Cajones

Very nicely put. Poetic interpretation of what I consider "true" love... Here's my take: True love differs from the plain variety in the inclusion of the head along with the heart. I've loved with my heart, knowing in my head it just wasn't all there. Sort of a trap cupid lays for us. Of course, I'm male, so it could be I got horny at the wrong time with the wrong person (being honest here - but we'll leave that to a different thread). People fall in and out of love all the time. We are individuals, and we are going to disagree on something, sooner or later. True love makes the stand that, no matter what, this person is my best friend, as well as my lover, and a good person - I will be patient. We will fall back in love, and I will still be here for him/her. Even when my heart is hurting, my mind knows I belong with this one person. You just have to decide - this is the one. Stand on your integrity, trust each other, communicate, nurture, explore everything together, experience everything together, and when things are bad, remember who you (collectively) are. True love has patience. What would I do for true love? I'd be patient. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Macs are great for the not-so-computer-literate, and great for video editing, too. You can get most software that you'd want for the Mac, and they tend to be rock-solid stable. Premiere (which you mentioned you had access to) is nearly identical across both platforms. Avid is identical across both platforms, too (if you can get Avid or Premiere - go for the Avid). If you decide to go non-Mac, you can add a Firewire card to most any (don't even consider an e-machine) for about $60. Additional storage can be added, pretty easy, to most computers (ask the salesperson). For video editing, I recommend a second/dedicated hard-drive for video capture/editing. The Sony line comes with Firewire ports, and basic editing software. If possible a few extra dollars spent on XP Pro will pay for itself in stability. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Do have to do it at the exit point? Might make things a little slippery. Although, it could be a good excuse on a bust... "I slipped and fell! Go up there and look, there's something slippery near the edge!... Good thing I had this parachute on!" The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Thank you Tom, for putting it all down. I do not mind my name being used at all. I work on the Bridge Day video, where my name appears for NPS or whoever wants to buy a copy can read it. I avoid site names, even to BASE jumpers I do not know. I am a very inexperienced jumper, and respect from my peers and mentors is a two way street. Guidance from a BASE jumping mentor has given me insight into site naming I want to share. We were talking to a wuffo, and I mentioned a specific, legal, site. This mentor wisely ignored what I had said and steered the conversation away from BASE jumping. After the conversation ended, he politely explained site naming like this: We do not name sites. Inquiries into actual BASE jumping locations are, by far, the first avenue of contact with a potential jumper. These inquiries open dialogue to determine a potential jumpers skill/training/knowlege. It allows us the opportunity to guide each other in the direction of what's safe for each of us. What's tested and proven. Without this opportunity, there is the possibility of a "everyone's jumping off this thing - it must be safe" mentality [since this conversation - this scenario has happened - tragically]. The internet is a double-edged sword in our world. It is a great place to find information. It is also a terrible place to find information. Site inquiries should be discreet - even if they are legal. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Party foul! Please go back and edit your post and remove the site name. Leave site names to PM's. Tom (the moderator) has a pretty strict policy against naming - even legal sites. Edit because my spelling sucks today. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I hope you weren't looking for symathy, here... Seriously, keep shopping for a good Sony. If you can't afford a Sony - keep saving 'til you can. Putting off your purchase until you can afford a quality camera is worth the wait. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

The problems with the Sony MD camcorder was the capacity (less than 15 minutes at 640x480 30fps) and there was no computer interface. The capacity limit kept mainstream consumers from buying (which made the demand too low to keep marketing it), and the lack of a computer/camera-to-camera interface helped keep it out of skydiving. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Firewire would have been better for most of us. The USB 2.0 standard claims faster speeds than Firewire, but the way the bus works is different. Because of this, unless the camera is the only device on the USB controller, the bandwidth becomes shared - even if the other devices aren't using any of the available bandwidth. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

This could be interesting... Sure it doesn't do firewire, etc... The non-linear storage is the really intriguing thing, to me. It could allow us to capture footage from our cameras faster than we can using a playback and capture method. Ideally, you would download the footage (segments already divided up into different file names), drag and drop them on a timeline, drop music on the timeline, set the audio fades, tweak the cuts and dissolves, and export to DVD/SVCD in less time than it takes to actually watch the raw footage... Hmm... Where's that Sony rep when you need her??? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Not sure about the angle, but the .3 diamond sounds like a "must-have" for filming from your hand. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Very true that a lark's head is stronger than just looping the line through the attachment and fingertrapping. The lark's head tightens under pressure. "Gripping" the attachment loop, if you will, and spreading the forcees out over more of the line. I'm not sure why the manufacturer chose to attach the line with a loop. The loop would allow the suspension line and attachment point more freedom to move - more of a joint than a connection. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I have tried a few x-braced canopies. Loads of fun. The swoop power of the Velocity was enough to make me giggle on landing. I chose not to go coss-braced because of the "rougue openings" - I never knew how it would open. Pucker factor on opening is already there, sometimes, with a camera on my head. Rolling over, low, after watching a tandem open (or whatever), and pitching in less than ideal body position amplifies this unpredictability factor. I lost a Stilleto 150 because of this sort of scenario. I had seven jumps on it. I now jump a Samurai 150 (loaded 1.7). Consistent openings, forgiving, easy on the neck bones, very long glide (opening low can also hose you on the spot), and still plenty of fun. For me - the ideal balance of fun/performance and function. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I definitely use camera suits. Lew hasn't had a real need for one, yet - but she's getting one. It goes back to "dress for success." I didn't use my camera wing much in Eloy, 'cause most of the good RW already had a camera flyer on the load. My camera wing gives me incredible range. It also allows me to fly in a formation burble confidently. I fly a Da'Kine two piece that is multi-layered in all the right places for the majority of my camera simply because it is my most expressive configuration. By that, I mean I can fly in any orientation without thinking about my wing symmetry. My flight becomes second or third in my mind, as I can think about light and framing without distractions. The word on the street is that Da'Kine is closing its doors. If that happens, I'll most likely switch to Firefly. I've looked closely at some of their two and three piece (pants, jacket, wing-jacket) suits - they seem to have excellent construction, and top-notch customer service. This, and the innovation, of Da'Kine rags has been a big asset in the suits that I choose to fly in. Bottom line - Dress for success. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I'm not here to burst your bubble, but remember skydiving is full of people from all walks of life. Some of us are in the film industry, where these little doodads are already being used. Others might be film school students, where these little doodads are shiney little trinkets that professors want to play with (and students get to play with them, too). I can assure you this technology has been used in the past, and I see it maturing very soon. I can also assure you that you are not the only skydiver that is a dealer for microoptical. They are in business, just as many of us are - to feed ourselves. If that means the market will support multiple dealers - that's what you'll find. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

If you can get a job teaching video editing at a major university, you could use their Silver stations. If you want to buy one for yourself, I'll put you in touch with my Avid rep. $19k is only for a single workstation, though - you might want to start saving for a system with a central store and a render farm to round out your suite. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Light is transmitted through transparent LCD's on the HUD in the Cadillac's night vision system. Just another method of projection. The pixels are too large for a head mounted projector, but the technology is there to make it work. Bottom line on the present generation - great tool for "special" shots where the camera is remotely operated, but the conventional viewfinder is not feasable. The hard part of that bottom line is the price tag. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Transparent LCD's are already in use for HUD's. The problem with the ones in use is they are too big for HUD's of this nature. Part of good HUD development is the use of focal length. Fooling your eyes into thinking something is further away than it really is. This illusory effect is seen in the MV-1 and CV-1 you are using. The introduction of transparent LCD's of high enough resolution will bring the cost of these devices down, and eventually eliminate the 64 color barrier. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Important Question: How much money do you have? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I definitely prefer the CV-1. It's only 64 colors, but the contrast of text on the background isn't always enough to see in monochrome. Quite expensive. Probably too expensive for most skydivers in the present form. The next generation of transparent LCD's (already in use elsewhere) should bring these things mainstream - just have to be patient (6months-1year at best). The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I tried the 950, when noone at Sony could tell me about the iris issues of the 900. It had the same issues. There are a few 900's in use out there (mostly for belly flying) that work without the flutter problem. I have not been able to find a reason a few of them seem to have reduced flutter over others (must be some tolerance issue). I can assure you many 900's and the 950 I tested were sealed well. If you MUST have 3-chip, find a VX-1000 or spring for the VX-2000. If you are really serious, go for the PD-150. The PD-150 is my camera of choice, but you are risking lots of ching ($$$) for a somewhat arguable gain in video quality. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Words like Love and Joy and Freedom come to mind. There is nothing better to share with friends that our time in the sky. My videos are a scrapbook of the best of those times. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

She's already been made legitimate, and so have you. Better get on and update your profile (and CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD) before someone else does... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I must be missing something... What do you mean??? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

You are now Faro Rodriguez (Faro is the Mexican word for Beacon). The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Just a little heads up for the new Brothers out there... You might want to go to the RodriguezBrothers.com website and update your profile and CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD before someone does it for you. It has become a pastime of some of the Brothers to find profiles that have not been updated and make those changes and change the password. Your username is your new RB name, and your password is the same (case sensitive). Send me a JPEG you'd like to have with your profile, and I'll put it up, too. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.