MikeJD

You do realise that's not a term to aspire to, right? Just in case you were thinking, woo-hoo, only 16 jumps to go!

The real thing is always better than the game. Except for, you know, those games where people are shooting at you.

When police officers start looking 14, apparently that's a sign you're getting old.

I leave mine on when I come into my house, unless I know they're properly dirty. When I visit others I'll take my shoes off if they do, but I might still try and get away with it if I remember I have holes in my socks. Which in turn are caused by walking around without shoes on! I guess it makes sense always to leave your shoes at the door when you consider how filthy the streets must be, but usually I just don't think about it.

For the all-out feelgood effect, I nominate Raising Arizona. It's very very funny, and it's got a big heart. So much comedy now is funny but mean-spirited. H.I. McDunnough is my favourite comic character in the movies.

There's no way of telling without trying them on. Different manufacturers have their own definitions of small, medium, large etc. I'd never order a helmet without being able to try it on first, both because of the size issue and because there may be other things I won't know until I've actually worn it.

I've only watched it once so far but I thought it was great. What's left some people dissatisfied seems to be the way it breaks with movie convention - without wanting to give anything away: 1) No big climactic scene, and no tidy ending. 2) Big things that happen to major characters off-screen and are treated almost as incidental. You wouldn't want every movie to be like this, but I think as a change it's to be applauded, and it's part of the message of the story. I think it says: 1) Real life isn't wrapped up in neat packages, each with its own resolution. 2) Evil and violence often seem banal from the outside - that is, when they're happening to other people. 3) Although we're the centre of our own universes, we're really all tiny bit players in the big scheme. Having said all that, I didn't feel like I had to watch the film as some kind of academic exercise.

Tailgates, balloons and helicopters are all cool. My most unusual was from an Ikarus ultralite in the Emirates - looked similar to this one, but older and more beaten up. http://www.sm7tog.com/flyg/lsa_aircraft_data-filer/200_8a8cd83a6832e6245f4abebb76ad8609.jpg It was dual control, with the pilot and passenger sat side-by-side. I had to be careful not to step on the pedals as I was climbing out onto the strut! That was also the most 'bandit' jump I've ever done, and the funniest waiver I've ever had to sign. The pilot told me he used to radio the local ATC for clearance, but they always refused so he'd stopped asking.

Oh, a golf cart! I thought maybe the obstacle Skittles had been trying to avoid was a big round thing, about 8,000 miles across. I love the comment on that video, too: 'This guy jumps out of a plane and attempts to land at a golf course. He picks up a little too much speed near the end of the jump and ends up slamming into a golf cart.' Because if he hits a golf cart, then of course it must be on a golf course. A golf course with a windsock and an anenometer. And there's a plane parked there! What's that doing on the golf course?!

My employer finally got around to blocking YouTube access through our proxy late last year. Seems like ever since then, there's been no end of threads consisting entirely of YouTube links! At least there's some twisted entertainment in trying to guess the linked video from the subsequent replies, cos other than that there are no clues. Hm, vLvDjT6ZJNo - yep, that's one of my favourites. And 1loyjm4SOa0. Hilarious.

Hm, but the bathroom echo effect is a giveaway. If I answer the phone when I'm in there, the conversation goes something like: 'You sound echo-y. Where are you?' 'In the bathroom.' 'Oh. What are you doing?'

Open faced helmets will fit around one of the top corners of many rigs inside an airline-legal carry-on. Hhhmm never thought of doing that.. I like that idea best ill try that out and see if it works thanks Might be worth double-checking with the airline first if you plan to take it as carry-on. I've been refused before when going through security, although that was with a full-faced helmet (properly bagged - I wouldn't advise wearing it!) . I presume they were afraid I was going to use it for protection and/ or anonymity in a hijack situation.

I waited 6 months almost to the day for mine last year. Had the impression that was 2 or 3 weeks longer than normal, but now I'm thinking I got lucky... 'Tis a thing of beauty, but a long time coming.

Yeah, and I'm in the middle of my lunch here. How about a NSFL disclaimer next time? You knew what the subject was in post 1 - why keep reading down to #7? Couldn't... look... away... Also, this 'dropping a deuce' term is new to me. So I had to educate myself.

I like the Z1, too. It's comfortable, has an elasticated collar to keep the wind out, doesn't add too much bulk to your head and has a reliable visor locking system. The rigid frame of the visor means the lens is less likely to be damaged if you catch it on something while it's open - and it does open fully, right up and out of the way. I inadvertently jumped a couple of times with the visor up soon after I got the helmet, and it suffered no damage - I've seen unsupported lenses shatter under the same conditions. Some people who've tried the Z1 thought that the downward visibility - i.e. towards your emergency handles - wasn't good, but I think that's a lot to do with how you place it on your head (I make sure I pull the chin-piece right down when I fit it). My only other word of caution is that the locking system, while well designed, requires a real knack to open it. You have to hold the catch in while lifting the visor, and I'd advise any new owner to practise, practise, practise this on the ground before jumping it. Even now in very cold weather (which is also when you're most likely to have a misting problem) I sometimes come down with broken thumbnails (yes, even through gloves) from struggling to operate it with numb fingertips! As others have said, if your head is unusually large or small then you may be limited to certain manufacturers anyway. Two friends of mine bought full-face helmets at the same time a few years ago: Parasport Italia had to make a special lining for her Z1 since even their smallest size wasn't a snug fit, and he had to buy a Factory Diver because his head is too big for the largest Z1!

Yeah, and I'm in the middle of my lunch here. How about a NSFL disclaimer next time?

Yeah, cos sarcasm really rhymes with orgasm. Does that help?

Dunno, but in the UK you can spot (ex-)military men because they wear bigger wrist watches than other people. And when it's hot they wear 'sporty' shorts with socks. I wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes in the forces, because I'm not very good at being yelled at.

So I take it your cat has permanent deafness, as opposed to the selective deafness that regular cats exhibit.

Agreed. As good as Tennant has been, I always get the sense he's 'playing' wacky, while Baker comes across as a genuine eccentric. Jason Statham - I love it - the all-action Doctor Who. They could save a lot of time by not having to write all that expository dialogue, and just storyboard fight scenes instead where 'The Stath' kicks alien butt. We might have to get rid of Russell T Davies and bring in John Woo to produce the show. It's about time there was remote-controlled high-calibre weaponry mounted on the outside of the TARDIS too, so he could blow away Daleks without stepping outside.

Eh, calm down!

I always find it a bit distracting when I know an actor is having to fake an accent, even when they do it well. I gather a lot of natives are surprised to find out that Hugh Laurie isn't American, so I guess his is pretty good. At the other end of the spectrum, Mary Poppins was on TV over Christmas (as always) and I realised that Dick Van Dyke's infamous 'cockney' accent isn't just not cockney - it's not of this earth. I'm envious of people who are good at accents. I can only do three - scouse (my birthright), generic 'London' (having lived here half my life), and generic 'American' (I guess because we get to hear it so much). And two of those wouldn't convince a local!

Yeah, but what a high! I love that track - but I started out hating it. Maybe Womaniser will turn out to be a grower too. I actually, um, quite like a lot of earlier Britney songs. There, I've said it.

I didn't get very far - in fact only to the point where it insisted I enter a nickname and email address just to be able to play.

I think it's what you call a sammich.