NWFlyer

Monkey & I were talkin' about that...putting a couple of smart type 'A' women together - might be a little tough on our egos! Yeah, but she and I would have fun! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

So you prefer it because you're more comfortable with them. I prefer three rings in part because I'm more comfortable with them. I'll get off your lawn now. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Somewhere between 50 and 100, I can't recall exactly when I made the change. In 2004 and 2005. Both on my student rigs (roughly 30 jumps) and on the 2003 sport rig I bought used that had them. I chose to replace them because I saw them as another failure point, but I can also understand that you appreciate them, so I'm not going to argue on that one as I think it's more a matter of personal preference than better/worse. Still waiting for you to tell me why shot-and-a-halfs out-function three rings, though.

Eh, I've already met 'twardo a couple times. I really wanna meet his wife. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

So convince me why shot-and-a-halfs provide better functionality for their purpose than a three-ring cutaway system. So far all you've given me is "it's newfangled and you don't need it" but I don't find that a convincing argument. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You're the one exception - size outliers (very tall, very short, very heavy, very light, etc.) will have trouble finding containers on the used market. But you can get everything else used. Some people don't ever downsize, so the longevity of that first purchase can be as long as the gear lasts. I bought a nearly-new 2003 Wings container (had 10 jumps on it) in early 2005 when I got my A and jumped it for 7 years before I bought a new container. I can't say that I thought I'd jump it for quite that long when I bought it, but it's turned out to be a heck of a value! The Wings is now my backup rig and it's still in good shape (of course it helps that it was practically new when I got it). I have the same size/model main and reserve in both rigs. There's other reasons beyond downsizing to buy used if you can. Newer jumpers often beat up their gear; better starting with something that's used than brand new. Also, you've just laid out a ton of cash to get your license, and will lay out a ton of cash for other gear like a helmet, jumpsuit, altimeter, etc. Why not spend a little less on the first set of gear and spend it on some skydives? Let someone else take the depreciation of driving that "new car" off the lot. Let someone else break that slippery shiny new main in. Of the 8 components in my two rigs, I only bought three of them new (one of my mains, one of my reserves, and one container). For the canopies, the only reason I bought them new is that when I bought they were very scarce on the used market (still are - the Optimum and Pulse are new enough models that there just aren't many out there). I love my Infinity that was custom built for me, and there's a lot to be said about the comfort of a container that was built for your body. But I am also glad that I waited to buy it until I knew that I'd jump that container for years and years and years. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I work with actuaries. Remarkably similar demographics. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

She's also ENTP, which actually surprises me. And yes, not only do I have a girl boss, I am a girl boss myself. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

ENTP. that's been pretty consistent every time I've taken the test, and I've taken the full blown "official" version. My current boss loves this kind of shit. I find it interesting, though I don't take it too seriously. But she really buys into it. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Sorry for your loss, Wendy. That sounds like a really awful way to die. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Like this one? http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/749-15th-St-Boulder-CO-80302/13182008_zpid/ Zactly! I lived not far (but far enough) from 875 S Bundy in the late 90s. That one attracted the gawkers, too. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

People charge what the market will bear. In the case of the Storm, the canopy's only been on the market for six or seven years, so you've got a much smaller chance of finding the "deep discount closet queen" like you might find with a model that's been around longer like a Spectre or Sabre 2. The "back of envelope" calculation for a used main (at least for one that's still available new) is to take the street price of a new one, knock off $100 plus $1 per jump. New linesets are usually needed every 500 jumps or so (give or take); if the lineset's been replaced recently, add $300 back to the price. Do that math and you'll see that a Storm with 500 jumps and a new lineset might fairly be priced within $300-400 of a brand new one. The question then becomes do you want to save that few hundred dollars and have someone else break in that shiny new ZP for you, or get brand new in your matchy-matchy colors? Ready cash, quick decision making, and patience. Ready cash because when you find that deal, don't be that guy who says "Well, I have to move money from this account to that account and I can give you a deposit now but I can't pay you till later" because the seller will move on to the guy who has cash in hand. Quick decision making because if there is a smoking deal out there, you'd better be willing to say "I want it and I have cash ready to send you now" or the seller will move on to the next guy who is. Patience because the great deals don't come along every day, but you'd better be checking the dropzone.com classifieds every day, and the Facebook groups (this one has a lot of action: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SkydivingGear/) regularly, and tapping into your local sources (do those "in the know" (riggers, dealers) at your local DZ know you're looking for gear? do they have an idea what you're looking for? They should, because they might be able to help you out.) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Appropriately loaded, a Pulse is a great choice for a newer jumper. One thing to be aware of is that the Pulse does pack about a size smaller than other canopies of the same size. Be sure, then, that it won't pack too small for the container that you'll put it in. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I did a quick google search and came up with this article from a couple years ago. Looks 24% of those over 65 die at home. http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/where-the-oldest-die-now/?_r=0 As for the original question, I think the only reason I would care is if the death was some sort of sensationalized event where the home might be likely to attract gawkers. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Hi, 2014 So far you have been mellow What will you bring me? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'm sorry. I'm sick, I'm tired, and the post-boogie blues have weakened my resolve. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Considering that you laid out your exact M.O. in the thread linked below, I find this claim of innocence more than a little disingenuous. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4579897#4579897 The first bolded sentence is pure bullshit and it'd take me about 5 seconds to find multiple examples of you throwing out an unsubstantiated personal opinion as fact, with absolutely no citation to an industry standard manual or an industry expert. And, the second bolded statement shows what you've been up to all along. You've come into this forum out of spite (you've called out more than a few in the New England DZ community by name - sounds like someone pissed on your Wheaties there), or because you want to "experiment" (you've regularly claimed that a a well-respected seller of used gear is duping newbies - real classy to waltz in here and try to piss on someone's reputation just to make some kind of convoluted point about credibility). I could send you a PM, but the message would be pretty straightforward: "Please stop posting here." "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Squeeeeeee! what a cutie! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Whoosh? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yep, dropped me right smack in the mid-Atlantic, where I grew up. I was tempted to throw it off by picking "grinder" in honor of my grandparents from CT, but that's not a term I'd use unless I was up there. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's especially important that you don't feed the trolls who may not look like trolls at first. They post a lot, which doesn't necessarily mean that they're trolls (but then again it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't trolls either, though that's hard to say, since they could be trolls or they might not be trolls). But they fill a lot of bandwidth whether they're trolls or not. Sometimes there's even a moment of clarity!!!!!! But then there's a tangent like when you start to argue about dropzone hours in New England because that's really important, too, and it's not a tangent when it's part of your overall point, and besides anyone who can't follow the overall point clearly has an agenda. An agenda, you say? No, no agenda at all other than to MAKE SURE THAT THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. What is the truth? Well the truth should be really obvious by now and if you don't understand what the truth is then clearly you've got some sort of agenda, too and you just want to screw the newbies, who are just trying to skydive, but skydiving's not like it used to be, it's a lot better except where it's way worse. Anyway, that's my question - what really should we do about trolls? I mean, they're totally obvious except when they're not???!!

I gotta agree with the old man on this one.

http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/participation-tsa-precheck Not true anymore (I was surprised, too, as my parents who travel a few times a year but not enough to hit elite levels on any airlines, have been offered TSA Pre on flights recently). See "Other Ways to Experience..." heading on that link. Sounds like that's what kallend got. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

There's a shocker! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/dropzone/finder.cgi?search=mapSearch "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke