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It's interesting to note that the current MacBook Pro is actually on its third subrevision. Apple updated the machines - and occasionally the performance - along the way. That said, this coming monday marks the start of the World Wide Developer's Conference. The WWDC is a common event for Apple to update their professional line of computers. Since Apple will undoubtedly replace the PowerMac G5 with the "Mac Pro" line of professional desktop computers, I would not be surprised if they upgrade the MacBook Pro to the newer 64-bit processors that Intel has recently released. So it's worth waiting until after the WWDC just to see if new machines are released. In my personal and professional opinions, both the MacBook and MacBook Pro are terrific products. I don't work for Apple anymore - that's not the kool-aid talking. If the machine wasn't ready, they wouldn't have released it. They're just experiencing a few growing pains. With that in mind, the MacBook Pro has been around longer than the MacBook... issues have been sorted out. I say go for it... just wait until monday to see if there's an update before you do it. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Which reserve sliders use #8 grommets? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

From my reading, the consensus is that the puff is more difficult to snag but the d-ring is easier to locate and pull in an emergency. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

He's perfect for it. He's a good guy and he'll definitely come across well. I'm happy for him, he deserves it. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Eli Thompson I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Aaaaugh!!! I just thought Canon's HDV camera was nifty!!! I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, I could bore you all day with the success I've had with my machines and all of the terrific stories I could tell you about doing the right thing for customers at the Genius Bar. I could pull out failure rates and compare it to the industry standards and I could tell you that Apple's issues tend to get brought into the limelight while other generic computer company's issues disappear... even though Apple undoubtedly has the smaller market-share. But that's not helpful. As far as you're concerned... you have a bunk computer that needs work. It's your first Mac experience and I'm sorry it's been such a bugger. I promise you, it's better than this. Definitely get the machine repaired or replaced... something is wrong. The solutions I've sent your way are more minor than anything else... they might make life easier but they won't fix whatever the real issue is. Good luck! I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Uhh...I put most of my comments in another thread, but DVCAM and DV are EXACTLY the same thing, excepting that DVCAM has a slightly different head pitch and speed. Still 25Mbps or 3.6MBps, and this is why all DVCAM devices play standard DV, and why nearly all DV devices play DVCAM. Maybe you meant Beta SX instead of DVCAM? I'll be honest... when I was writing that post I bounced back and forth between DVCAM and Beta. I'd write one, delete the other, write one, delete the other... I settled on DVCAM because of its name alone. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

This thread - while skydiving oriented - could have a few handy links and ideas for you. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Wow, impressive work. Most people throw a fit after they hear that. If the app has done any damage, the damage is still there. Generally it's simple stuff... software errors, directory structure errors, etc. If you have a few minutes to troubleshoot, go ahead and pop the first DVD that came with your computer into the drive and restart the computer holding the "C" key [press the "C" key as soon as you hear the startup chime and hold it until you see something different than usual]. Once it's all fired up [it will be a Mac OS X Installer app], go to the "Utilities" menu and select "Disk Utility". Select your hard drive and run disk first aid as well as repairing permissions. That should shake out any easy demons. That said, there could be hardware problems. I still recommend that you take it in.

Well that guy is wearing patches because he's sponsored by all of those companies. In my green opinion, it comes down to what you want. Want to have patches on your jumpsuit? Sure, go for it. Some people put stickers on their helmets, some people get pink jumpsuits, you can be the patch guy. Just be sure to put a "Type R" badge on there somewhere. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Heheh, sorry about the buried snarky remarks regarding HDV. It is an impressive format for what its meant to be... and I think it is to HDCAM as miniDV is to DVCAM [profound! ]. I don't want to steer this into a nice HDV discussion either, it's groovy and I'd love to see some freefall footage shot using it. Regardless, this seems like a groovy little camera. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Forgive me if this has been posted before, but it caught my eye today and I figured I'd pass it on. Canon just released their new HV10, a decent little HDV camera for about 1300 bucks. I haven't read much about it, but the form factor was what caught my eye. It's the first HDV camera I've seen that would look right at home on the side of somebody's head. While I'm not a real HDV fan in general [pisser quality compared to the "real deal"], this seems like a neat little device. It's one of the first truly "consumer" HDV cameras I've seen. They claim that it captures true 1080 resolution video. While I'm not too familiar with HDV [I try to shun it], I've been under the impression that it generally doesn't capture true 1920x1080 video... something closer to a 1440 pixel width if memory serves. I could be making all of this up, but it seems nifty if it's for real. Anyhoo, that's about it. It's nice to see a vertical form-factor HDV camera come out. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Bring it in, get it fixed or replaced. Also, uninstall [not just delete but uninstall] LimeWire as soon as possible. In my time at the Genius Bar, I saw LimeWire kill more machines than any other singular failure. I'm serious, that application causes problems ranging from loss of data to hardware damage. Ask the Mac Genius while you're at the store about it. You will likely get a replacement machine. You have to remember that this is the first time Apple has ever used Intel processors in that form factor. Until the 2nd revision of the new Intel machines surface... this is effectively a company-wide learning experience. That's not to say that it's a bad machine. Just remember that it's probably experiencing first-generation growing pains. To put it in perspective, I've had >20 Macs in the last 10 years [4 or 5 of those personally, the rest administrated through work or family] and only one has ever gone in for service [broken hard drive - a non-Apple component]. One of my machines has been on for 18-24 hours every day for the last 6 years... it still gets used daily. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

http://www.skyventuresv.com/ I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Precision Aerodynamics, Ravens in particular is the only company that I know of that has bridle attachments on their reserves.

I once read about somebody who decided to do this and went in under his malfunctioning reserve. This was in a thread on these forums... so I can't tell you if it was the truth or not. Reserves fail. Do not intentionally cutaway a good canopy from a 2-parachute system. At the very least, you're decreasing the life of your reserve. At the other end of the spectrum, you're committing suicide. I can't believe you would honestly recommend this to anybody. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Nope. While I forget if you can burn DVDs on an external drive from *within* iDVD, you can simply save your project as a Disk Image and use any standard app [Toast... or even Disk Utility... that's in the Utilities folder on the machine already] to burn it. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I watched the first half or so and was enjoying it. I'll finish it up later. Strangely, I like long videos. My biggest recommendation would be to deinterlace the footage before compressing it. Compressed interlacing makes the footage look worse than it otherwise would. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Thanks for the replies. I registered with the site but I obviously don't have anything checked off. If I make it to AZ, I suppose I'll have to hope they believe me... I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Have your instructors made any recommendations for you? Perhaps regarding body position or jumpsuit choice? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

This feels like a question that would get asked a lot... so forgive me if it's a horrendous rehash. I got back in the tunnel this weekend [after about a year] and got my belly skills check out of the way. I spent the rest of my [brief] time on my back - happily able to enjoy a little freefall on a cloudy day. I may be heading south through AZ in a week or two and I'm tempted to pick up some time while I'm there. Will I have to re-demonstrate my belly skills in order to continue backflying or is there some way to "prove" that I've moved past my belly in the tunnel? Is there some SV-wide system that would have my name in it... can I get Perris to print me something stating that I've done so... or will they take me at my word? Thanks! I really don't know what I'm talking about.

You don't want to find out that you're uncomfortable with your reserve wingloading at the wrong time. Finding out at a low altitude, potentially outside the dropzone and pumping full of adreneline with no backup? Wrong time. Better safe than broken. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

The second question here is more important than the first: if you think it's too small, it's too small. Ask your instructors what they think. To me, I don't care if a PD143 is actually 143 feet or if it's 171 feet. If it's really 171 feet, it should be safe, right? I jump a 169 main, so I should be able to handle it, right? To me, wrong. They wouldn't have called it a 143 if somebody who needs a 170 could safely jump it. I, too, have heard that PDRs are bigger than their numbers would reveal. That said, square footage of a canopy is a subjective measurement. There are many ways to measure a canopy's square footage and different ways will often produce different results. It is my understanding that these differences often come from the difficulty in accurately measuring an elliptical planform. With reserves being square, perhaps the measurements are more accurate. Or perhaps I'm full of it. Wait for more knowledgeable posters. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Are you going to be buying a new rig [read: having it custom sized] or are you looking for standard measurements for used rigs? I really don't know what I'm talking about.