j_ung

Ninja, please. What he said was, in most cases, NOT the same as what the yellow text said he did. That clip is designed to make people who can't (or choose not to) follow the actual conversation believe that something else -- something nefarious -- is going on here. I do, however, I agree with your last part. It's largely poli-speak.

Speaking as someone who will most likely vote for Obama, I'm kinda tweaked by several things: 1. I was pissed when he decided to forgo public financing. Seemed like he broke his word on that one. 2. I think his head is more in the clouds when it comes to the federal budget than McCain's is. 3. I don't believe he'll lift a finger on earmarks or election financing reform. 4. He's also guilty when it comes to negative campaign ads. I think McCain is more guilty, but I'm sure it would be the opposite if their positions were reversed in the polls. 5. I really wish he'd just admit that the Iraq troop surge, along with several other factors, actually has benefited the situation there substantially. That I still plan to vote for Obama, however, is testament how much I like certain other of his characteristics/beliefs, such as: 1. Far more so than McCain, Obama understands the actual problems facing America. I think McCain has an outdated way of looking at environmental issues, foreign policy and health care, which are, coincidentally, three of my biggest concerns going forward. Alternative energy is my single biggest issue this year, as it was in 2004 and 2000. 2. I like what I think a lot of others see in Obama, namely his intellectual curiosity. This is such a contrast to Bush and, to a lesser extent, McCain. 3. He's black. THERE! I SAID IT! Ancient white guys have had every chance and look where they got us. Let's put some freaking diversity out there and see if a different world view can get us someplace else. I'd prefer our diversity come from a third political party, but without such a viable option available, I'm willing to vote for the next best thing. However, I'm not going into the voting booth with the same sense of urgency I had in 2000 and 2004. I genuinely like both of these guys and I don't think either one of them has the potential to fuck things up as much as W did. That he and his advisors will no longer be in direct power is enough to make me smile, no matter who wins. Edited to fix several typos.

One-eyed, One-horned, Flying Purple People Eater in My Pants.

That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Where can I get an anti-gravity suitcase?

You're banned for posting FAKE boobies.

Seriously? I'm running Firefox and AdBlock Pro, so I don't see a single Ad. Thank god, so it sounds like. Well, to tell the truth, that's what I used to run, too. Now I click on ads.

Yeah, I think AFF1 might be the way to go. I didn't handle the chute when I did a tandem jump but that was, jeez, 15 years ago? Something like that. I'm up in Boston to visit the corporate overlords (kidding!) next week. I think I'll open the subject then. Keep yer various digits crossed.

Thank you so much, everybody. I'm overwhelmed! You folks are very kind. Don't forget, though, this thread is also to solicit feedback from you, re: the site. This is essentially a brainstorm session -- nothing is off the table. Imagine it's DZ's birthday, and we're all trying to figure out what it wants.

Couldn't hurt, all things considered. 1. Whats your name? Jay 2. How old are you? 38 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? Work 4. Are you single or taken? Taken 5. Do you have kids? Nope 6. What do you drive? Hyundai 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? A what? 8. Where do you live? New River Gorge, WV 9. Do you have any pets? A dog and a cat 10. How many jumps do you have? Uno 11. What color eyes do you have? Green/grey 12. What is your nationality? 'Mercan 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? No 14. Favorite Movie? Cube 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? Climb, riverboard, trail run, write 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? Nothing is out of the question! 18. Do you have siblings? 2 sisters 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? South America and the northeastern US. 20. What's your favorite color? Green 21. Where was the last place you flew to ( not skydiving )? Chattanooga, TN

It's unfortunate that the guy who got hired to run the site falls (pun intended) firmly in the NOT-skydiver category. I really do intend to change that, as soon as I can. So, how much do FJC's typically cost, anyway? I'm assuming it's around $300-400.

My plan is to eventually claim so much ignorance of everything skydive related that I "need" an FJC and the company should cover the cost. Seriously.

Come see me when you get a chance. Bring your playbook.

Okay, I have to clear this up. "Freeclimbing" is any style of rock climbing in which the climber ascends using only his or her own body to do the work. You can have gear, ropes, cams, carabiners, etc., but in freeclimbing, it's only used to catch you if you fall. Conversely, "aid" climbing is when you actually use your equipment to move up the rock. Freeclimbing does not mean "no ropes." You folks are thinking of free soloing. That's not to say I don't ever free solo; I still do upon occasion. But I don't want anybody thinking that's all I do. As lousy a climber as I am, I'd have one helluva short life expectancy.

Keeping ads relevant and unobtrusive seems to be a recurring theme. Without making promises, I've added it to the list. I certainly want to avoid mass defections from the site. Slow and steady... check and check.

I'm going to go ahead and lock this thread and direct discussion to its Bonfire counterpart. Labrys, I have your feedback noted and listed. Thanks a ton! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3362056;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

Jumps : 1 Right now, I'd bet money that's scarier to me than it is you. I'm afraid I probably can't say much to counter it, so let's just put it out there for folks to mull... I've jumped once. And I had a guy strapped to my back when I did it. I guess I can say this: I won't do anything here without some hefty advice seeking before hand. I only hope most folks will hold their judgment of me until they can make it based on my actions. And I like boobies.

We went with blue over on RC.com. Might do the same here. We'll see. For the time being, I'm not in charge of anything important, so black it is.

I'll go with "fastest typist in the world". Blues, Dave D'oh! Busted.

Meh, me too.

No HH for me. That'll forever be Willem's. Feel free to make suggestions. I can take it.

Hi folks, I may have met a few of you in the Bonfire back when Willem and Daniel bought Rockclimbing.com. If not, hi, I’m Jay Young. Namemedia hired me to head up Willem and Daniel’s three sites. A little about me, first. I’m a longtime climber, and I’ve been involved with Rockclimbing.com for a number of years, including acting as editor of her Gear Guide under Daniel. My professional background is in climbing, content and journalism; I’m not a coder, nor do I have much technical web experience to speak of. I live and work in Fayetteville, WV (think Bridge Day), where my wife and I moved to be closer to rock and whitewater. I’m certain that you all have a lot of concerns and questions. I’ll try to address a few of them in this post; please feel free to ask about anything and everything else. First of all, I guess you’re worried, and I understand why. Here’s this asshole you don’t know, who has probably never jumped, doesn’t have clue #1 about your culture in the sky, let alone on this site, and yet, he’s been hired to run it. Well, that pretty covers it. About all I do have is an understanding that I don’t know those things. It ain’t much, but armed with that, I think I can proceed cautiously and delicately. Though I have been hired in part to help DZ grow as a revenue source for Namemedia, I intend to do so with a long perspective. My philosophy is that growth will be won by preserving the culture and integrity of this site, and I’ll try to do so by adding infrastructure and functionality where it can do the most good for the most people. In the private moderators’ forum, billvon mentioned that the development of this site has been emergent, rather than deterministic. I’ll always keep that in mind. So I guess the big question now is, what happens next? First off, as of right now, Willem still has primary responsibility for everything on DZ.com. He and Daniel have agreed to assist for a while to help facilitate the transfer of things. Where I hope we’re headed is toward a smooth transition that takes as long as it needs to take, while still moving steadily forward. Eventually, I’ll have primary responsibility for all of it, but an actual timeline has yet to be determined, and will probably remain somewhat fluid. It’s important to mention, though, that I don’t envision a time when I will ever act to do anything here without a lot of advice from trusted and respected members of the community. On that note, I will also say that one of my earliest tasks is to gather feedback about the site from you. I have a few ideas about things that may or may not be kinda cool, but I don’t yet know which of them are viable and which are not. So, it is at this point in time that I would like to open a discussion up to your ideas. Is there some functionality you’d like to see added? Is there something you think really needs to stay the same? Is there a direction you feel DZ.com is headed – and should continue on? Or not? Or, do you just have questions? I make no promises that any feedback will become reality. I only promise that I’m listening. For everything else, I’ll let my actions speak for me. Let the games begin!

Hi folks, I may have met a few of you in the Bonfire back when Willem and Daniel bought Rockclimbing.com. If not, hi, I’m Jay Young. A little about me, first. I’m a longtime climber, and I’ve been involved with Rockclimbing.com for a number of years, including acting as editor of her Gear Guide under Daniel. My professional background is in climbing, content and journalism; I’m not a coder, nor do I have much technical web experience to speak of. I live and work in Fayetteville, WV (think Bridge Day), where my wife and I moved to be closer to rock and whitewater. I’m certain that you all have a lot of concerns and questions. I’ll try to address a few of them in this post; please feel free to ask about anything and everything else. First of all, I guess you’re worried, and I understand why. Here’s this asshole you don’t know, who has probably never jumped, doesn’t have clue #1 about your culture in the sky, let alone on this site, and yet, he’s been hired to run it. Well, that pretty covers it. About all I do have is an understanding that I don’t know those things. It ain’t much, but armed with that, I think I can proceed cautiously and delicately. Though I have been hired in part to help DZ grow as a revenue source for Namemedia, I intend to do so with a long perspective. My philosophy is that growth will be won by preserving the culture and integrity of this site, and I’ll try to do so by adding infrastructure and functionality where it can do the most good for the most people. In the private moderators’ forum, billvon mentioned that the development of this site has been emergent, rather than deterministic. I’ll always keep that in mind. So I guess the big question now is, what happens next? First off, as of right now, Willem still has primary responsibility for everything on DZ.com. He and Daniel have agreed to assist for a while to help facilitate the transfer of things. Where I hope we’re headed is toward a smooth transition that takes as long as it needs to take, while still moving steadily forward. Eventually, I’ll have primary responsibility for all of it, but an actual timeline has yet to be determined, and will probably remain somewhat fluid. It’s important to mention, though, that I don’t envision a time when I will ever act to do anything here without a lot of advice from trusted and respected members of the community. On that note, I will also say that one of my earliest tasks is to gather feedback about the site from you. I have a few ideas about things that may or may not be kinda cool, but I don’t yet know which of them are viable and which are not. So, it is at this point in time that I would like to open a discussion up to your ideas. Is there some functionality you’d like to see added? Is there something you think really needs to stay the same? Is there a direction you feel DZ.com is headed – and should continue on? Or not? Or, do you just have questions? I make no promises that any feedback will become reality. I only promise that I’m listening. For everything else, I’ll let my actions speak for me. Let the games begin!

I sometimes guide rafts on the New. It's an outstanding river, but IMO, far better in the spring, when the water is still up. Summer and fall tend to be a little low. But, the water does warm up around the end of May. Schedule yourself a raft trip for then and you're probably in for a good time. Or, do a Gauley River trip in the fall. Gauley Season still has a couple weeks left, as a matter of fact. I probably shouldn't point this out, since it directly contradicts my assertion that you should go rafting on the New and/or Gauley... but screw it. This video is long, but it's nothing but action, through and through. At least make it to 2:28, which is my favorite part. It's called "An Orgy of Unimaginable Carnage." This is part one; there are three -- all worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGv8xnSx734

but how much money would it take for you to be a catcher Just posted in the other thread. Seriously? 60k to catch, 75k to pitch. Sure catching is a little... less savory, but not by a whole lot, and pitching would actually be physically more difficult to acheive, if you catch the, ahem, thrust of what I'm saying. I'd play around with two or three hot skychicas for a whole lot less. Any takers? Anyone? chirp chirp chirp

It would take a bit more for me, but yeah, I'd do it for less than a mil. Sssssaaaay... 60k to catch, 75k to pitch. (Hey, realistically, pitching would be more physically difficult.)