base736

They also failed to take into account the fact that high-quality video equipment is becoming increasingly available to the consumer. But, much like your point, that's largely irrelevant to a discussion on the nature of the mediation of BASE. Also irrelevant. Nowhere do the researchers make the claim that mediation in BASE is fundamentally different from that in skydiving. A discussion of that question in this paper would constitute scope creep. Demonstrating only that mediation is not central to the sport. But then, the authors never claimed that it was... That's rediculous. By the same argument, you can't tie parachutes to BASE, since they're also used in skydiving, to drop cargo, to slow aircraft, to entertain kids in elementary schools... Video, both by BASE jumpers and by others, is absolutely relevant to the nature of the sport. This article discusses the nature of that relevance. I think this should probably be taken to private messages if you'd like to discuss it further. I'm pretty sure we're drifting well away from a discussion of any relevance at all to BASE, and am posting this reply only against my better judgement. ... If, as might be true in principle, I had any.

Maybe this is an obvious question... My impression was always that one of the big advantages of slinks was that they allowed one to more easily pull the slider down behind the neck, and perhaps that they resulted in less damage to the slider grommets. As I recall, there's some argument that they're stronger than quick links as well. I'd like to keep my slider at the links or above, though, and certainly don't want it coming down to say hello to my toggles under any circumstances. I've never heard of a properly-closed quick link breaking, and I'm not really keen on fixing what ain't broke. So what's the benefit for BASE that makes them worthwhile in principle? As I say, I'm probably missing something obvious...

It's interesting to me that people are so divided on this one. On a CRW training jump, a teammate of mine (a guy with a peg leg) lost a toggle and was forced to land on rear risers on a Lightning. The guy got to the ground and told the other three of us that, on our next jump, we were landing rear risers. If a cripple could do it, he reasoned, we were damn well going to. On that next jump, I had one of the softest landings I've had on that canopy, flaring on rear risers. I've heard the same story from a lot of people -- feather-soft landings on rear risers, on both BASE and skydiving canopies. While it's certainly possible to bust yourself up landing on rear risers, it's also straightforward not to. Flaring on rear risers is not "sport death". I'm with Jaap 100% on this one. If you're worried that you'll screw it up, do it at the Potato Bridge and land over the water. No-contact CRW will teach you little that you couldn't have picked up just trying out your rear risers on a solo flight -- which is to say, it won't teach you to land the thing on 'em.

It might surprise you to learn that the journal "Theoretical Criminology" is targeted at researchers in the field of theoretical criminology. This abstract is the kind of text that is generally not read by the disinterested society of which you speak. The academic world has, unquestionably, established particular styles in which articles are -- and are not -- written. To seriously criticize a work on the style in which it was written, however, and not on its content, is (in my opinion) among the lowest forms of attack. Frankly, I'm surprised to see that sort of attack coming from your direction. Edit: Typo

Ooh! Is it because it's the number of 21-bead binary necklaces with beads of 2 colors where the colors may not be swapped and turning over is not allowed?

As a member of said community, let me assure you that this is not the case. Not strictly true of technical publications, where the primary goal may be to say precisely what one intends -- no more, and no less. Though I find it obtuse, and therefore difficult to read in places, the words used in the paper were probably chosen carefully to make very specific statements. Regarding those statements... I found two things particularly interesting about the paper. The first was that, even jumping alone at night, many (most?) jumpers carry camera these days. Video has become an important part of the BS'ing that follows most jumps. Because of that, commercial media are not the only ones turning BASE into more than just the jump -- there's a bigger picture (so to speak) there. That contrasts with, for instance, amateur soccer, where nobody wears body-mounted video and commercial media are only very rarely interested. The second was their take on the relationship between BASE jumpers and the media, in that they note that BASE jumpers manipulate the media toward their own ends as much as the media manipulates BASE jumpers. I find the idea that the media is not leading a one-way attack on BASE and everything it stands for refreshing. Both of these observations have a much broader significance than just Bridge Day itself.

A few metres to the left (in the picture) and kiting becomes an extreme sport in its own right.

The jumper?

It's certainly true that, in many ways, Bridge Day is not representative of BASE jumping as a whole. What struck me was that, in my opinion anyway, the differences were almost entirely irrelevant to the study, so that they ultimately came to reasonable conclusions despite that. In that respect, it really wasn't a flaw at all, though my prejudice against BD made me skeptical from the beginning... I look forward to reading your elaboration...

Care to elaborate on the sense in which you felt their conclusion was skewed? And what you felt the conclusion was, exactly?

Phew. I was beginning to think it was just us. 'Course, we'd have done better not to start off with an object whose name prominently includes "Wind".

Awesome article. If you can make it past the first part of the introduction (which read, to me, like a contest to see who can use ordinary words in as obtuse a way as possible), the remainder is, I think, a valuable perspective on the relationship between BASE and the media, written in the context of observations made at Bridge Day '98 and '99. Both fair and illuminating, in my opinion.

Thanks for your help! I had already bought a set of Sony tapes before reading your message, but as it turns out that's a different brand than I had had problems with. Just did a jump with the new tapes and the digital glitches are reduces VERY significantly -- they're almost gone. I'm going to buy a couple of tapes of the type I originally had and see if the situation improves further.

Red or blue? 'Cause you really have to watch with those blue ones -- they go to shit quick. It's really all about the Reynold's number.

Seems to me this is like the always-popular "should I replace my pilot chute" question. At the end of the day, it's your ass on the line. When you're standing at the exit point, the last thing in the world you want is to be wondering if this guy's trustworthy. Maybe the guys at the dropzone are freaking out over nothing. A lot of skydivers see even very well-executed BASE jumps as reckless. Or maybe they're spot-on. You need to find a place where you KNOW the answer. If you have to ask, then you really don't have to ask... Edit: One of these days I'll learn to proofread before I post.

Hey now, that seems grossly unfair. I'd be bummed, too, if I had put all that effort in and not managed a jump, though the climb itself would be pretty cool. That the climbers were fortunate doesn't change that -- it just makes the whole thing less sad than if they hadn't been.

I'll start by noting that I think RhondaLea has hit the nail on the head in noting that, really, the failure of the first parachute doesn't seem to be making a whole lot of contributions to Nick's list of late, so this whole thing is a bit of a red herring. That said, there is merit to the argument way up there, IMHO, and it goes like this... If you don't think you really need your reserve (as might be reasonable if one's main were something big, square, and friendly), then yeah, your main dramatically reduces the odds of having to use your reserve. The argument that you're relying on your reserve then fails, but on the other hand we started off with the assumption that you don't really need it. So a single-parachute system isn't a dumb idea. If, on the other hand, you do think you need your reserve (as might be the case if your main is something small, elliptical, and prone to the occasional violent malfunction) then your main does not dramatically reduce the odds of having to use your reserve. As a friend once put it, your main is then a toy, and not really the life saving device that your reserve is. The argument that you're relying on your reserve then absolutely holds, and a single-parachute system isn't a dumb idea. A tersh puts one more layer in there, so that the same argument from a three-parachute system is substantially less well-founded. Edited for spelling and wording...

1 building (1 jump), 4 antennas (8 jumps), 6 spans (50 jumps), 5 earth (29 jumps), 5 other (5 jumps) in 93 jumps total. Two unique exit points on a couple of those E's.

A few months ago, I dropped my video camera onto concrete from maybe three feet up. Since then (I'm pretty sure it started then...), the audio and video have been glitchy, and it's getting slowly worse -- beeps in the audio, and digital messiness in the video. Anyway, since so many people jump video, and fail to baby their cameras, I thought somebody might be able to help with a couple of questions: First, does this problem sound familiar? Anybody have an idea what might be up here? And second, what's everybody's experience with camera repair? Particularly if you've had a problem like this one before, how long can I expect the camera to be in limbo? What do repairs typically cost (if there is a typical)? Do service people usually freak out about surface mods (stuff glued on, port covers cut off)? Thanks!

Hey, that's smart! My bad...

A few months ago, I dropped my video camera onto concrete from maybe three feet up. Since then (I'm pretty sure it started then...), the audio and video have been glitchy, and it's getting slowly worse -- beeps in the audio, and digital messiness in the video. Anyway, since so many people jump video, and fail to baby their cameras, I thought somebody might be able to help with a couple of questions: First, does this problem sound familiar? Anybody have an idea what might be up here? And second, what's everybody's experience with camera repair? Particularly if you've had a problem like this one before, how long can I expect the camera to be in limbo? What do repairs typically cost (if there is a typical)? Do service people usually freak out about surface mods (stuff glued on, port covers cut off)? Thanks!

If you had a choice between paragliding from, say, the cliffs in Norway and jumping from them, would you choose to jump? Ever? Even if you'd done the jump a hundred times before? If what you're after is the experience of jumping, then all the paragliding in the world won't scratch that itch. While I've never taken it into the basement myself, my understanding is that the same holds true of those last few seconds of freefall. It's not about one or two seconds more of the same. It's about an entirely different set of visuals.

People keep telling me I'm not a BASE jumper, I'm going to develop a complex or something. You're a regular Ms. Manners, Ray -- it's like I accidentally used the shrimp fork for salad.

Bingo. And I think it's important that we respect (even celebrate) those differences, even when it's made difficult by the knowledge that, sometimes, people die around here.

Now, I'm sympathetic to the general idea that BASE is very dangerous, and that one should prepare carefully before that first jump. I also think it seems like a waste (to me) to spend a bunch of time skydiving without really wanting to skydive at all, so I understand the "skydive to skydive" comments. But this... If a person starts BASE jumping without a bunch of skydives, they catch hell for not doing at least XX skydives. And now, if a person proactively researches things, then does XX skydives building skills for BASE, they catch hell for wanting to start BASE jumping after that? Damn... My brain hurts. I'm glad I'm already jumping, 'cause all these rules are just too complicated for me.