BBKid

As long as jurisdiction wouldn't be held by the FBI, go for it. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Yeeeeeah! Someone loves me - I'm going to be in a great mood when I go out on the sauce (in about an hour's time)! Beer, beer, we want more beer, Everybody's cheerin', Get the lovely beer in! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I'm not gay or owt, but my fave cocktail has to be WOW - Vodka, Archers and Cranberry juice. Tastes luverly and gets you hammered without noticing. A favourite when bought in pitchers to go between a group of friends! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Noice! But the question remains - if you're going for a Teardrop, why not get the Union Flag one on the website! I know that's what I'd order if I could afford it! Get yourself to Peterlee in June and let me have a look at that bad boy - I'll probably be in the market then (OK, I just want to fondle new rigs...) Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Just a small point, but it's the leather that protects from abraison, not the armour. The crash I referred to was a highside, in which he hit the ground at a 45 degree angle, from being flipped I would say conservatively 12 feet in the air. Oh, and he landed on his spine, then his helmet. I'm also aware that most US bikers don't wear this sort of armour, since they typically don't ride the same types of bikes as we do. Here you're almost considered stupid and reckless if you don't have at least some protection of this type when you ride. Yes, legs crumple, but crumpling legs rarely kill, it's crush injuries to chest and neck which do that, what these pads do is spread the impact to parts of the body which can take the shock better, i.e. protect the collarbone and it reduces the chance of the ribcage collapsing (and thereby preventing heart/lung damage). Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I know it doesn't sound particularly professional, but this theory is called risky shift. I just finished a thesis on this, but relating to rock climbers and risk perception. Also try looking up optimistic bias, which is the belief that bad things will only happen to those around you, but not you personally. Hope this helps, if you want more info. PM me and I'll send you a list of authors to look up. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Damn right Nac. When I was in hospital it was part of the medication - I shit you not. They wouldn't let me get up, go for a piss, eat, or sleep until I'd had a cup of tea to give me strength. Eight days in hospital with eight cups of tea a day, as well as my nutrient drinks (jaw was wired shut so liquid diet - for two months ) - can't bear the stuff now! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I remember pissing myself laughing when I was in Boston seeing all the people ordering their tea/coffee to be 5% fat, organic milk, Colombian blend, decaf. etc. I just imagined what they would do if they came to a good old fashioned greasy spoon and tried ordering that crap instead of a 10p cuppa... Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Making dreams do what you want is a completely different thing - to do with a far deeper level of sleep. I always thought sleep paralysis was just the body's way of keeping yourself safe, and the waking bit was an abnormality, but I'll trust other opinions on this. I would advise against sudden head movements, as they can be too exaggerated when you break out, and can then hit something hard. I once kicked myself out of bed because I was twitching my leg so hard - if that had been my head... Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

When it happens five nights a week you get used to it, unfortunately. You just have to learn how to jerk yourself awake, as it were! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Posting a picture like that is likely to give you a very full PM box, and give us breathing problems! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I suffer from periodical insomnia, and when I can get to sleep I frequently suffer from waking paralysis (conscious brain wakes up but body doesn't, so you can breathe and whisper, but not move - scary), so I know how hard it can be to get through the day afterwards. I know it's irresponsible to suggest it, but I never suffer these problems when I'm at college and can go for a few drinks with my friends in the evening, unlike when I'm at home with my teetotal parents. Therefore I'd suggest a couple of pints and some light-hearted banter with your pals, nothing likely to stress you out - alcohol is a suppressant after all! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Fine, don't bother to tell me how it went before everyone else! Seriously though, that bloody amazing my friend - I'm heading back to Durham on Wednesday and we have a new(ish) Let to get the experienced jumpers in the air, so it'll just be little old me in the 182. Since I can get to my DZ four times a week (exams allowing), let's have a race to the A! Loser buys beer (and airfare!) Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I still like the one where he went to visit the F.B. Aiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!! Is it 'cos I is black?? Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

The whole point of these suits is that you can crash at well over 100mph and walk away (trust me, they work). It is beyond question within the motorcycle industry that they do save lives, that's why professional racers wear them. As far as I'm aware the highest recorded speed crash was around 165mph, the nastiest I have witnessed was Chris Walker crashing at Assen at 135mph qualifying for the Dutch 500cc GP. The entire back of his helmet was ripped off, and he had one mother of a concussion, but his only other complaints were that his shoulders were a bit sore. Good enough for me! As for the flexibility issue, well, I'm not a swooper but I can tell you that riding a motorbike around a racetrack does require a lot of flexibility, and there isn't a problem there. The price on that website is abnormally high, it was just the first I could find. Mine only cost me £110 (around $170), which I think is not very much considering it could save your life or costly medical bills/insurance. I think if one top swooper started wearing one, or if there was video of someone walking away from a really nasty impact because of one a lot more people would start using them. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

This week hasn't been good, one at Hinton, one at Weston, and now Hol . I had a dream last night about something bad happening to a jumper - I know it had already happened, but it still shocked me more than normal when I read this. Blue skies! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I was just thinking that since I would never get on my bike without some sort of armour, why don't more skydivers, especially swopers, do the same? I know armour adds bulk, but these days it's getting smaller and smaller, like this stuff. It's proven to absorb huge impact forces, so could save great injuries, possibly even lives. BASE jumpers tend to wear pads fairly regularly, so why not wear them if you know you're going to be making a diving approach at the ground. Just a thought, someone's almost certainly had it already... Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I wouldn't start a nightclub, but I'd own a pub called the Slaughtered Lamb, and make sure there was a big five-pointed star on the wall next to the dartboard. Oh, and we don't serve food. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Tough cheese ! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

This was something I heard about as well, but it can also be a problem in instances of fire, such as at the WTC. The heat creates rolling turbulence similar to that experienced at some DZ's around midday, albeit to a greater extent, so a non-steerable round could e flipped straight back into a building or another person under canopy. That's not to say it wouldn't happen with a square, just that steerability would be something I would like. I've only got three normal skydives, and am not even thinking about me and BASE in the same sentence, but I know for sure I would rather use something that could glide away from a collapsing object than just descend straight through the path of any falling objects, but I practise front and rear 180 riser turns on all but my first jump, just to see how they work. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Okay, I'm ready for some flaming here, but I have a serious question. What with people working or living in high-rise buildings being nervous about possible collapse or fire these days, I'm sure you've seen ads for executive emergency parachutes etc. I read a report that concluded that about 95% of people using one of these systems would be killed as a result. So here is my question: if you knew someone in this situation who was prepared to try one of these systems in an emergency, with the other alternative being to jump to certain death, would you advise them to get a proper BASE rig (with static line), which, in my opinion, would be more likely to work and would be equipped with a modern square canopy? I realise there is a problem involved in handing out specialist gear to people with no training or experience, but if they're going to trust a dodgy ex-military round, or just jump 100 storeys to avoid death by smoke inhalation, what's the harm? Also, if the manufacturer wouldn't sell one to them for some reason, would you order it for them? Just a hypothetical question. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Sorry guys, but I took that survey weeks ago, so I'm just waiting 'til the end of the year for the phone call. Unless it's not done purely on the basis of the first response... Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Jeez, I specifically changed mine to a picture that wasn't me! I must say, I had so much more respect for jt when I thought he was a psychotic maniac ready to kill at a moment's notice ! Now he looks like my cousin. Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

I'm just waiting for [penis] to become available! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

Stop it, you know I don't like praise! Good to have you here buddy, try looking up jt, since he jumps (or does something sexual) at Perris. Edit: Yes, I am a moron, he's already posted here. D'oh!!! Nick --------------------------- "I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"