riddler

Can't touch this Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

They should keep him. Would definitely improve ratings. I know I would watch - and I don't even watch TV

Wind tunnel will make a HUGE improvement here. You have time to figure out what's going on in a tunnel; on a skydive, you only have a few seconds. You live close to one of the best tunnels in the world, look into it. And get a tunnel coach - it's 10 times better. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Thank GOD for people that drink and eBay. It's makes my stuff SO much easier to sell Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I think of eBay as a place to sell things, but I sometimes buy too. I've been in a mode for the last few years of trying to simplify my life by selling as much as I can. Ebay is a great place for people that want your old stuff. I hate giving it away, because I feel the things I have have some value, and when you give something, the recipient rarely values it. If they buy it, even for a few dollars, they will value it. I don't do garage sales because ... well ... I don't like strange people coming into my yard eBay works for me, and I support the shipping companies that keep my business going. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Hmm - actually I do. Might be interesting to try. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Sorry, Bill! I was quoting from Parachutist History. Thanks for letting us know. It's always good to hear from the source I'll just send of a quick email to them and let them know they got their facts wrong. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Well, he's kinda green, likes eggs, and looks like a bit of a ham for the camera. How about "Seuss"? Edit to spell the good Doctor's name correctly. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Just got a powerbook, but don't have a camera. Let us know how the chat goes - oh, yeah, do you have high-speed? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

You are *feeding* the local racoons and armidillos? Dude - you have balls! Hope it's not your house And if it's not, I hope you hate your landlord. Those things are gonna be the biggest pain in the ass for you. Maybe when you go on vacation, you can hire sitters to keep feeding them at night Seriously, they tell their friends about the free lunch, and pretty soon, you got every critter in the state digging through your trash, digging in your lawn and they'll even come inside your house if you leave a window open. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've heard that before, but I've only had two bottles in my life that I could smell/taste the odor - both in red wine. Smells like wet cardboard to me. I've been out with a few people that could detect it more often. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

1) When something bad happens, I yell "GOD DAMMIT" 2) The situation has already been damned, causing my previous reaction (see 1) 3) Not only does God exist, but he's WAY ahead of me Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Big deal . I did a tunnel camp with Renee. Twice. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Let's see. hmmm. Colorado. hmmm. hmmm. mm. Winger? Seriously, there's like John Denver, even though he wasn't from Denver, I guess. Kitaro is one of the most recognized musicians in the world, and he lives in Boulder, but he's not into big record labels, so most Americans haven't heard of him. Wind Machine if you like ambient music - they're pretty strange guys though. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Hoo-ah! I am SO jealous If anything can make me fall off the wagon, it's a good tour of the vineyards. Dude - you are such a bad influence. Rigging, sushi, drinking. Next, you'll have me shooting guns with you, and my woman will leave me for sure!! Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Oh, I don't know. If, in the early 70s, some silly Canadian told me it's OK to jump from 32,916 ft, or that it's possible to make a jump WITHOUT a parachute, I might be tempted to tell him that's the worst advice ever Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Yes, well I'm partial to people that take the time and good manners to have a nice dinner with me and other good friends

Well, I don't read the magazines, watch TV or any of that. I found myself opening the thread because I honestly had no idea who these two people were. I thought Renee might be eener I guess I don't care about celebrity gossip, but I do care about dz.com gossip Now I know - country singer and the Jerry McGuire girl. Didn't know they were married. Don't care they're divorced. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I felt the same until I realized I wanted to get my AFFI. Now I just fly on my belly to get good enough to do that. After AFFI, I'll probably pick up freeflying again for fun. I think it is possible to do both. Like has been said already, the progression is slower. But if you have the money to spend a lot of time in the tunnel, you can do both at even better speed than someone who never goes to the tunnel and only practices one discipline. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've both bruised and broken my tailbone skydiving. Not much you can do - immediately after a minor injury I usually take Aleve to keep it from swelling up - then I usually take it every 12 hours after to keep the swelling down. Usually after a few months the pain will get tolerable, and it will probably bother you periodically (twinges) for a year or more. I can tell you from experience that it's NOT a good idea to bruise your tailbone, then a few days later get on a 30-hour flight to Singapore Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The Russians only have that technology because they kidnapped German scientists. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Whenever I float, I have a fear of hitting the tail. I don't know why - probably because I've seen a dented tail that a friend of mine hit with the back of his head - improper trim on jump run combined with a poor choice of exit in a camera suit. The only way I can get this out of my head is by watching groups exit and also watching video of exits repeatedly. If the exit is proper and the plane is trimmed for jumping, the physics of it make it very hard to come close to the tail. But it can still happen, so I still get a little freaked out Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Too true! It seems like most people I know that think skydiving is dangerous don't know anything about it, other than from movies. Well, in movies, skydivers are usually on a deadly assignment, getting shot at, having parachute malfunctions and narrowly avoiding death. Maybe they should make skydiving a normal part of every Disney movie, and have the "action" sequences be when the characters are driving in cars, or walking around in their houses. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Still not quite true. When a wine is corked, it has been contaminated by tainted cork tree. The chemical in question is usually TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole). This is a naturally occurring process on older cork trees, and can be alleviated and removed by using plastic corks or screw caps. A small amount of air getting into the wine is usually a good thing (called oxidation) which help mature the wine, depending on the type of grape. Too much oxidation will ruin all wine, so it's important to have the appropriate porosity of cork (some are made in dual or triple-layers for just this), and it's also important to follow the vintner's advice about when to drink. When I used to drink, I used to read a lot about it. Sadly, this knowledge now goes to waste Edit - this is a long-winded way of me saying that Narcimund is right. I guess I should add some reference: http://www.cellarnotes.net/corked_wine.htm Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Hollywood doesn't have to portray reality to sell movies - they only have to play to peoples' limited understanding of a subject. I believe that most whuffos think that modern parachutes are round. Sometimes I still see modern movies where the hero/heroine jumps a round parachute (and I ain't talking about jumping pilot rigs, either) Seems like it wouldn't take much to just talk to one or two skydivers, have them look at the film segment, and critique it for accuracy. It still might not be perfect, but it would probably be much closer. When I was a kid, it was commonly thought that placing poodles in a microwave would make them explode. One movie came out in the 80s, where a poodle was placed in a microwave and exploded. Sadly, several people decided to go home and try it with stray or neighbor's animals. They don't explode, but they do die. Sometimes I feel stupid just by watching a movie and participating in the total lack of common sense. But I am kinda glad that Arnold got elected. Means he can't make any more movies for a while Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD