MWGemini

The front mounted rotisserie needs a mesh screen to keep bugs out. Unless you plan on using them as a garnish or something... Mike

The other thing with the sequence where Redline burns in is that he dives into tress from the shot taken from above, and yet he is laying dead center on the target in the next shot. To the poster who said that the patch was wrong in Saving Private Ryan, I believe that back then, there was a ranger unit within the 101st, as well as other units, so just because he doesn't have the tab or scroll (which I can't remember if he does or not), doesn't necessarily mean it is wrong. Mike

The longest/furthest I've ever driven to jump (not a boogie) was about 8-9 hours/600 miles. The longest I've ever driven straight was in the military. We were in a convoy for something like 28 hours if I recall correctly. That was a long day... Mike

I can't speak with much experience on this one, as I had PRK and not LASIK, and I had it a few years ago, before I ever started jumping, but given the research I did at the time, PRK was a much safer (although more painful) option than LASIK. It's also the only one that the Army would perform (mainly because they were worried about the flap ripping during airborne operations if the LASIK procedure was used). I've known people who have had LASIK, PRK, and LASEC, and the best results (especially for very active people) seem to be from PRK. Might be something worth looking into for you. At any rate, follow your doctor's orders to the letter. I know somebody who had a flap tear and it seriously affected their vision, even with corrective surgery. Mike

Marion- I guess I will see you Saturday then. Not much sense in coming out tomorrow if nobody is going to be there, plus I've got a few things I still need to sort out with the schools. Stuart/Skyminxx- I just sent Karen a PM about the AE position. I'm still finalizing my class schedule, so I have not yet really started looking for a part time job, but I should have my schedule finalized by Monday, and then I can begin my job search in earnest. Dawn- Whenever I end up making it out to the DZ (sometime in the next 3 days most likely), I'm going to need you to look at my rig. I believe one of the slinks is coming un-tacked. I thought there was something else I needed to ask you about, too, but I can't remember what it was now. Eric- is the plan still to digitize all the video, or do it with the CSS editing board and multiple cameras? Anything I can do to help? Thanks, Mike

Well, I didn't quite place into calculus, so I probably won't be able to get into state for fall, but it may still be possible. Is anyone planning on being at the DZ tomorrow? Mike

What time will you guys be out there? Turns out that NC State can only take me as a transfer student, so I have to bust my ass and learn calculus overnight so that I can take the placement test for it tomorrow so that I can then take a 16 credit hour semester for spring and summer so that I can transfer to NCSU. Fun fun fun. Classes have actually already started for Wake Tech, so I may not be able to make it out there tomorrow, but I will if I can. If not, have fun without me. Mike

Just beat it. Not bad. Figuring out some of the puzzles was the hardest part, but after that, it just took a bit of time to actually do it. Drawing a map for the white room definitely helped. Did anyone notice that on the bottom of the green room, you can still click one of the shapes after you completed it? Mike Edit: 3775th person to finish it.

Ok, nevermind, that took about 5 seconds once I figured out what it was supposed to be. Mike

There are three hidden buttons that you press to light up that wall. Pressing them in various combinations causes the cut corner to light up in different colors. Click that corner to enter a puzzle. Right now I am stuck on red. WTF is it supposed to be? Mike

As of right now, I don't have anything going on Thursday, but even if I were to come out, I doubt I would do more than one jump. I've got a few extra already paid for, and I'm going to have to make those last until I get a new job. I wouldn't mind coming out to hang out with you guys and/or watch the videos Todd and Peter shot (which I haven't really had the chance to see yet). Mike

So what is going on at the DZ this week/weekend? I may stop in sometime this week to drop my rig off, since I don't have a job to take all my time away now. Mike

My wife and I spent our honeymoon at Disney World last week and I paid $466 for two 4 day park hopper passes. I don't think we received any kind of discount. Parking each day was $8, and we usually ate at the cheaper places and spent roughly $20 per meal for both of us, sometimes more, sometimes less. If you go when it is not as crowded, you will probably not need all 4 days to see everything. None of the security screeners minded that we brought in our own water bottles and snack food. Their security checks are nothing more than window dressing, in my opinion. The fast passes are definitely the way to go when trying to ride all the big rides and not have to stand in line as much. Also, if someone in your party is disabled (ie- wheelchair), they usually let you go up the exit ramp or something and straight to the head of the line (or at least a lot closer than you were). If you have already been to Disneyland, you won't see a whole lot of new things at Disney World. The biggest difference is that Disney World is 4 separate parks, whereas Disneyland is just one. Mike

I think the rest of the regulars on this thread are still traveling. I'm sure they will be back once the holiday season is officially over and everything has settled back to normal. As far as quitting my job goes- it's been a long time coming. I actually quit once before but was lured back (bad move on my part). I'm not so confident I'll be getting a GOOD new job, but I'm sure I can find something. I'm just tired of dead end jobs that do little more than pay the bills. I need something more than that. Hopefully I get into NCSU this year so I can start building a career and stop living paycheck to paycheck. Ah well, we'll see. Mike

We got two of the rolls of film back today (the ones taken by Todd and Rodrigo) and they look great! She forgot to take the other one in, so it will probably be a few days before we see them. I also can't wait to see the videos from Todd and Peter's cameras. The only songs we have thought of so far are "Green Eyes", by Cold Play, and "Where are you going" by Dave Mathews. We were also thinking of playing the here comes the bride song as she is coming in on final, and then maybe fading to the ceremony or something like that. We're totally open to your ideas, and I think Todd has quite a few ideas already. I will probably be out there this weekend (and maybe a day or two this week even) if you want to discuss some ideas. I quit my job today, so I won't be jumping very often until I can find a new one, but I'll still be at the DZ as often as possible. Thanks again to everyone who helped make that jump possible. Mike

I left a message and Kim (the lady who did the ceremony) said she would try his home number, but I'm not sure if he has heard those messages yet. Mike

If anyone gets in contact with Todd before I do, let him know that his camera helmet is safe down at Deland. Mike

We did the jump and ceremony today and will be putting the videos together in the next week or two. All told, we had 5 camera flyers jumping with the two groups and from the footage I've seen so far, the final cut should look great. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make it a very memorable and fun jump! Sarah is a natural, and did very well in the tunnel. She is planning on coming back down for the camp in February. Mike

Well, the weather sucked on the drive down. I'm glad we left NC when we did. We'll try calling you some time tomorrow to confirm the details on the wind tunnel time, or you can call us at the numbers posted above. Hope your jumps are going well, see you tomorrow. Mike

Yes, sorry, OLED is what I was referring to. I have not read a whole lot about it, but if they can use it in cell phones, I don't see why they couldn't use it for this. I've also seen (although haven't used) military HUD displays (part of their new "Land Warrior system, I believe) that are much smaller than the one pictured. I'm sure the price tag is a bit different, however . THe post about it hitting the door is another good point. Not to mention the countless times helmets get dropped, kicked, stepped on, gear bags fall on them, etc. Something that large (and external) just doesn't seem durable enough for practical use. Mike

I guess we'll see what we can find when we get down there. Thanks, Mike Edit: PM sent to Carbonezone, thanks bobsled92.

Once the system gets smaller, I would consider buying it, but at the size it currently looks to be, no way. That's just another (very expensive, I'm sure) snag point. Not to mention it probably just limits your view even more than the helmet already does. Seems to me it might be easier to use the new OLCD panels (which are supposed to be pretty flexible) for the display and have the rest of the hardware in a separate unit (perhaps mounted where the audible would go). Then all the user would have to do is stick the OLCD to their faceplate and put the control unit in the pocket. Definitely a cool idea, but I'd still wear a traditional altimeter, just in case. Mike

My cell is 919-332-2721 and my fiancee's is 919-332-8583. I'm not sure if we'll have them on the entire time, but you can always just leave a voicemail if not. Let me know when the exact time will be. She will also need some kind of coaching prior to going in, since she has only done two tandems. Thanks, Mike

Talked it over with Sarah, and we can take 20 minutes of that, but I'm assuming that you mean DECEMBER 29th, right? We'll be leaving Sunday morning, so if I don't receive a response before then I will call you on your cell. Mike

Yeah, I'd thought of the tuxedo shirt idea already, and my jumpsuit is mostly black, so that would probably work anyways, but it'd be nice if we could find her something white to wear. No big deal if not, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Mike