything. He came down to visit once for a 'BASE weekend' we were going to tear up the town, do BASE in a day, get him his "B" and have a great time. Turns out the weather went to hell, so we changed plans. It was the weekend all the wineries in Oregon were doing their big open house and I suggested we go check it out. Josh got excited and said something profound "The point of BASE jumping is to experience new things, and to try things I haven't tried before. I've never been a winery, I don't know much about it, and I've always wondered how it all works. Let's go!". We piled in the car, drove down and had a great time, returned to the house and enjoyed a llama roast (grilled with onions, shallots, garlic, and red bell peppers and topped with a white wine sauce.). Josh knew how to see the best in the situation, he was willing and excited to try new things and adapt to change. He saw an opportunity where others would have seen a failure. Josh was all about respect. He was a gentleman through and through. Josh went out of his to demonstrate respect for people, their friendship, their hospitality, and their kindness. He was sensitive to the needs and desires of others, he was always willing to adapt to customs and rituals different than his own, and he took his interactions with others seriously. He knew how to have a good time, but he didn't need to insult others, or himself to do it. He could smile and make others smile by appreciating and building up rather than by tearing down. He was a construction worker, and I think that played a role in his life. He liked to see things be built up, so they would last, rather than torn down. He took pride in his work, and without ego would share his knowledge and experience with others. He was willing to listen to other people, to learn from them. He knew that he could learn from anyone and extended them the respect you would any teacher. Josh was empathetic. Josh had a sense of self-understanding and understanding of others so deep I'll never be able to completely fathom it. Many of our conversations were about psychology and what it means to be who we are. One night we walked for ovr 9 hours, with occassional stops in cafes discussing epistemology, psychology, ontology how we came to be who we are, and how we adapted. Josh knew who he was, and he knew what didn't work well, and what worked very well. He knew what problems he was addressing, which ones he was ignoring, and how everything worked together. He administered his own cognitive therapy, and was simultaneously on the counselors couch and in the counselors chair. He could switch between roles in the blink of an eye in ways that made perfect sense. Josh was patient. As I write these words, I'm reading a letter he sent me on Feb 3rd. As I read his words I can still hear his voice. His calm, rational, confident voice that was always even keel, always in control, which always sounded like the voice of reason, or wisdom. He was patient, he knew how to handle life at life's speed. He understood that sometimes he needed more time to do what he wanted/needed to do. He went back to school and earned his degree in psychology when he was in his 30s. He was going to go back to pursue more of his academic interests. He knew how to be patient. Josh and I talked about some of the hardships he endured. 2004 was a rough year for him which involved the loss of his wife, his house, his job, and his father. Most psychologists agree the loss of any one of those is a tragedy that is difficult to come to terms with, let alone the loss of all four. We talked about the loss of them all, and he was just starting to come to terms with it. His employment search was coming along well, he was going to move into a new place, he was even starting to ask girls on dates again. I was really proud of him and how well he was handling what must have been intense pain and misery. He coped with it, and he was rebuilding his life. I don't think Josh felt "alone" in asmuch as he didn't have anyone near him who cared for him. I think he knew he had many great friends who loved (philos) him dearly. But there are many different ways to be alone... You can be alone in a closet You can be alone in an empty auditorium You can be alone in a crowd And you can be alone in a group of friends. For those of you who knew Josh, I'm going to share some excerpts from the last email I received from him. I think it will give you some understanding of where he was during the last week of his life: There were some personal bits in his letter that I won't post publically, but if you knew him and want to talk I'm at 503 720 0892. I think Josh felt alone as the only person who could address/solve his own problems. In that sense he felt alone and as though his friends' input couldn't help him. It would be as though all your English only speaking friends wanted to help prepare you for a test in French. It's a shame Josh is gone, and I hope after reading the above you wish you'd known him. You wished there was a Josh in your life. His spirit is alive, his spirit of optimism, patience, and respect is alive and well. He gave a part of it to me, and to many others. I sincerely hope that you will look carefully at your friends tomorrow and feel that flame in your heart and mind which warms you and realize that your friends are what makes your life warm. The friendships you have and the gifts those people bring you are what shapes you as a person. I hope you realize that what you say, and what you don't say, affects your friends. Your words and actions communicate loudly to your friends what they mean to you. Never, ever, take them from granted, because one day you may wake up to find out they're gone. You may wake up to find the plans and goals you had for one another, and the team may be impossible. Josh was a friend... and he'll always be here. (On the bright side we won't have to make as many pits stops. .) I miss him already. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Yeap :-) Actually it's based (to a point) on FreeBSD and NeXT. I remember showing up a MacOS X cram session a few years ago when the local Mac Consultants group wanted to get their Mac OS X certifications and I was invited to speak on unix. The first question was "what kind of fonts do you have in unix?" I had to hold back a chuckle, but by the end of the session everyone had a beginner's grasp on the basic concepts and could navigate the command line just fine. I felt bad for them when words like "alias" meant something different than they'd previously been taught.... MacOS X is a great OS though, I've run a few MacOS X servers and been quite happy :-) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

I feel for you man... I had a canopy sent via USPS and I learned all about the wonders of the postal service. Packages are entirely untrackable, there's no guarantees as to when the item will arrive, and trying to get information from the post office is like pulling teeth. FedEx, UPS, and DHL all do a really good job of delivering packages at a reasonable price. I've had bad experiences in the past with USPS, but I am curious how they 'lost' a 45lb box :-( FWIW, it's the thought that counts :-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Computer monitors do an excellent job of replicating reality as best they can. Assuming there comes a point where the Star Trek "holodeck" becomes a viable product, the question will come down to a set of values. Is there value in the fact that something is real versus artificial? Is there something that comes from owning a real plant versus a nylon/plastic replica? Is there value to seeing a real sunset versus a computer simulation of one? Is there value in holding a real person's hand versus a hologram (ala Star Trek)? Technology has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go (such as the sunset outside doesn't sometimes turn into a big blue screen with white fixed text that read "this sunset has caused a general protection fault and cannot continue", however computers are known to do that...) You bring up an interesting point. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

There is always the alternative of switching from Micro$oft based systems and moving toward open source solutions, such as Linux, FreeBSD, and other *nix operating systems and applications which are not vulnerable to many of the frustrations that plague windows users including, but not limited to: frequent crashes the need for frequent reinstalls lousy security spyware viruses easily cracked passwords 'unintentional' file sharing the need for many third party programs to plug security holes that shouldn't have been there in the first place. The traditional disadvantage has been the learning curve to the new operating system, however many versions of linux are now very user friendly, support a plethora of hardware, are very affordable and it has become much easier to locate educated support. The traditional advantages still hold true. It's a much faster operating system, security in bulit in from the ground up, and being open source, it's very flexible. It's something to consider... ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

It's very odd to see the name of the author of this thread again. The recenct addition to this post brought his name right back to the main page of the forum list. It's as though he had just posted yesterday. It's strange to see his name, little avatar, and writing again. He'll always be missed. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

...Then there are older, out of shape jumpers that take a long time to ascent to the top of the tower. (Perhaps because they are being harassed by hippy stoners during their climb). Although if you're in decent shape and find a good ladder climbing rhythm you can get to the top in about 25-30minutes. Although beware that waiting on top of the tower for your slower climbing friends is actually a bad idea because the radiation is often most dangerous at the very top of the antenna (next to the stinger). Good luck. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

USMC Devil Dog here. Semper Fi! (well, almost... there's a policy (or two) that didn't quite click with me.) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;