MikeJD
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Everything posted by MikeJD
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@Wendy: Yep, there is lots more to life besides skydiving, and I can go quite a few months at a time without jumping and not miss it too much. But the knowledge that I could never jump again would weigh pretty heavily. @Doug: I'm in my mid forties now, and would like to think I still have a good couple of decades' jumping ahead of me at least. Whether I'll be skydiving into my eighties is more questionable - but I love the idea that some people do! @Jerry: Good for you for getting your priorities straight. I suspect if you did start again you might rekindle the fire - in which case maybe it's better not to. :) @ECVZZ: That's a real shame. Obviously in your case you've no choice but to sit tight for now. I hope you at least get fit enough to have the option of going back, even if you decide not to.
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I still hang out with those types of people. It's just that I do it on the DZ after jumping's finished for the day.
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Like (presumably) most people here, it's hard for me to contemplate the day when I'll take off my rig for the last time. But I guess - unless I get dead first - there will eventually come a point where I say 'no more'. So, for those here who are still actively jumping - what do you suppose will make you stop? And for those of you who don't jump any more, and don't plan to again - was it through a conscious decision, and if so what prompted it?
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As usual, the readers' comments are more interesting/ outlandish than the story itself. Does Obama really hate America? Is he trying to destroy it from within? Regarding whether or not the First Lady 'disrespected' the flag, I do find it perplexing that so many Americans are so sensitive about theirs. I understand it's a symbol - but if someone in another country burns a British flag, my attitude is 'so what?' Sticks and stones.
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People who talk shit (lie) about making jumps
MikeJD replied to stratostar's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I actually think that's a little unfair to Shah! There's stuff in that post that would make even him blush. -
People who talk shit (lie) about making jumps
MikeJD replied to stratostar's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Actually, I think these threads (and there are many of them!) speak volumes about our insecurities . Why do we get so wound up about people masquerading as skydivers? I think it's because they're trying to clamber onto the pedestal with us, the Elite Of Humanity. And if they can pass themselves off as our peers - then what's left that makes us look special? -
This is one of the few examples where the British seem to take the obvious route (at least, I do - I pronounce it the way it reads). The first time I heard it pronounced 'airb' I was like, 'what did you just say?'
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I ran my mouth at a company meeting...
MikeJD replied to theplummeter's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I wouldn't want a company-sponsored canopy for another reason. Skydiving is one of my retreats from work - the last thing I'd want to see at the end of every jump is my employer's logo. -
Practice Skydive Altimeter for iPhone (altitude awareness)
MikeJD replied to mixedup's topic in Safety and Training
Doesn't seem like too much of a deal to add metres as an option, and that would greatly increase the user base - although it would need a new skin for the altimeter graphic. Still, it's easy for me to say - I'm not the developer. -
Yeah, I suspect this is a misleadingly phrased question. Harness webbing seems less prone to fading than the container fabric - whether that means less damage, I don't know. Thinking about it, some colours are obviously a lot more prone to fading than others. Pink is horrible in that respect. Now presumably it's only the dye and not the fabric itself that degrades at an accelerated rate - so the degree of colour fading seems a very poor indication of UV damage to fabric integrity.
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Wow, that was an impressive poem - although it was tough to plough through...
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I got your actual meaning - but on first reading I thought, that's not a very good characteristic for a canopy!
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Practice Skydive Altimeter for iPhone (altitude awareness)
MikeJD replied to mixedup's topic in Safety and Training
I didn't download it, but from the description and screenshot it looks great. Nice work! A Windows/ Mac version would also be welcomed, I reckon. After all, you can visualise anywhere and sitting at your office desk is no exception. It'd bring a whole new meaning to clockwatching at work. :) -
Way to draw attention to your profile being out of date. Congratulations on making it this far, and may you have at least another 20 years in you yet. By the way, I'm almost exactly a year behind you, but have fewer than half your jump numbers. I blame the British weather.
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Seems that to many Americans, Leicester = "Li-chest-er". I love that one.
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But if they're in your blind spot, or you are in theirs, you wouldn't be signalling them in the first place. If I can see a canopy but I can't see its pilot, then I have to assume that s/he doesn't know I'm there - and act accordingly. It seems to me that opinion in this thread is roughly split between those in favour of leg kicking, and those who've never tried it.
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Thanks, Meso. I was looking down the list of posts thinking, am I the only one who isn't reading this as a genuine news story?!
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Hmm. I think their demonstrators should have had a bit more practice time to make it seem properly effortless. They don't look quite as carefree as they're trying to! Also, I'd like to know how much it weighs. It's one thing to be able to ride it 'for about twenty' (presumably minutes, not miles!) But if it runs out of charge before you get to your destination then it becomes just a dead weight you could do without. I think I'll wait for Solowheel2. Weighs half as much, runs twice as long!
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No, of course not. But you can probably understand people getting rubbed the wrong way slightly - after all, you're asking them to help you get for free what they themselves have had to pay for . By the way, how does this deal work? Is it just your level 1 that gets paid for? After all, you can't actually 'buy' a licence - only the coaching and jumps that will let you work your way towards it.
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Sam Wheat? We don't believe it's really you. What would you say if Molly told you she loved you?
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Crane Collapses at National Cathedral Nature Video
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The original just came out on Blu-Ray in the UK yesterday. And yes, I bought it.
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If another canopy pilot's mirror sunglasses are causing you a problem, I'd say you're already too close. Especially if you can see your reflection .
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Has already happened. But are they idiots? Or just fellow thrill-seekers?