DrewEckhardt

I've seen that happened. The disk based digital video startup I worked for was acquired by Avid. They left things alone for a year apart from sending in a new manager from Boston, buying us an expensive video conferencing system, and putting us on their benefit plans. Another group wanted to replace our product with something they were building and I'd guess were getting enough political traction that Avid decided to start the end of life process, close the office, and get Indians to maintain the product. The engineers had the last laugh in the end when customer demand pushed off the end of life several times and Avid had to hire engineers back as consultants. Develop better negotiating skills so you take enough money with you once that happens and/or start meeting founders and funding sources so you can start your own non-evil company (probably a "life style business" in the vernacular, where you do OK and treat employees right but will never have a nine plus figure market cap).

I learned a few things today. Judges write bench warrants for people who don't show up. I would not want to be that guy. The county court house is for more than small claims, barking dogs, and DUIs. At least one such non-trivial trial is expected to last five or six days. Thankfully that's less than the judge's last trial which went on for months although only 105 out of the 170 potential witnesses were called. Both lawyers get 10 peremptory challenges which let them dismiss any one for any reason. Neither disliked me enough to use one. So today, Wednesday, Thursday, Monday (we get Friday off with the Judge), Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday I'm expecting to be at county court house serving as a jurist. I'll probably get my day job done in the evenings and weekend.

Well, after taking a good look at both it seems in my non-professional opinion that the PD canopies are in generally of more sturdy construction. The sewing just LOOKS so much stronger, and like it was done with more care. Also, a pilot is not an all ZP canopy, the ribs are F-111. High speed tears in F111 are more likely to be self-contained than in ZP so you may be more likely to land a canopy with 0-3 CFM load bearing ribs after a hard opening than one with ZP. 0-3 CFM ribs make the canopy easier to pack into a small volume. 0-3 CFM ribs don't have a negative effect on canopy performance. And the leakage can't be anything like it is through an open cross-port. There are only upsides apart from requiring makers to stock -3 CFM material in colors apart from the white typically used for reserves. Brian Germain also uses F111 in his ribs.

Maybe he is a PD dealer. Maybe he's thinking about the Diablo which was an answer in search of a problem. Maybe he just doesn't like the control feel or other characteristics of the Aerodyne canopies he has jumped. Maybe he doesn't like that Aerodyne does not post line trim charts on their web site directly like PD or in their electronic owners' manuals like Big Air Sportz. Ask him for specific and verifiable answers. "They are trying to get a reputation for years and there is a reason why they don't!" is neither and should be ignored. Good example statements in both areas are "Reaching the power band jumping a X square foot canopy Y takes more toggle than the same sized canopy Z from some other company and I don't like it" "I crawled inside a brand new X square foot model Y reserve and didn't find the same reinforcing tapes on load bearing ribs as on current brand W and Z products" You also need to judge companies on their current products and not past products, especially evaluated according to contemporary standards. PD's original Sabre (from 1989? which would be 20 years ago) does not stack up to modern designs in terms of control sensitivity, recovery arc, stall speed, or opening speed. PD's current products meet or exceed current market expectations. Precision's original Raven main/reserve (I have one from the late eighties) was not reinforced as heavily as a PD Reserve and did not have flight characteristics suited to contemporary wing loadings (1.0 pounds/square foot was the expected number). Their current R-Max uses similar reinforcing schemes as the PD and Smart reserves and works at current wing loadings. This also ignores that a rigging ticket doesn't mean that much in terms of gear knowledge. Mostly it's proof that the holder took the time to do twenty inspect & repacks on diverse enough gear that he was able to pass the practical examination. It didn't mean that he had to actually jump the gear in question or even observe problems that weren't caused by the user.

Arrows get re-used. Fletchings and shafts both get damaged from other arrows ending up in or nearly the same hole Bullets do not. Bullets and cartridges are the same within manufacturing tolerances. You pick cartridges with tight tolerances with bullet/powder combinations that produce the least variation with the gun and range in question.

You are going to be on sunset loads and some may be getting quite dark especially in places where nearby mountains make actual sunset earlier than the legal sunset.

While fine for a desktop which should last until it's too slow to run new applications (like high quality video or the latest Microsoft Windows) you don't want "refurbished" parts in a laptop because whatever environmental issues caused the failure which got them back to their maker the first time can create other latent issues. My second mainboard replacement was weeks after the first one because Dell installed a reworked one which then failed.

I wouldn't do that. Buy a new one instead - Fry's has some nice ones for under $350. I'd suggest a netbook (because you really don't need much horsepower for what you're doing) although I can't type that fast on the small keyboards. If you're using it for business I'd also get a service contract with on-site service so you're only down for a couple days at a time. Laptops are unreliable due to too much vibration from commuting in a car trunk or on a bicycle, heat from people using them on soft surfaces like their laps, and shock from being set down too hard on the board room table. The batteries are life-limited items that can cost $100 to replace, which is 1/3 of a totally new laptop. While you might get one that's had an easy life, you might not. I got my current laptop in April, 2008 (Dell Inspiron 1420). So far Dell has installed two new main boards and an LCD screen under warranty. I replaced the hard drive (it developed hard errors) at my company's expense because that was cheaper than waiting a couple days (I have the next business day on-site service contract, although it's always been two days) to work effectively. One of the battery packs won't charge beyond 90%; I'll probably have to replace that soon. These problems aren't specific to Dell; they're just part of the environment laptops often get used in. The only reason I'd buy a Lenovo instead of a Dell next time is that Dell's next business day service is often second business day.

Assuming a price tag comparable to other certified light sport aircraft I'd expect a price tag around $100,000. On that alone I doubt we'll see too many. The costs of annual + 100 hour inspections and life limited components will farther limit ownership. Something like the Zip Car scheme could be interesting on both counts. Under current rules you'd also need at least a regular private pilots license to operate it (because of the variable pitch prop) and perhaps a rotorcraft/helicopter license.

A nice career and understanding wife aren't impediments to skydiving frequently or doing sports expeditions. While not a reasonable exchange for no-jumping, both are more rewarding too. When you don't work too many weekends and get 29 days of paid vacation + holiday each year (I know that Europeans will laugh at that) there's plenty of room for two 9 day trips and a handful of long weekends. Not increasing your expenses to match the raises you get along the way leaves a lot more room for fun things like new gear, flying lessons, and chartered Jet Rangers for the expeditions you go on. An early start to retirement savings also means you'll be able to quit working at a reasonably young age. As an extreme example, putting 20% of your gross income into a balanced mutual fun will let maintain your current lifestyle indefinitely after 21 years. Starting at 21 you could retire at 42.

I switched from an unfaired bike (1982 Yamaha Virago 920) to a half faired one (1998 Triumph Sprint 900). My first ticket came when the amount of noise and wind suggested I was going 60 MPH (in a 55 zone) but was really going much faster. I did slow down enough to avoid being arrested although it was close and the officer was probably in a generous mood. The next bike will have a full fairing so my legs don't get as tired on long highway rides and I'll continue to watch the speedometer.

Small jumps which include at most one inexperienced skydiver are both a better learning experience for the new guy (who gets to try at more points with people who aren't moving all over or being distracted by the yahoos zooming past) and more fun for the experienced people (who can actually accomplish something - flat I can catch nearly every one with enough skill to be cleared for self supervision, and have pretty good odds head-up even with people corking. Where the other person is out second I can probably get out of the way if they get too aggressive). Depending on your experienced/inexperienced break down what would be an 8 "way" zoo is better split into a pair of four ways, two three ways and a two way, or four 2-ways. I often suggest splitting things which would get out of hand before the plane loads.

Weight is a big issue there. A 135 becomes an appropriate canopy for a 100 pound woman with a lot fewer jumps than a 220 pound man. Number of jumps (not just time in the sport) is another one. Switching canopies after one year of 50 jumps per is a bigger deal than doing so the next year after 300. I don't recall filling in my weight or jump numbers with each canopy.

There's no check box for 0 jumps in the last six months or year. Little things like bone grafts get in the way.

Zoo loads are a waste of a good jump ticket and unnecessary risk increase.

The short answer is because they can. Who'd turn down profits? The long answer would be Price Discrimination (that would be the term of art). Basic economic theory shows a demand curve which declines with increasing price. Companies maximize their profit by setting a price where units sold multiplied by (price per unit - costs per unit) is maximized. One way you do better is by producing different products (first class and coach) where the enhanced product price X unit sold gains exceed the increased cost of goods sold by enough margin. You get big volume times less profit plus small volume times big profit. My favorite example here is German cars where $50K in price separates the cost from a few hundred in electronics, a few hundred in leather, and a pair of KKK turbo chargers which I can get for $750 each on the internet. Stereo speakers with $10K in price for a few hundred in COGS are fun too. Another is by figuring out how to sell the same product to some people who are willing to pay more and others for less so you can keep the units sold and average price per unit high. That's price discrimination. The airlines getting up to $500 more for a first class seat at the time of sale compared to one at the gate (when they may have run out) is a classic example. Presumably an additional $400-$500 to guarantee a first class seat and drinks before takeoff makes the most total profit among people who can and will splurge for the experience but aren't frequent travellers. That's the other business concern - opportunity cost. First class advance sale prices are inflated so airlines can retain their base of business people who travel too much (often on short notice, with full-price tickets which are high margin) who have brand loyalty because they can get upgrades to make the experience tolerable through their mileage upgrades. Once the airline has sold as many seats as it can under that model and retained profitable business with frequent flier upgrades there's still room for more revenue. As the plane is boarding they're not going to sell many full-price first class seats; but they might eek another $100 out of a few customers less the difference spent on a bad meal versus a bag of peanuts and half a coke. The other interesting thing is that the airlines have a lot of fixed costs. Interest on the plane, costs per hour of airframe/engine time, and gate rental don't change whether 1 or 300 passengers fly. Fuel doesn't change much with each added passenger. I watched a fun Discovery Channel documentary whilst stuck in temporary housing and they showed a low-four figure (maybe $3k?) profit on a mostly full New York to LA flight so significant profit increases come at 17% profit from one full-price first class ticket sale (that flight doesn't have the same small difference in prices due to business demand) and 3% (plus drinks which are almost pure profit) times a few from paid upgrades.

Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Myleene-Klass-Knife-Warning-Marks-And-Spencer-Model-Warned-Over-Waving-Kitchen-Knife-At-Teenagers/Article/201001215518164?lpos=Showbiz_News_Carousel_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15518164_Myleene_Klass_Knife_Wa It's nice to see that some countries have accomplished what America is trying to do. In America, we treat junior high and highschool students with the audacity to defend themselves the same as their attackers, suspending both or sending them to alternative learning environments. Unfortunately most jurisdictions still condone adult violence when self defense is presented as an excuse. Seeing countries which treats its adult citizens the same as our children gives me hope that we can have paternalistic world where violence of any sort is not tolerated, regardless the reason. Although I may be unable to do much, we let our children vote at 18 and they've had plenty of experience in how the world should work. In a generation or two we'll be just like the UK, except without the silly accent and no Union Jack.

One of my grandpas died young, perhaps due to a diet including lard sandwiches. It's sad when a family member passes at 88 instead of 90 something. Genetics and exercise have at least as much to do with longevity as diet.

Hmmm.... in your opinion, is this a function of being a freefly suit with a closed leg cuff and no booties, or simply because it's baggy? Just because it's baggy. A tight freefly suit at a DZ where people still have more drag is going to have you back flying or getting creative with your back and the insides of your legs to get enough lift to maintain a comfortable head-up fall rate. That seems difficult to me; although I grew up before there were wind tunnels.

Good guess The Heretic titanium is $275,000 in the US http://www.ecossemoto.com/PDF/Press/MCN_Nov21_Ti.pdf and prices seem to go up from there, with ES1 projected prices at $330,000 to $1.5M. http://www.ecossespirit.com/PDFs/Motorcyclist%20Nov%202007%20inside.jpg%20@%2025%25%20(RGB-8).pdf

There isn't enough oil flowing through the push rods and getting splashed up on the valve covers to transfer appreciable heat to them.

That's the caveat. As an experienced skydiver I can flat fall fast in my free fly suits and am still level with flat formations when I turn around 360 degrees even though I'm not at a neutral fall rate; although as a beginning skydiver I'd be stiff and slow in the suit (which would mean trouble getting in), and wouldn't have stayed level that far outside my neutral fall rate.

Your salary isn't high enough to afford an allowance for a woman who'll overlook any shortcoming you can bring to the table. Since it's pretty hard to add a digit to fix that problem you'll want to take the practical approach. Stop "trying," do a variety of interesting things you otherwise enjoy, be open to getting to know the women who you cross paths with along the way, and date the ones you really like when they come along. After enough tries there's often one that really fits. First there's an omnipresent overnight bag. Then your socks get evicted into the boxer drawer and you loose a corner of the bathroom. Eventually much of your closet space is gone and when you have more than one bathroom you have one less. Somewhere along the way you can honestly say "No, I don't love my cat more than you," could spend your life with her, pop the question, get married, be overly smoochy and disgusting around your unmarried friends, and worry about things like how you can both retire sooner so you can travel more together. No, although if we're just being superficial there are plenty of women who'd rather date a guy who's 5'10 and has a $200K compensation package. You'll be happier sooner if you figure out what's important for long term happiness. Women with personality and intelligence enough to make you laugh often who are competitive at the scrabble board and racquetball court are a lot more enjoyable than ones who are merely blonde and size zero.

I'm shocked the Porter didn't even get an honorable mention.

Among drugs commonly used for recreational purposes, alcohol and tobacco are the most lethal per 100,000 users. Why shouldn't others (e.g., cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, etc.) be legal? That would reduce the money available to important government agencies like the DEA and private prison owners. Personally I'm all for total legalization. I'd rather a pot head ask for brownie mix than stumble across a grower's booby trap in national forest. I'd rather kids wanting to trip on X be overly touchy-feely when they get the real thing than getting whatever cheap substitutes the chemists mixed in illegal pills. Coke users wouldn't be so bad if they could stay home and be paranoid instead of doing sleazy things to feed their expensive habit. I worry more about meth cookers blowing up the apartment next to mine than tweekers on the bus. The risks to me as an innocent bystander come nearly entirely from the fact that most recreational drugs are illegal. Beyond that I like to eat my wife's gourmet cooking. I love to chow down on a stream of tasty hors d'oeuvres leading up to the succulent entree. I have fond memories of the chef ending tantalizing amuse bouches to my table. They can have my fork when they pry it from my cold dead fingers. If the government can protect us from things like alcohol (currently 85,000 annual fatalities) and drugs (currently 15,000 from illicit drugs), they can do something to 'help' those of us who eat poorly and get too little exercise resulting in 400,000 fatalities each year. California has already banned trans-fats in restaurants and the rest of the country follows their lead. While I don't like unnatural foods, butter is bound to follow on the slippery slope to a federally mandated boring diet. Duck fat works for a lot of French cooking but a man needs his pastries. I digress while I digest. Most of the expensive and dangerous consequences of illegal drugs come from them being illegal. Let people do what they want, apply the laws against intoxication to the ones who drive/fly/operate day care centers under the influence, and spend less on treatment than you would to jail the ones who'd like to stop using since that's cheaper (prison is pushing $40,000 a year in high-cost states). The few more thirty-something people that end up with heart problems from too much coke can keep those of us who there for dangerous sports accidents company.