VTmotoMike08

(Sighs) Statements like "years of oil left" are so useless! What really matters is how much of that oil can be extracted at a NET ENERGY profit, although I think you understand that. There is no way there could be net energy gained in transporting oil from a moon of saturn, even if some form of hydrocarbon potential fuel is there. As for oil being naturally replenished by abiotic sources... well, I will admit that there is much to still be learned about geology while acknowledging the highly likely possibility that the guy is a crackpot. As for lies about peak oil, there is a simple way to examine this: look at a few small fields, and extrapolate the findings to global oil. Small fields, and individual countries, have shown peaks in production as predicted by the Hubbert Curve. There is no reason to think that the world as a whole will behave differently, although the scale is much larger and the uncertainity is a bit higher. Here's a realistic, evidence supported update on peak oil, without conspiracy theories. Some will dismiss it as scare tactics, but its hard to argue with data. http://www.theoildrum.com/node/5521#more

Meh, 5 of 10 here

Well, after taking a good look at both it seems in my non-professional opinion that the PD canopies are in generally of more sturdy construction. The sewing just LOOKS so much stronger, and like it was done with more care. Also, a pilot is not an all ZP canopy, the ribs are F-111. I'm not sure if this really effects performance or durability, but I doubt that it does nothing. The pilot has snappy, fun toggle turns. And that's it. Sure it opens nice and soft but almost any modern ZP canopy will do that. The front risers had very high pressure and it recovers from a dive almost instantly. I, and everyone I have ever talked to, prefer the toggle stroke on the Sabre2 over the pilot; they flare very differently. Some would say the pilot doesn't shut down, but it does, although it is pretty late in the powerband (you've really gotta get the toggles ALL the way down to get a decent landing). This topic has been beat to death a couple times... I was just bored

I love my tony suit C-wing jacket. Just be aware that you will have to find what works best for you personally in regard to clipping in the wings. I had a ring sewn onto the matching freefly pants that I clip mine into. Many others sew a ring into their harness. IMO, get the RSL clip because it is much easier to use than the cheap fastex clip and worth the $30.

Interesting article- http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/6132#more So basically, obesity rates are actually starting to decline, although not because people are making better choices. Its because they have bought all the fast food that they can stuff into their face, ran out of money to do so with (recession, etc), and are now forced to actually consume less. Sickening.

Without a doubt, life on earth will still go on. Whether humans in our current numbers will still enjoy the same quality of life is another question. There are 6 billion and some people on the planet, all striving for a life of increased consumption. Earth has never before seen a strain like that on its resources. Here's a well known formula: Environmental Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology Make too much impact, and mother nature pushes back and ALWAYS wins. To ignore this inevitable truth is the epitomy of "head in the sand". I'm not sure how much you know about the IPCC, so please don't think I'm trying to insult your intelligence. Of course the IPCC is a political organization. They do not do their own research, the interpret the research of others into meaningful policy suggestions for governments. Not liking the results does not mean the data was doctored. Saying the IPCC is out to decieve the world is like saying the DMV exists to waste your time. Of course they don't exist to try and decieve the world, but that perception is an unfortunate byproduct of their mission.

Here's a summary: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/energy/24689/ and the important part: Of course, the deniers who latch on to every skeptical news headline as gospel will jump on this and cry about how the whole thing is a scam. Very poor QA? Certainly! Maybe fire someone. The facts remain: CO2 is a greenhouse gas. In environmental engineering, it is very difficult to coordinate precise causes and effects when so many variables are at play. Several meta-studies have shown that the vast majority of evidence points to human induced climate change that we will have to deal with sooner or later, and the precise timing of certain events is less important than the fact that we can't go on with business as usual forever. Or, you can keep your head in the sand, read only the information that aggrees with your current views and ignore any that doesn't while crying that Al Gore is evil and just wants to take all your money.

I'm 24 and I go to spinning class every week. Used to go to body pump (think light, repetative weights) when I was at a gym that had it. Cycling is mostly an older crowd but there's a few cougars. Body pump had some real honies in that class, but you gotta watch out for the 23 year olds with a 7 year old kid that needs a daddy when they forget to mention that tiny detail until the 3rd date. I never really went for the ladies, but it doesn't hurt. And I actually made a few friends of both genders. The only ones who would make fun of you for going are the image-obsessed assholes who only go to the gym just to look at their arms in the mirrors. Who gives a shit what others think?

It looks awesome, nice work! Got any pics of it opened up? I'm wondering if you had to shorten (trim) the wire on the hype eye or if its bunched up inside there? Any advice on where to get the materials that won't cost as much as the commercially available boxes? Your cost was clearly brought down by economics of scale and leftover surfboard materials. Most sites sell CF by the yard and resin or epoxy by the gallon, and obviously you don't need those volumes to make a camera box- and it ends up costing more than the cookie or bonehead boxes. I seems like most of the carbon fiber part kits out there cost almost as much as the boxes from cookie, etc. The simplest that I found was this: http://www.carbonmods.co.uk/Products/Carbon-Fibre-Laminating-Starter-Kit__CMCFLK300.aspx By the time you buy the mold, the fabric, resin, (both of the kits) and ship it all to the USA it comes to over $130. Still cheaper than buying the cookie box but I would like to get a little more savings if I'm gonna put in all that time. I think I'm gonna try to make one, but mine will be permanently mounted to the top of a FTP helmet and I'm gonna try to make it drop in and have padding to hold it in place instead of a camera screw.

Hell no, my girlfriend might see my phone and find the messages!!! (kidding)

Only a couple billion more years before the sun burns out. Whatever happens between now and then matters refreshingly little. So... E.F.S.! (Eat, Fuck, and Skydive!)

Alright, I did not read the whole thread before this and I know almost nothing about the legal system, so this might be a dumb question but please at least try to be respectful. My question is directed at someone who actually knows what they are talking about, not a random commentator. I got the whole thing about summary judgment and how it needs to be decided by a jury. Imagine that SE comes out of bankruptcy and the trial is decided by a jury, the waiver holds, SE is not negligent... etc. Can SE counter sue for legal fees? What would be the realistic chances of winning such a suit? Am I allowed to call the guy that brought the suit a fucktard without getting banned? In any event, I would like to see him in some financial pain for the burden that he brought to an honest businessman. What part of "waive the right to sue" does he not fuckin understand???

Never used the anti fog spray stuff but here's what works for me. Your results may vary and sometimes weather and outside humidity can do strange things. -Most importantly, breathe only thru the mouth hole (no nose breaths) -Take it completely off your head in the plane (after takeoff), don't rest it on top of your head. This lets it get some cold air flow over the inside of the visor and it won't get as much "temperature shock" when you leave. -Don't put it on early for the same reason as above. 30 seconds before exit should be fine. -There is some play in the visor when you install it, so leaving a small gap at the bottom helps. Sometimes you do everything right, and the damn thing still fogs over. Then you gotta unsnap it and put on top of your head under canopy. I've done this about 4 times in almost 500 jumps with my factory diver and its never fallen off. You could get a helmet with a visor, but that's another post. My personal feelings are that visors are more trouble than they are worth and they are just another failure point.

Rigger roll the canopy. (I think that's what its called). Then put the canopy into a thick plastic bag like a large freezer bag. Then take the lines, fold them on top of the canopy fabric with the lines towards the top of the bag. Take a vacuum cleaner, hold the lines tight, and vacuum on top of the lines, being careful not to suck up the lines. When all the air is out, carefully seal the bag airtight so its like vacuum packing it. I got a 170 canopy into a box that I would guess was about 30% smaller than my deployment bag like this. Don't be stupid and vacuum up any of the canopy. And get insurance on the shipping. O ya... make sure you use the small attachment end of the vacuum hose and not the floor sweeping head part. Of course it doesn't help the weight, but it will get the volume down.

Of course, not everywhere gets as much sun as San Diego. (not trying to insult your intelligence, I'm sure you know this). I've been trying to gather all the info to do a hypothetical off grid design for my house from this site: http://www.solarpowerforum.net/forumVB/showthread.php?t=1793. I need a lot more info, and I know I will have to go with a grid-tie anyway. I'm not sure my system could ever pay for itself in south east Virginia. So while solar is great... it's not for everywhere and we need a little of all renewable energy forms, and will continue to need fossil fuels for a long while longer.

It's such a complex, inter-dependent issue. I spend a lot of my time reading about the solar industry, as I would like to make a career change into solar design when the economy turns around (I'm currently a civil/ environmental engineer in another industry). I'm currently learning everything I can and trying to find a specific area to focus on. I obviously care. I don't know about anyone else. I don't know about the first two. It seems to me like we need to find a way to make people care more. A carbon tax would do it, but it would have some undesirable consequences. It would raise the price per KW/HR for all customers but then we could create a credit for residents/ business to install smart meters and smart black boxes and throw some more rebates in to motivate efficiency improvements. Along the way, some of our best scientist can work on improving the technology (think super efficient solar film built into your roof's shingles that can power your whole house, and look identical to regular roofs). Then about 10-15 years later we have a totally retooled energy economy, a ton more jobs, and a few less greenhouse gases floating around in our atmosphere. But no one will take the first step. It could be resistance to change, it could be the currently long pay back time, it could be the entrenched interests and lobbies of the fossil fuel industries, or a combination of that and others. If you find out how to make it happen... you could make a ton of cash. I obviously don't have all the answers...

If you had purchased $1,000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00. With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00. With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left. But if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling price, you would have $214.00. Based on the above, current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

I've had mine for about two years, I got it fully tricked out with square grippers with the mesh in the center, pleated booties from the knee to the toe, inside grips. I would, however, do with no zippers on the booties. Its not a matter of if they will break, but when. Overall, its a great suit. I can't really dig up any photos that show the details of its construction. If I was gonna get a new RW suit, I would get a tony suit with the airspeed booties that have the elastic in them. My friends got that and it is much better than the bev pleated booties, IMO. And they are easy to take on/off even without zippers. Personally, I would go with the biggest booties you can get on the first suit, as long as you have a license, or will have one by the time the suit gets in. The small booties are really just shoe covers, and I've owned two suits with those. Those are better than nothing but you will want more after less than 50 jumps (if you are getting into 4-way). Just my opinions...

And the 6 month-ish that the quote is not what you really get. It will get extended. My friend ordered one and was quoted 6 months. Actual time after delays- 10 and a half months! And it was not exceptionally fancy or anything.

Here's a video of a 2-way ash dive that I shot. A deceased jumpers family showed up at the DZ and asked us to spread his ashes in freefall, per his request. He died of natural causes and had not jumped in the last 10 years as he was getting much older. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56tN_hOTEFs We just used a ziploc baggie and it worked fine, although we put the baggie in a old helmet bag for the plane rid up. Of course, a cordura bag designed for this would be even better. I just threw this movie together in iMovie, and I'm planning on redoing it with slow motion for the ash release soon. No audio on the youtube version because of copyrights and all but the one I made for my viewing pleasure has the song "Every Breath You Take" by The Police on it. Seemed nice.

Fact: all of us are 100% likely to die! Health insurance doesn't prevent death. The obvious being said, of course rich people live longer than poor people (and health insurance purchase is likely correlated to income, although I have no data... Seems obvious enough). Regardless of if you provided basic health insurance for all, the rich would still go out and buy more expensive treatments and live longer. Then people would still bitch about how unfair the system is. Or they can just accept that life is tough- get a helmet! Anyway, rich people living longer seems perfectly fair to me. Unless you advocate taking away their choice to buy the best available care, it will always be this way.

Pilot chute assist. Basically, some still in the copter would hold your pc until your canopy reaches line stretch and it gets pulled from their hand. Helps get the canopy out quickly (and hopefully with out wraping around you if you tumble on exit!)

Discuss I'm trying to think about all the what if's but I'm posting from my phone and it takes to long to type. Should make some good Friday afternoon entertainnent. Would you have some one PCA you like a base jump? Or would certain doom follow? Disclaimer- I'm not gonna actually try this

There's at least one set of cobalt line trim charts already posted on this sight. I found it from some one else and reposted it, but I'm not sure if that is the slov. version. I'm sure you can find it with a search. I'll post the one I've got when I get home from work but I don't know if it's the slov. version. I would be interested in learning more, I didn't know there was more than one version but cobalts are wierd.

Here's my newly completed setup, I would really like to get some feedback. BH Optik Illusion PC 109 Rebel XT with an RRS Clamp on top, which I love. The blow switch mounted on top took quite a bit of work to wire like that but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Edit: Currently saving for a CX100 with a FTP so I can join this century of camera flyers