tbrown

Oh just go and try the real thing, it's not THAT bad ! Besides, any kid who goes to high school can probably get you some. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Wouldn't be very safe. No doubt it could work, but how would you get it off ? There's no release, you proposing to cut it off with a razor or something (eewwww) ? If you wanna cock ring, spend the dough on one with a proper release. (Not that I would know, I'm just very well read....) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Wasn't Shannon's death due to a medical condition that just happened to occur as she was opening ? That's what we've heard, that she bled out from the same thing that killed John Ritter. Also, as she had just been in a world record that day, isn't there a rule about "all participants must live for 24 hrs" for the record to be valid ? Did that become an issue in validating the 2002 record ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Right after 9/11 we were very careful to emphasize that this was NOT supposed to be a war against Islam. I mean we even trotted Muhammed Ali onto the TV to mumble about what a religion of peace Islam is, and GOD (not Allah) knows we all love Ali to pieces (and I still do...). But a lot has changed since 2001. This conversion/death story is taking place in a country Americans have fought and died for ? Not to mention the bullshit going on in Iran, Iraq and the Middle East. I think it's time we recognized the fact that we ARE in a World War with Islam. It's already begun. We can relax, we didn't start it, they did. But it's on. Actually it's been going on ever since the inception of Islam in the 7th century. These people want nothing less than to conquer the world and impose their will on it. That's what Jihad is, it's in their fucking scriptures. This war has been fought ever since, flaring up every few centuries and now it's back in the nuclear age. And it's time WE ended it. To further let guilty consciences (like mine used to be) off the hook, the fact that this war has already begun means we no longer have a choice. These people will KILL you. They will kill your family, your children, anybody they can, because you are you and not one of them. They don't give a shit about you. We no longer have any obligation to "understand" anything about them, beyond which they are the mortal enemy and a clear threat to our values and way of life. Secondly, being anti-Islamic is not racist. I despise racism. Islam is not a race, it is an infectious and perverted religious ideology practiced by people of all races around the world - Arabs, Asians, Africans, Europeans, even Americans (who had better make up their minds which side they're on and soon). It's a pity to have to make such dehumanizing and demonizing statements about people, but the time for "understanding" is past. there's nothing more to understand and a war cannot be fought effectively if you have a shred of human feeling for your enemy. I'm only saying now what everyone will be saying after the next 9/11. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Great story, nice shot, one less Muslim in the world. But a Cruise Missile would've been just as accurate and would've taken out the whole building. Fuck 'em if it's a hospital, they shouldn't have let the guy inside. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Linda Ronstandt (only her early stuff) I really love the records she made with Nelson Riddle's Orchestra, like "What's New". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Doesn't a rigger check the condition of the pilot chute as part of the regular repack ? Most repacks my rigger lets me put on my rig and pull the ripcord right there in the loft, so I get some practice and he gets a look at how the p/c launches. But he's not just packing a canopy, he's packing the whole system. I would think a rigger would speak up about a marginal pilot chute, or perhaps even refuse to pack the reserve if the p/c was really limp or shabby. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No offense, maybe it's because I started in the sport when it was practically unheard of for anyone (other than S/L students) to jump a rig they hadn't packed for themselves, but this is just mind-blowing to me. I just don't see where using a packer makes a person safer. If anything, packing your own gear, at least some of the time makes you safer by keeping you on more intimate terms with your rig and the condition it's in. And every now and then you hear about some boogie that had 8 cutaways in a single afternoon and that makes me think Uncle Fester must be on the loose again. The one other thing I do for extra safety is I now carry my copy of my Cypres Owner's Manual in my gearbag - just in case anybody has a question or issue about their Cypres. I am NOT an authority on the Cypres and I don't go talking about them either. But IF somebody voices a concern, I can tell them I have a copy of the manual and they're welcome to have a look if they think it will help. Hasn't happened yet, but it's there anytime somebody wants to find an answer. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Dude, you obviously don't appreciate big girls. I'm married to one who is absolutely great. And you've pissed off a few more here, who I'm also sure are absolutely great. Don't go skipping through a minefield and then complain when you blow yourself up. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You indicate in your profile that you like Formation Skydiving. Elsinore will be holding one of their monthly Excel Camps, which is a FREE relative work clinic run by the Gravity 4 Way team every month. It's lots of fun and you can put on a 4 Way group and even get a vidiot to jump with you for the price of a lift ticket. Perris also has great RW organizers for different experience levels. The Fury 4 Way team usually has at least one team member organizing small groups for some very fun & challenging dives. There are also organizers at Perris doing larger groups, more in the 8-12 way kind of size. Either place is fun and welcomes visitors. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I haven't seen any of your films, but if you're talking about something like Candida Royale's films, they have some humor, decent acting,plot, and a view of sexuality that makes me feel happy about being human & not like I need a shower just from watching. I'm just old enough to have enjoyed some of the better porn of the seventies and eighties and have been generally turned off by the depressing ugliness of most contemporary porn. If you can make something with some great visual sex and a better jumping story than "Dropzone" or "Terminal Velocity", I'd love to see it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

So what ever happened to going to Mars ? Or rebuilding New Orleans ? The big lie about going to Mars was a smokescreen for defunding the Hubble Telescope and the Shuttle program. The Shuttle is agreeably a piece of shit, but at least the Hubble works. But when you're giving taxes back to the rich, you have to make some sacrifices. Ditto for New Orleans, we're going to rebuild New Orleans by NOT beefing up the levees. Instead, we're going to rebuild New Orleans by giving more taxes back to the rich, cutting Medicaid and Food Stamps, AND by levelling the poorer black sections of that city to build a nice park for de white folks to enjoy. Oh and we'll get Trent Lott's house rebuilt at public expense, you can bet on that. (You know, the last time New Orleans was wiped out by a flood in 1927, the city was actually rebuilt by a Republican president, Calvin Coolidge. Bush-wah could give a shit about New Orleans, he'd just like the whole mess to go away...) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Afghanistan's constitution is based on Shariah law, which states that any Muslim who rejects their religion should be sentenced to death. Hmmm, Islam the all-tolerant religion eh? Peaceful eh? Fucking ridiculous. To plagiarize a few words from that great American Islamic thinker Louis Farrakhan, Islam is "a gutter religion". The whole faith from start to finish is a ripoff of Judaic and Christian scriptures. And a 7th century A.D. religion claiming an ancient Jewish city like Jerusalem as a "holy site" ? Complete bullshit. These people are the enemy. That's the way they want it, that's the way they get it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Aaarrgghhhh matey, so will there be a hanging from the yardarm ? Or do modern ships have yardarms anymore ? Anyway, these pirates have been making a royal pain in the ass of themselves for several years now, so maybe just shoving the RPGs up their asses and pulling the trigger might send the right "message". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Today, Cream Live at Royal Albert Hall 2005, Amman Brothers Band at the Fillmore East in 1970 (a year before THE famous 1971 Fillmore East release), a March '94 Grateful Dead in Atlanta, and the "Naked" version of the Beatle's "Let It Be" (has "Don't Let Me Down" and none of the Phil Spector orchestration). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Cathouse. It's a delightful nineties porn epic about, well what you'd expect to go on in a cathouse. It's not too damned stupid and the sex is pretty good. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I didn't know about AAD misfires, for example. There was a time in the sport when older models of AADs were available, but experienced jumpers wouldn't use them. They were much more prone to misfires at higher altitudes. One of my early Jumpmasters was killed in 1975 by another jumper's AAD that misfired at 3000 ft. So the saying among jumpers in those days was, "AADs are a good idea for students, but they're just too unreliable for being in the air with other people". The Cypres isn't perfect, but it was/is MUCH more reliable and has saved so many lives with so few misfires that it's become widely accepted. And indeed there are now at least one worthy competitor brand as well. The other thing you need to understand is that an AAD leaves the decision and the responsibility for acting on your decision to YOU, right down to the last possible moment. If you haven't acted by 750 ft, it's too late. So at that point, the AAD steps in and makes the decision for you and cuts your closing loop. You only get about a 10 second canopy ride that's going to put you down onto whatever freeway, marsh, open water, power transformer, or alligator farm you had the misfortune of opening over. You may not have time to even get your breaks off, or to avoid trees, power lines, wire fences, or pit bulls. But you won't punch a crater either, so you're basically ahead of the game because you're still alive. That's ALL it's supposed to do, save your life at the last moment because you couldn't or wouldn't. As for feeling "safer", most of us forget it's even there and we're just as scared as ever. Like we should be. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

PD has the most respected reserve in the business. You CAN buy a newer model from another company and it will likely be just fine. However, with a PD-r there are no doubts. I have a PD193R packed in my rig, though so far I've only seen it indoors. According to what I've read, PD reserves are based on the design of the 7 cell F-111 main canopies PD made and sold in the eighties, with some appropriate modifications for use as a reserve. Which is just fine, as their track record is outstanding, they've been around for twenty years now. Aerodyne has made a point in their advertising for the Smart that the canopy is a "new" design. Smart ads say that the competition hasn't introduced any new wing designs in many years, which is probably true enough and all's fair in war and advertising. I've got some friends who jump Smart reserves and a few of them have even taken a ride under them. It's tough when your biggest competitor has a twenty year track record that you can't catch up to, so you're going to stress the innovations in your design. I'd buy either one with confidence, but since I've already got my PD, I have no reason to want to change a thing. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

To keep jumping, as financial pressures in other areas of life are getting worse and sucking away the money at an unbelievable rate. I already took a canopy course in Feb., so that's one goal already realized. Hope to jump with my daughter in June when she makes a tandem. This year I need to get up off my belly and learn how to fly on my butt, at least some of the time. And not get killed, that would be good too. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

We're all adults here, I think it's fair for dropzones to charge for the ride to altitude. Besides, this means that the actual jump itself is FREE. You pay for a plane ride, maybe for a camera, a coach, an instructor, maybe gear rental, maybe anything else you can think of. Stepping out the door is free - as it should be. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'd install one of those garage door thingies, with a remote. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

When it's time, it's time. There are other things in life, aren't there... Mike, meeting up with you again after my own 22 year absence was one of the best things that's happened to me in this sport. Forgive me if I'm just a bit flustered at the moment, we're just going to miss the hell out of you. So what's next, you off to see America from a bike or what ? Enjoy it, whatever you do next and please stay in touch with us all. (Will you be at AT Day next weekend ???) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Makes me think about how this World Baseball Championship is going, now that the US has been eliminated after losing to BOTH Canada and Mexico. The Semifinalists now are Japan Vs South Korea and CUBA (oh God no ! Not Cuba ! Aren't they a bunch of Commies or sumpin' ?!?), uh that's Cuba Vs. Dominican Republic. My guess is that this will be the first, last & only time this fiasco is ever attempted on American soil. By this time next year it will not only NOT be played a second time, but Major League Baseball will be denying that this year's series ever even took place. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Dick Cheney might feed a large feast and I'm sure he'd look cute with an apple in his mouth and his feet tied up over his back on a big platter with lots o'potatoes. Oh yeah, almost forgot, Happy Fuckin' St. Patrick's Day !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

A live recording of The Grateful Dead from August 1971. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !