hipgnosis

The joy of giving would be so much more heartwarming if it didn't involve the pain of wrapping Course the rum and eggnog helps to make the process go a bit quicker Hipgnosis

Mr. Blue, Undercover Blues

Guess I'll fill in with a quote : "..It's all in the reflexes"

I wondered why I was paying 400% of the list price!! "Skydivers Discount" my arse

I'd suggest just going with a reasonably powered head unit (Sony CDX-MP40 MP3 capable works well for me), a couple of decent fronts 4" and some 6x9"s in the rear. I put something exactly like that in my beater pickup and while it doesn't approach the clarity of my home theater it's pefect for the road, plus the volume from the head unit is more than enough to drive the speakers way past a comfortable listening level. www.bestbuy.com has a nifty little utility in their car stereo section which will tell you what speakers will fit in your car. That's an excellent place to start. Then just go to a store and actually give the speakers a listen. It'll at least let you eliminate some of the speakers that sound 'weird' to you. Incidentally, on behalf of all those hitching a ride with you from Phoenix airport to Eloy I thank you for pre-planning our entertainment needs. After you get this done you can start planning out the in-drive meals you'll be serving us Bill

Ugh, love the pictures but hate that ugly PROOF watermark through the center of the images. Nothing like a big "F" through my forehead Bill

82nd Airborne -- 2/505th -- HHC 3d Brigade (505th) 11B1P, where it's at!

I hate relying on pills or devices as well. However I used the device I described to get rid of the motion sickness I had. Now I don't use one at all. Bill

Some of it will carry over. However, what I suggest is to use one of these FDA approved devices : http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&did=19&product_id=4170 The band has different power levels, so you can turn it up as needed to help control your queasiness. I used one when I was getting my pilots license and found that little by little I was able to get by with it less and less. Bill

It's so refreshing to know that no matter how much they hate us, our bases, our policies, that they still somehow find it within themselves to love our money.

Front Line Assembly : Epitaph ... ... and the stupid icecream truck that'll start driving by here repeatedly in about an hour.

I'll be there (flying up on the afternoon Otter). I don't know if there are any spots left on it, but if you want to attend and jump they'll let you ride along for free. Bill

He is selling a quantity of them in this auction, with a whopping 4827 left. I'd guess he started at 5000 or so, which means he's sold 173 so far. If you look at his feedback from completed auctions, you will notice this auction has quite a number of completed buys. Truly, the man is a magnificent example of capitalism at work. Bill Morrison

Here's mine. A bit blurry, had to resample it down to a reasonable resolution

For those of you not in the military what the acronym is used for is clearing a malfunction with an M16. As memory serves : Slap the bottom of the magazine Pull the charging handle Observe the jammed casing being ejected Release the charging handle Tap the bolt forward assist (a little knob on the right side of the rifle that pushes the bolt forward) Squeeze the trigger Ironically, I was an 82nd soldier for quite a while and don't seem to remember ever using the acronym in regards to woman.... Bill Morrison

Guess I better call it now..... SHOTGUN

Makes me feel lucky I got on the load they sent this afternoon. But far more importantly I fortunate that thus far none of my friends/DZ.com'ers in the area have lost their homes. Everywhere I turn I see plumes of smoke (I'm about 15 miles NE of Perris). Watching the local news is surreal though, although they are failing to get the true scope of all of these fires. A lot of the fires are believed to be arson. What kind of person/people ruins other peoples lives like this? Bill M

Greets All, I'll be flying into PHX on the 26th @ 11:53am. Is anyone flying in at about the same time with whom I can either hitch a ride or split a car rental/shuttle bus or something? Blue Skies (or in Southern California rather grey smokey skies). Bill Morrison

Just a little something extra to consider is that I've found that most organizers tend to prefer jumpers to wear clear/very light tinted googles. Bill

Ouch, sorry to hear that quade However, since alcohol always makes things better, I'll buy you a beer at the bombshelter tomorrow! --- Bill M

I admire your effort! However, as this sounds like one of your first forays into commercial software, let me share with you a couple of hints : 1. Support. If you write it and sell it you will be expected to support it. Are you up for the task of dealing with an emergency out in the dropzone because Mitch the Manifest Monkey pressed the "Do Not Press this Button" button? Or if database corruption occurs because of stray sunspots? Or your program just screws up? And of course how long will you support it? How much will you charge to support it? These questions need an answer, and that answer needs to be on a contract. Plus, how many places will want to spend the time and money to move to your system if they have no guarantee of support. They will want to be able to call you at any time of day and get an answer to any problem, even if it's not remotely related to your program. 2. Liability. Say your software makes a minor error and deletes the days receipts? Or makes some other error that causes the dropzone money? Are you liable? For how much? Again, get a signed lawyer approved contract. If you are serious about moving this to any point beyond a hobby, then you need to answer these questions and consider how much time you'll be spending after the sale supporting them. Products like this that run an office (ie Dental/Medical software, etc.) typically go for a steep initial fee, plus a yearly maintenance fee that includes discounted upgrades. This would be the route I'd suggest to you. Remember, just because you sold the software and have it installed on the users systems, your job isn't even close to being finished! Incidentally, I am not involved in any products used at any dropzones. This post is based solely on 6+ years of developing commercial software used at amusement parks, banks, ATMs, convenience stores, oil fields, etc. Best of luck to you! Bill Morrison

I'll be out there. Just look for a guy about 6'2" tall with a nice black racer with lime green edging that clashes horribly with his purple jumpsuit Bill Morrison

You are of course correct (and I've already been in the situation where I had to roll up my booties for the base). To correct myself, the suit will be used for everything from 4 way on up. For diving on larger stuff, I admit to finding them useful to help slow down my fall rate as needed. Odds are my best bet is to just call Tony Suit and find out the differences. Was more soliciting for opinions here. Regards, Hipgnosis

It's that magical time where a young mans fancies turn towards a new jump suit. I've decided on a Tony Suit (Swoop), but am curious as to just what the different bootie types are on their order form : Regular Regular Airspeed Regular XL Mega Mega Airspeed Mega XL If any of you have any input on any of these types I'd love to hear it. I'm primarily a belly flyer who's working on getting into larger and larger formations (450+ jumps). Hipgnosis aka Bill Morrison

huh?