Cajones

Okay... Here's the plan. Pack it in your freebag, and tell your rigger it's his as a gratuity if it's there at the next repack cycle... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Have your rigger pack it in your reserve, so next time you cutaway, you'll cutaway that "symbol" at the same time... Cachink!! Pop! Whoof!!! :: ring tumbling away :: "Buhbye spinning malfunction!... Hello beautiful!" The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

It really depends primarily on the capture card you are planning to use. Most of my experience with RT (real-time) cards is in the Pinnacle line. If you don't need RT editing (you are looking at a huge jump in $$$ going to RT), then many of the basic 1394 cards will work just fine with a broader compatibility. Historically the Intel processors are less problematic, and more stable. They cost more than the AMD's for equivalent processing power, but worth it in a build-your-own scenario. I have come to prefer the Intel motherboards for a solid-stable system. I have used an ASUS motherboard for a recent build, however, and was more than pleased with the end result. It used the same 850 chipset I have been utilizing with the Intel branded boards, but had some nice BIOS level "tweaking" that was very easy to use and upped the total system output by a nice little margin. The system is used for editing and for serious gaming - the benchmarks were enough to make the customer giddy. If you are looking for a robust solution, with the smallest geek factor, I'd go with the Intel 850EMV2 line of mobo's. There is the "R" option that includes support for 1066 memory. If you opt for the R, understand that 1066 memory still has issues. You can still put 800MHz memory on these boards, though. This line has USB 2.0, and LAN included. It is the ONLY mobo that has not had problems with the "extra" USB ports. Even the ASUS had some strange problems with devices connected to the front panel USB ports. Buy a retail boxed version of the Pentium 4. The 2.53MHz is pretty much the sweet spot per dollar, right now. Two 256MB RIMMs will give you enough memory to do most anything, and leave room for two more sticks later. Go for the WD "Special Edition" 7200RPM drives. One for the system, and one for capture. By far the best value in drives suitable for an edit machine. From here, it's a real mix of power and value considerations. I have helped a friend set up an editing/gaming machine with a Creative Labs sound card that has a 1394 port included. It works great with Windows 2000 and XP. I have likewise set up a system with the 1394 port included with the video card (ATI 8500DV) which worked just fine with Windows 2000, but had issues under XP. If you price out the standard parts (mobo, processor, hard-drives, memory, CD-ROM or -RW or DVD-RW, floppy, and a good case w/320 watts minimum) and decide on which operating system you prefer, then figure out how much is left in your budget, I'll give you some recommendations on capture cards, video cards, sound cards, and software to finish out your system. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Good advise, Phree. There are also some very good aftermarket chargers that sense the state of a battery, and will "condition" most any type of battery. They are cheaper than the Sony chargers, to boot. Try the Maha C277PlusII. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I think the most common one is yelling "BEER!" anytime the word "First" pops up. I've even found myself casing the television... Sad. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

::: GROUP HUG ::: In the movie, they smoked some ganja, too... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

My sincere condolences, Bro... When one door closes... Get out there and find that door! The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I'm pretty tolerant, but his little crack about the cow to Chille put me over the edge... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Beach Volleyball? Extreme? I hope it's topless, or maybe they use a volleyball that randomly explodes... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

You need to be careful how you talk to my Brother... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

The worst thing that could happen is you could get seriously maimed. You could die, but you might just get all messed up, and live. If you fall out of the airplane before the JM's are "ready" they have messed up, and you should just do what you were taught (you went up in the airplane to fall out, anyhow). If you cut away a bag lock and it falls into the inflated reserve, it will just slide off of the reserve, and fall past you (don't try to catch it at this point in your skydiving career - just keep flying your reserve). If you get a cramp in freefall, it will just hurt. Endure a little pain (if you even notice it with all of that adrenalin). If you are a poor spotter, your Instructors will refine your spotting skills. They check the spot after you, and bad spots happen to all of us. Find an alternate landing area (do what you've been taught about landing). If you land in Scotland, try to land near a good pub. Don't make me ask if you want some cheese with your whine... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I can go to my grave in peace, finally... Thank you. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I can't believe you people are feeding this Troll?!?! The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

All that other crap and NO TEQUILA? WTF??? You have nothing if you have no Blue Agave!!! Your life is worthless! Have you considered suicide? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I ran 6.0 under the 815 and 850 (Both Intel) chipsets flawlessly (Windows 2000). I have gone through many unstable/aggravating configurations over the last 5 or 6 years. Mostly what it has taught me is that the manufacturers and software people have already done most of the frustrating work. Recommended configurations almost always cost more than the "value" systems, but pay considerably in time/frustration saved. My first rock-solid Pentium based editing system was a 440BX dual-processor, with NT4.0 (before then - you couldn't pry me away from my Mac). I used only tested components and was shocked at the stability and performance. For the money I had invested, I could not believe what I had. I put it up against much more expensive Macs and smoked them. It was a landmark for me in regards to editing computers and a turning point for many of my customers. I presently run a P4/850 chipset, 1GB RAM, Windows 2000, and here's a shocker - 160GB of ATA drives (non-SCSI!). The drives are 8MB buffered A/V drives, so they cost just a tad more than typical U133 drives. The 800MHz RAM screams - 1066RAM is still problematic. I have both a DVD1000 real-time card, and a 3-port Belkin 1394 card. Both run seamlessly on this configuration with Premiere 6.5 and Avid 3.0 w/Powerpack. I will go to Avid 3.5 when I change to XP Pro. There are still stability issues with XP and some of my CODECs (especially Corona) - so, again, the name of the game is reliability. If you are editing for fun, and want to use your existing hardware: I like Studio 8. I've seen it in action. It is more intuitive than Premiere, seems to be more broadly compatible and considerably cheaper. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Very kewl, Dave. I started shooting video years ago at a small Cessna-only DZ. We didn't have any professional (read - made a living from skydiving) skydivers, but had a great crew, nonetheless. It wasn't uncommon for us to shoot videos for slot only, and shoot "spec video" for tandems unsure if they wanted video. If one of the DZOs felt like it - he/she'd say "go shoot his for spec." You could say "no" if you had something else to do, but if they bought the video you got a few bucks; if not, you got a free jump. It was all good at a small laid-back DZ. I'm sure it's still the standard at a lot of DZ's, and nice that it is so. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

I agree. It sucked a$$. The almost random camera angles and movements, the odd lighting and perspectives. Looked like it was edited by four people and spliced together by a fifth. Adam Sandler did a respectable job of portraying a moron with some very deep issues. More if an indy feel, with 70's style quasi-kaleiescope transitions and very few points to consider comical, few points to consider dramatic, and barely one scene that could be classed as action. Let's call it an hour-and-a-half you could get equal entertainment from spent at the coin laundry. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Oh crap, I thought it was to begin Project Mayhem! I guess I better go take that billboard down and put one up with some big, round, firm melons... The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

That sounds about right. It really depends on where you work. I've worked at a DZ where you made $25/jump - they said "same as the JM's" (everyone was paid the same). Another DZ I work at pays $48/tandem video - but you have to shoot stills on every load. I've heard of even higher pay for "regular" tandem/student videos, but I think those are rare. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

My home DZ is over eight hours away. I was living there, until I moved north to be with my girly. Now if I can just find a source of income... Anyone looking for a guy who can do anything in the Cincinnati area? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Another factor in the guy with the chest mounted VCR: He had a tandem harness on, and had gone on a tandem with his video gear on a previous load. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

And it's plugged in close to the door, so it'll be close to the extinguisher, right? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Yea, I saw that t-shirt that says "I love the smell of jet fuel..." How often do you have to refill it??? The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

Everything is still on schedule! The only variable still in the mix is the DVD master. End of December is supposed to be on the conservative side, so hopefully it may happen sooner (plan on 12/24, and hope for the best). The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

::: clapping hands ::: HooYaaa! The laws of physics are strictly enforced.