SkyDaemon

Glad to hear it helped. I hope you have an awesome trip, tell me about it when you get back ;-) If you can, I'd also recommend trying to find some of the locals. In my limited experience they were very friendly. CzechBASE used to post on here, and he's local, intel has a lot of its fabs in KL so if you're a nerd-type you can probably find someone through that community, same with software. The locals know where all the 'good' stuff is, so if you can make friends before you get there, all the better. --- In response the "ouch" comment regarding drugs in Malaysia, there was a semi-mainstream movie called "Return to Paradise" which is about some Americans which visited Panang, enjoyed a lot of times, and a lot of marijauna, and one of them ends up being sentenced to death for it. :-/ In the middle of KL is a big prison... you can see inside when you're on the monorail, kind of strange. Then again, inner cities prisons are becoming more common in North America. --- In response to Tom's comment, I never had a chinese cab driver, it's neat to hear you had some good experiences. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Cheers from Canada! Good work! -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

After getting winded off the Petronas in 2003/04 we ventured all over KL. Jalan Alor has great street food, including lots of hawkers selling wonderful and interesting foods for around 6RM ($1.50USD). The Batu caves are fun, and worth checking out. The staircase is trip with beautiful statues all the way up and a great display at the top. Definitely worth doing after a day of jumping. Bukit Bintang is the main shopping street in the city and has lots of great stuff. Try the reflexology, it's a great foot massage for 30 minutes was like 40RM ($10USD) it's like nothing else. Net cafes are easy to find on this street, it's also great if you're looking for trash and trinkets, somewhat touristy, but fun nonetheless. Jalan Pudu has a big bus station on it, and you can catch rides to neighboring cities ilke Melaka for about 20RM ($5USD) on a big comfy air conditioned bus. If you want to get out of the city, it's definitely the way to go. Melaka is a great old city and worth checking out. If you can, get a ride to Kuala Selangor and check out the fireflies, they're awesome. :-) The bird sanctuary downtown is awesome. It's a great walk through a ton of different animals, beautiful colored birds that will land in your hand, and gorgeous sculpted ponds, and awesome landscaping. Grab an ice cream bar and walk through the place, it's an easy fun hour or two adventure. Chinatown there is awesome. It's crowded, but there's great stuff, good food, neat things, and often fun street performances. (Well, I was there around chinese new year) Bangsar is a fun Indian neighborhood with an active night market. It's neat to check out, and if you can try to find a Tali meal. mmmm. Get out of the city and go to FRIM, it's like a city park on steriods. You can do the 'canopy walk' which is neat bridges suspended over a forest. The view is fantastic, you can see the whole city from up there, and enjoy seeing the local wildlife. The trees and fauna are like nothing else. A great morning or afternoon adveture. Genting Highlands are great too. They're a little way out of the city, but the air up in the mountains is much cooler. There are some great pagodas up there, and strangely some kind of resort thing. They also have a Skyventure wind tunnel which is about 20RM/minute ($5USD/minute). If you're into it, it's a lot of fun. It's fun to check out KLCC (the Petronas) just to see them, but inside is just a mall selling stuff at 4x the price of everywhere else. It's worth seeing, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time there. The monorail downtown is great for getting around, and I think it's 1RM (25 cents) to ride around town on it. Do bear in mind it's a Muslim country, which is far more conservative than North America or Europe. Drug use isn't popular there, and I think its over a gram of marijuana is considered trafficking and is a mandatory death penalty. Take off your shoes before going into mosques, hindu temples, and taoist or buddhist temples. The locals in religious places might not be able to tell you in English, but if they point at your feet, that's probably what they're saying. Always tell the taxi cab driver to turn the meter on. Otherwise they'll rip you off by charging you some random amount at the other end, definitely an inflated rate. I believe it's illegal, but it's common practice. If they refuse to turn the meter on, telling them not to be greedy tends to resonate with their religious views and they tend to be cooperative, but be careful. Make hotel reservations in advance, take the train from the airport to downtown. I think it's like $25USD for that ride, but it's well worth it. Cabs are slower and more expensive, and then you have to try to find one... just take the train, when you get to KL, you can take the monorail to the center of town. Most hotels are down there. I'd recommend one with air conditioning... most have it, but make sure they do. If you're ballsy and wiling to experiment with different foods, try durian, mangosteens, lychees, abalone, satay, nasi goreng, lemack, stringray, indian food on a banana leaf (eat it with your hands), real tandoori, poured tea (te terik), and anything else that looks interesting... the food options are endless. A few key phrases that are good to know: (I may be mispelling them) Selamat Detang (good day) Tandas (bathroom) Termina Cassieh (thank you) Hope this gives you some ideas. ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Well... it's finally here... What does this mean for riggers? --- A new startup company based in Albania has pre-announced their intent to release the world's first parachute packing machine. Rigging involves carefully following prescribed procedures in manufacturer's instructions, while applying a decision support tree to handle exceptions. The company has preferred to remain anonymous until the final release of this new product at which point they will issue a press release regarding which parachute models it is compatible with and which parachute manufacturers are on board as strategic partners. However to lend credibility to the product Poytner has already begun an addendum to "The Parachute Manual" discussing the processs by which this new technology can be used. Addendum A Packing Machine A. Comment Packing parachutes according to manufacturer's instructions is critical to successful rigging. Prior to April 1st, 2007 this procedure was a labor intensive process. The packing machine does not change FAA law and parachutes may still only by packed by certificated riggers with applicable ratings, although use of the parachute packing machine is permitted if and only if the rigger is certified in use of the machine. B. Applicable Parachutes Only parachutes that have been approved by both the manufacturer of the parachute and of the manufacturer of the packing machine may be packed using the packing machine. Only certificated riggers with the appropriate type rating and that are certified in use of the packing machine may use the packing machine to pack the parachute. C. Applcable Containers Only those containers that have been approved by the manufacturer of the container and by the manufacturer of the packing machine may be packed using the packing machine. Only certificated riggers with the appropriate type rating and that are certified in the use the packing machine may use the packing machine to pack the parachute into the container. D. Repairman Senior or Master parachute rigger. E. Materials 1. Approved parachute (by both the manufacturer of the parachute and of the manufacturer of the packing machine) 2. Approved container (by both the manufacturer of the container and of the manufacturer of the packing machine). 3. rigger lead seal 4. rigger seal die 5. seal thread E. Machines 1. FAA approved packing machine F. Equipment 1. Parachute manufacturer's digital packing instructions 2. Container manufacturer's digital packing instructions 3. Instruction manual for the packing machine 4. Digital identification to operate the packing machine G. Time 10 minutes (Depending on the type of parachute, container, and state of repair) H. Procedure Procedure varies per container/parachute combination. ---- -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

You'd be wrong ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Congratulations Colin and Jane! The Vancouver Crew sends you their best! Looking forward to seeing you all again. ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Good luck! -=Raistlin US Marines 1997-2001 6th Engr Sppt BN H&S Company Computer Security find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Neat. It would be cool to have the source to install it locally (and a dump of the mysql schema to create the necessary database). Nice work and congratulations! -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

How's that A been treating the Winnipeg crew? Awesome to see you two getting out there and jumping ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Well done! The Camel continues to march forward bringing happiness and joy to the world. Nicely done. Always great to see another perlmonger on the boards ;-) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Beautifully written Nick. We've talked about this subject before and this post summarizes many of the key points of those conversations. Thank you for taking the time to write what you have. Your wisdom and knowledge are greatly appreciate by many... perhaps even the (silent) majority. Be well, -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

It's been two years since we lost our dearly beloved friend, and while I still think of Josh daily, today holds special significance for me, as the circle of his life was completed today, 2 years ago. I know many others will be doing the spending today thinking about what happened 2 years ago. So I wanted to take this moment to write down some thoughts, and to enjoy a shot of Talisker, candle, and memories. Our lives continue to change with time and we change with them. The person we are today is different than the person we were two years ago. Our likes, dislikes, attitudes, careers, routines, social circles, goals, and a myriad of other aspects of us change with time, and as a result our identities change. As our identities change our relationships change, we adapt ourselves to our environments, change the way we do things, and in theory, as we grow older, we get better at getting what we want. We become more effective at achieving our goals, we become more clear about what those goals are, and we have more skills and a larger pool of resources available to accomplish them. Those who are our friends, the extensions of ourselves that make us complete, those who know us, faults and all, and love, understand, and accept us anyways, join us through our amorphous journey through life. From a less self-centric point of view, we know those around us are also changing. Their identities are changing as a function of time, just as ours are, and we come to, not only know, but become a part of the new developments in their life. In many cases we are influences, participants, and sometimes even driving forces in the changes in our friends' lives. So what holds friends together during the time they're both changing? Why don't they simply split apart and go in the random different directions their lives take them? In some cases they do. Friends in college may be inseparable, but may or may not ever see each other after graduation (or dropping out...), people who served together in the armed forces may have put their lives in each others hands, risked everything for one another, and rotated back stateside and lost track of each other, some may have been close while they were both working towards the same goal or shared common interests and gone their separate ways when the goals or interests were no longer the same. While one might be tempted to make strong judgments about the quality and strength of the friendship, I'm willing to withhold said judgment and simply conclude that the intensity faded and the active nature of the friendship subsided. So what does it mean to have a friend? What does it mean to be a friend? Friendship is such an interesting concept with a wide scope and space. There's room for all kinds of friendships in our lives and we have all manner of them. There's the people we like to skydive with, the people we like working with, the people we like to sleep with, the people we trust our lives with, and then there's that rare group that we trust ourselves with. When we meet those people and we form that bond of friendship both of us are far more than the sum of the parts. We create something greater than ourselves and something so strong and powerful it enables us to do things we never could before. That team is sacred and is something to protect, because it brings so much to both our lives in a the most beautiful symbiotic manner. We can be vulnerable and let them close enough to help us, as they let us close enough to them to help them. We're doctors for each other, we're the ones to laugh with, cry with, build with, overcome challenges with, and to celebrate who we are with. We can simply stand tall stripped of all our walls, masks, and pretenses and know that we are loved, understood, and accepted for who we are... who we really are. When someone offers to be a part of your life, or offers you the opportunity to be a part of their's, it's a generous offer, but unless it's symmetric it's not friendship. Friendship requires commitment from both people and the commitment to value the team as a priority higher than some others in their lives. The level of commitment and priority to friendship can be illustrated through the following two questions: "What kind of friend would have to be in what kind of trouble for you to change your life?" coupled with: "What kind of friend would have to be in what kind of trouble for you to change your plans for the day?" The answers mostly lead to more questions about the nature of commitment to those we care about, and what it means to be a part of someone's life and to have them as a part of ours. The first question asks where the outer limits of your commitment to friendship are. While the second question asks where the inner limits of commitment to friendship are. How many people would save a friend from drowning, but wouldn't help the move to a new house? It's mostly an interstng exercise in better understanding who one is as a person, and as a friend. The crux of this seemingly random path of thought is to say that Josh and I have had an interesting past year together. My friendship with him continues to change (as it had to, given that he's not available for meetings anymore.) and this past year was no exception. I can imagine other people have also undergone changes in their relationship with Josh this past year, perhaps they noticed his conscipious absence and wondered what he would have said or thought had been present. Or perhaps they raised a glass to him on his birthday and thought about him lying in his chair sipping Highland Park. Or perhaps they sometimes wonder WWJD (What Would Josh Do) in this particular situation. He continues to be present and play a role in our lives, and it's beautiful to think of his smile, wry comment, and wonderful ability to remind us about the good in ourselves. The friendship we shared with Josh while he was alive changed us while he was alive, and those changes open our eyes to new ideas, thoughts, concepts, and ways of living. The seeds he planted in us have grown and we've become new people and he continues to be a part us. I think about how much I'd really love to meet him for a beer and game of darts (even though I'd lose (see previous posts;-)) and tell him about the interesting developments in my life, and to hear about the one's in his. He'd likely have gotten that master's degree he was after by now, maybe would have gone to balloon festival he meant to go to. Might still be in Seattle or maybe would have moved to a sunnier place, who knows? I think that's what makes me sad right now. He never got to see what was coming next. He missed out on all the opportunities and adventures that happened after he died. We can still include him in our lives as his spirit lives in us, and the goodness that he brought to the world lives after him. But, I still get sad when I think of all the good times we didn't get have, all the things we didn't get to do, and all the opportunities that got lost. I miss talking to him. I still laugh at some of his wry comments, jokes, and dry sense of humor. He still brings a smile to my face when I think of some of the silly situations we got into and the lessons we learned from doing it. He's one of the gems that fell into my life and continues to shine brightly... he still makes me smile, think, consider new ideas and alternative, and still inspires me to be like him. I wish I had his calming presence, his scholarly and thoughtful nature, and his ability to relate to people. I'm still inspired by his strengths and want to work towards developing them in myself. Again, he continues to be an influence in life, and a source of change... This past year was generally easier for me than the previous. Perhaps time to does heal. Josh is lost from us, but not forgotten. Today is going to be an interesting day, perhaps a very hard day, a sorrowful one, or perhaps one where people can sit back and tell fun stories about Josh and just talk about how much they miss him, and what a great guy he was. If anyone wants to talk, send me a PM, and we can talk on the phone. Be well. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Spence, That is was my friend... that it was... I was sad you couldn't join me for the second jump 10 minutes afterwards ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

I jumped that waterfall in April of 04 (or was it 03?) and had a successful jump from it. The exit point is sketchy to say the least and it needs to be jumped with the waterfall to jumper's right. There are -no- outs, and the altitude is just barely enough to clear the trees at the bottom. (i.e. you'll have your feet kicking through the trees if you do everything right.). Those trees have likely grown since I jumped it, so I'm not sure how doable it is. It's a very sketchy jump, if you have any kind of off heading or need to correct any malfunction it will cost you altitude you can't afford and your -only- alternate landing area is an extremely technical and dangerous concrete patio full of obstacles. Worse yet it's a go-and-throw-1s delay. The jumper really is setup for failure on that jump, and whiel it's a beautiful jump, and extremely tempting, it has claimed at least one life (so I've been told) and others have ended up hanging from the wall only to be rescued by helicopters). It also has to be jumped at first light due to the nature of the object (i.e. it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Oregon), and there is a ranger station at the bottom. It's, high bust, high likelihood of fatality or permanent injury, and extremely technical. It's a roll of the dice in a lot of ways, unlike most jumps where you have the altitude to handle malfunctions, you don't on this object. Even if you handle a malfunction with perfect accuracy and grace, it will cost you the altitude you need to make the LZ. I walked up it 3 times before finally jumping it. I jumped it when I knew the conditions were perfect... and even though I had a picture perfect jump, I was still very close to the treetops when I flew over them. My first recommendation is to avoid it. Although if you're not going to listen to that sage advice (I'll never jump it again...) then make sure you go with someone who has done it and can show you exactly where the exit point is and if possible PCA or static line it. At least then your heading performance is increased and you stand a better chance of surviving. Be well, -=Raistiln find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Well done. Congratulations! -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Deepest sympathies for your loss. These are dark days. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Nice... sounds like the kind of thing one could easily market through cafepress.com :-) I'll take one. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Certainly the number on it. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Tom did an excellent job addressing this. The relationship between airspeed (often associated with delays from fixed objects) and slider size, shape and material is an important one to consider prior to a specific jump and the airspeed at which the jumper intends to deploy. See above. Reread my original response. Read Tom's more elaborate and verbose response. Notice that there isn't a fixed answer to your question ("Which slider do you prefer and why?"), since one's choice will be dependent upon airspeed and amount of altitude one has to consume at the time of deployment. Which is relatively analogous to "Which pilot chute do you prefer and why?" -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Are you saying you have no experience on Mojos with large hole mesh sliders and/or fine mesh sliders? If you know what sliders do and why there are different kinds, then you likely know when and why one would use one kind of slider versus the other. The question "wich (sic) slider do you like better and why?" is not a clear question. It's akin to asking "What size pilot do you like and why?". -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

For someone whose profile claims 1200 BASE jumps and 15 years in the sport, and given your username I would have expected others to ask you these kind of questions... -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Do you have a point? Or are you simply here to snipe at others? -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

I know many jumpers who refuse to participte due to handing over private information for 'background' checks. As well as the Orwellian feeling of being watched. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Been there, it's beautiful. I think it would be better to jump in the winter when the lake is frozen over. You could land on the opposite shore, but you'd need the boat to get out. It's a great place, but the winds can be wild, and it's a little remote for those of us who don't live on the rock ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Sing it Abbie... right on brother. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;