freefal

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Everything posted by freefal

  1. I always liked "the stranger"... Ya know when you sit on your hand until it falls asleep?!?! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  2. Just take a little sip of the Kool-Aid... The space ship will be arriving soon! I refuse to join Facebook as well. My wife has an account so she keeps up with most of our friends that are on there. I just really don't want another inbox to check or have to deal with refusing invites from people I don't necessarily want to keep in touch with. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  3. That forum is hilarious! I thought skydivers were a pretty funny group to hang around with, but I was almost crying I was laughing so hard after reading some of those posts. Such as... "it's like a 1,000 little gnomes with icey hands massaging your boys." "cornstarch... jesus. What are you baking a cake? Put a little flour, sugar and a couple eggs and you could make some nut cookies down there." "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  4. I'm not sure what your situation is, but if you're starting from scratch and want to learn a computer aided drafting program I would recommend some type of BIM (Building Information Modeling) software such as Revit. In Autocad you construct 2D (and sometime 3D) views of different part of the building, machine, etc. In a BIM program like Revit you create a 3D virtual model of the building, machine, etc... and you can coordinate all the pieces (ductwork, lights, panels, etc) much easier and multiple people can work on the same "model" so coordination is a required part of the design... not something to deal with during construction. And since it's 3D you can make renderings and "virtual tours" much easier. Although it is still a new software program in some industries, I see Revit as the next step in the evolution of drafting. From hand drawn, to AutoCAD to Revit. So if you're going to learn something, why not learn the most current technology. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  5. This may sound silly, but chewing gum seems to help me avoid tensing up. It somehow takes my mind off everything and I can just relax and breath alot more smoothly. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  6. You mean other than Eloy? Scottsdale isn't really between Tucson and San Diego, but if he's going to be in Phoenix there is all kinds of stuff to do and see around town. It realy depends on what type of stuff they want to do, ie. Outdoorsy stuff like hiking (depending on what time of year), "indoorsy" stuff like art museums or shopping, going to nice restaraunts or great hole-in-the-wall type places, etc. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  7. For everyone who pays off their balance each month, (I'm in that catagory to) one thing to look out for is when the bill comes. The credit card companies are looking for every oportunity to get more income from their current customers, so even if you've been loyal for years and are used to getting your bill from HappyCreditCard Co. on the 26th of each month, it could start showing up on the 5th for some strange reason and then you could end up with a late fee. It's not a big deal if you notice the paper copy in the mail, but if you do everything on line it can get missed. And the late fees can of course change at the card companies discretion so it could be a lot more than you expected. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  8. Add something to the ad about a really odd physical feature like "Hairy toes are a plus!" or "If you have those wired stubby midget-like thumbs, I like that!" And definately say something about cooking so you seem even more chauvinistic. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  9. I would have to go with Chuck... But it's a moot point since everyone knows Jimmy Coiner could beat both of them in their sleep! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  10. "16) You measure distance in minutes." That reminds me of a friend from that part of the country who measured distance in "farsees"... Two farsees means "Ya go as far as ya can see, then as far as ya can see again." "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  11. ... And if you want a good cigar that goes with just about any skotch, try an Ashton VSG. It's by far, one of my favorites. Sorry, I guess I'm pulling this thread a bit off track... back to the skotch talk! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  12. I've tried a handful of skotches (single malts and blends) and my favorite so far is Cragganmore. I'm always in the mood to try a new skotch (and a cigar) so if anyone has any reccomendations like, "If you like _____ (Cragganmore) you should definately try_______" then please post them so we can all expand our horizons a bit. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  13. Anybody flying into Midway around the 26th or 27th and back out on Sunday night or Monday? If so do you want to share a ride? Or if there are any Chicago folks who I might be able to get a ride with in exchange for some gas money, and maybe some road head please let me know. Don't worry, as long as you have cruise control, I should be able to drive just fine with you 'down there'! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  14. I think as long as you say, "That is gay as balls" then you're ok. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  15. One of the reasons to use USGBC's LEED system for comparison/accreditation is that a lot of the items that "monkycndo" mentioned are included in the point system used to certify a building (be it a home or a commercial building). Sustainable design and construction does not just mean using "earth friendly" materials or piece of Energy Start rated equiment. Bigger picture things like building orientation, site development, sourcing local/regional materials, etc. can have a much larger impact on the sustainability or "greeness" of a building so they are very important to consider and that's why they're included in the LEED system. The point mentioned above about being more marketable is definately a plus for any type of construction, but another thing to consider is that it may not be an option in the future. I can't legally design the same commercial building that I did 10 years ago due to the energy code requirements that are now in place. This trend toward more code required energy efficiency is bound to continue, so why not plan for it now. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  16. At a seminar yesterday, my Dad found out that there are 8 agencies who can issue a "green" certificate, which makes it even more confusing for a consumer. As has been stated above, one problem with "green" anything is quantifying it and comparing apples to apples. There are a ton of people using the green buzzwords (sustainable, environmentally friendly, green___) but the most trusted and influential "agency" that I know of is the USGBCs LEED program (United States Green Building Council... Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). In addition to their commercial building certifications they also have a residential portion http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147 The main benifit to LEED vs. some other "agencies" is that LEED certification can result in alot of tax rebates and other discounts and, most importantly, it is a QUANTIFIABLE point-based certification so you can tell how "green" one home is compared to another. (Talk about keeping up with the Joneses!) In response to your comment about it being a generational thing, I agree that has been the case for a long time. At first, it was just the "hippies" who did all that green stuff, then it was most of the "younger generation", but with all of the government policies, certifications and rebates/promotions available now, and with the increases in energy rates, having a green home can end up costing the consumer less in the long run. The real question related to money is how long it takes to pay for whatever sustainable feature(s) you have. This really depends on the local energy rates, utility company rebates, and tax incentives though so it can very quite a bit across the country. Sorry for the long post, but this is some of the stuff I deal with at work as an engineerd. Chris (P.E., LEED ap) "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  17. I was in the same boat you are in quite a few years ago when I was putting together my first rig. I ended up getting everything new, except for the reserve. I put an old 5-cell reserve in my fancy new rig and unfortunately had to use it after a while. On my first jump under it, one of the toggles stuck and I almost had a not-so-graceful reserve landing, so I got rid of it the next day and ordered a new reserve. My advice to you would be to get the newest reserve you can. Used is ok, but get the newest model from whatever manufacturer you can due to the manufacturing advances mentioned above. In the end, the most important things are a good container and a good reserve. Everything else can be used and ugly until you save up enough money for that nice new main or other accessory. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  18. For video of 4-way VFS exist, I would suggest finding clips from teams like Arsenal, Mandrin or Hybrid XP. There are links to most of their individual team sites on theVRW4way web page: http://www.vrw4way.com/index.asp Due to the fact that VFS is evolving so quickly though, the best advice you can get for technical things like exits (especially 4-way exits) is to actually get some coaching or talk to some experienced VFS flyers. Even if you’re working on 2-way exits you can still apply a lot of the 4-way ideas to some aspects of the exits and docks. Since things are still changing so much, different teams will often launch the same piece different ways depending on their individual team strengths. A video can show you what the exit from a certain team looked like back when they made the video, but they have probably tweaked it somehow or learned something new so they aren’t doing it the same way now. What a video can’t show you is the little things like how to visualize the exit sequence, how aggressively to push/pull, what to do with your hips, head, etc. Since you’re in TX, try to talk to the VIBE guys out at Skydive Dallas. They have a lot of experience with competitive freeflying (2-way) and I believe they’re competing in VFS (4-way) now. Video is a great tool, but without a good description of what’s going on it only goes so far. The more you can talk to different people and learn what works for them and why, the better you’ll be able to progress. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  19. Dont Bogart the Cock!! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  20. My favorite speech imediment joke: This guy owns a horse farm, and gets a call from a friend "I know this midget with a speech impediment who wants to buy a horse, I'm sending him over." The midget arrives, and the owner asks if he wants a male or female horse. "A female horth," the midget replies. So the owner shows him one. "Nith looking horth, can I thea her mouth?" So the owner picks up the midget and shows him the horse's mouth. "Nith mouth. Can I thea her eyesth?" So the owner picks up the midget and shows him the eyes. "Ok, what about the earsth?" Now the owner is getting pissed, but he picks up the midget one more time and shows him the ears. "OK, finally, I d like to thea her twat," said the midget. With that, the owner picked up the midget and shoved his head up the horse's twat, then pulled him out. Shaking his head, the midget says, "perhapth I should rephrasthe. I'd like to thea her run!" "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  21. Food dissappears pretty quickly when left on the table in our office break room. So I replaced the creamy centers of about a dozen Oreos with toothpaste and brought them in to the office. Most people spit them out, but one guy ate almost three of them and kept asking if they were the new mint kind. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  22. I used to sit in a box all day and draw pictures of ugly gray boxes (Electrical Engineer). Now I sit in a bigger box with a window and a door and tell other people to draw pictures of ugly gray boxes. (Project Manager) I'm thinking about going into door-to-door gynecology though. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  23. Although the natural vs. man made argument was somewhat resolved above, would that also apply to plants like salvia or peyote (other the other legal cacti), mushrooms, or things like psychoactive toads, ayahuasca tea? Heck, even nutmeg is supposedly somewhat psychoactive when prepared correctly. Should those be legal to? I personally think so. Partially because they are natural (it's kind of silly for a government to tell you that you can't have something that essentially "grows on trees") but also, and more importantly, because they are generally less toxic to the body than the "made made" substances like cocaine, heroine, PCP, etc. I think billvon makes a good point about the effects on the human body being more of an arguement than the "man made" vs, "natural" approach. If we all lived in a village somewhere on a remote island and we knew that every time Bob ate a certain plant, he went nuts and started uncontrollably destroying things, then we might all agree that no one can eat that plant. If instead Bob just giggled a bunch, or stared off into space, or walked around in circles until he fell down, then we would probably laugh at him for being a waste of space, but since it didn't really hurt anyone else, we probably wouldn't make any rules about that plant. In the end, it comes down to what the people think is acceptable. As the medival alchemist Paracelsus said, "All substances are poisons: there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy." "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!
  24. freefal

    I am....

    It's not gay unless your balls touch... if you only stick it halfway in you;re just curious. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life!