SethInMI

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Everything posted by SethInMI

  1. SethInMI
    I also use this method, and I have for the last 400 or so packjobs. It helps to have a rig like a Vector that has a totally enclosed bridle, so there is no concern about getting any fabric trapped between the bridle and the kill line when bagging the canopy.
  2. SethInMI
    Turning the canopy causes the jumper to swing out from under it due to centrifugal force. This tips the canopy and it ends up pointing more toward the ground which greatly increases its descent speed.
  3. SethInMI
    Ha. I would say 1 and 2 look more similar than 2 and 3, but they all do look different to me.
  4. SethInMI
    When people talk about a packing mat, they mean a mat sized just for the container. You are going farther than that. Why do you need the mat to cover the entire packing area? Are you packing on grass or dirt or some other area where there is not some sort of mat already?
  5. SethInMI
    I assume you are trying to say the OP is advertising and so is breaking forum rules? It's a grey area, it appears to depend on how often the event is held, and how special it is, that is, how likely is it to draw people from outside the area. If the OP is holding this course once a month, then it is probably advertising. Once a year, it's an event. But posting it only two weeks beforehand seems to indicate that it is only intended for locals and the post reads like an ad, so you may be right.
  6. SethInMI
    I assume it just means the profile of the canopy is done with each cell having a different taper. Pic of a Valkyrie from PD website with my count hand drawn:
  7. SethInMI
  8. SethInMI
    I feel the same. To me, tips are for TI's, or the AFF student who really just wanted a single jump not hooked to someone. If you are actually learning to skydive, your AFF is really an instructor / teacher and not tipped. I wouldn't tip a college professor. But if you appreciate their efforts, let them know, get them water on a hot day, get their favorite beer when you buy beer, etc.
  9. SethInMI
    Not really. IIRC, the "Mom and Pops" Enron screwed were the employees who had all of their 401k money in the company stock. Any "Mom and Pop" shareholders who are putting their life savings in Tesla stock are idiots. But I haven't heard of any of these "parents willing to give up their children" for Tesla, whatever that means.
  10. SethInMI
  11. SethInMI
    The thing with Tesla is people have been predicting its imminent demise since it started. The amount of Shorts that have lost money betting against Tesla is legendary, so yet another prediction against them isn't really "news". I always assumed Tesla wouldn't make it long term, but whatever happens, I stand in awe of what Elon has already accomplished.
  12. SethInMI
    You add "indirectly" and you would have a LOT of people.
  13. SethInMI
    No it makes sense to me. If I understand you correctly, you are using a position displacement vector direction to decompose your velocity scalar. And what is the use of the N/E velocity anyway? your graphs don't break it down, but I guess there are some flysight viewer screens that do?
  14. SethInMI
    That's the helmet you will be jumping with? That's great! Did people actually strap med-kits to their helmets on the jump?
  15. SethInMI
    It gets twisted doesn't it? I recall hearing a different take something like this: Masochist: "Hit me" Sadist: "No"
  16. SethInMI
    Oh I get it, and I think it's funny, but I think you can get more flies with honey than shit. You disagree.
  17. SethInMI
    I don't know the post / context, so can't judge specifics, and it is hard to generalize a comment like that, it can be said to be funny or to be serious, and be taken as funny or serious all depending on context, people involved, etc. Sounds a little like the "can I be on your ash dive?" line. I don't really like that comment, but that's just me.
  18. SethInMI
    I would say in the USA very few injuries are reported to USPA (at least that make it into parachutist incident reports), and that lack of statistics makes discussing risk of injury just about impossible, as all we have are anecdotal observations. Maybe a large DZ, like SDAZ which has a strong safety reporting culture, would be able to give decent statistics on say number of broken bone jumps per million jumps, or sprained ankle jumps per million jumps etc. But I feel that death risk alone is probably a good metric for comparing activities for overall risk, as we all know injury risk is far higher than death risk for most activities (riding in a car, other "extreme" sports)
  19. SethInMI
    I don't know how much that type of care contributes to this constant and steady rise in health care costs we are experiencing. And I say that honestly, I don't know. If becoming a member of the 5% club means hitting 50k in costs per year, that may require say 1 visit a week to the ER for some drugs and a pat on the back and a push out the door? <shrug> How many people are doing that, swapping GP care for ER care that often?
  20. SethInMI
    George Carlin: “So I say, “Live and let live.” That’s my motto. “Live and let live.” And anyone who can’t go along with that, take him outside and shoot the motherfucker. It’s a simple philosophy, but it’s always worked in our family.”
  21. SethInMI
  22. SethInMI
    Hi Taha, There are not a lot of engineers in the skydiving equipment manufacturing world, because there are not a lot of people in that world. It is a small industry, and restricting it to wingsuits is way smaller. If wingsuits interest you, perhaps going for an aeronautical degree would be a good idea.
  23. SethInMI
    True. But eventually any of us could take a turn as one of the 5%. If the 5% level is a 50k bill, being part of the that group is having a single battle with cancer or just a badly mis-judged swoop. The Atlantic had a article about the chronic 5%'ers, those who year after year are in that group, and the focus that some states are putting on them to try and get their cost of care down, which makes sense to me, try to bring attention to the big recurring costs. I mention that 5% not because I want to kill them off, but because theirs is the greatest room for improvement. If you have someone who is costing 50k a year, year after year, getting that down to 40k or 30k could have massive savings. If all the 50k is necessary of course, well there isn't anything to do, but the article pointed out cases where in fact by giving those people intensive in-home attention it could keep them out of the hospital where the big bills get run up.
  24. SethInMI
    This talk of healthcare costs and controls reminds me of the fact that "50% of health care dollars in this country are spent on 5% of the population". It's really a staggering figure, averaging over $50000 per person per year for the 5%. I wonder how it has changed over the years. A few graphs I found interesting: In 2017 dollars, USA healthcare spending per capita was $2000 in 1970, and about $11000 now. I wonder how much of that extra cost is going to the 5%. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/#item-on-a-per-capita-basis-health-spending-has-grown-substantially_2017 Health care costs varying with population: https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-expenditures-vary-across-population/#item-discussion-of-health-spending-often-focus-on-averages-but-a-small-share-of-the-population-incurs-most-of-the-cost_2016
  25. SethInMI
    This is very similar to my own experience with HDHPs and MRIs. I posted about it in a Bonfire thread a few years ago. The blue cross / blue shield insurance company had a "shop around" page on their website that allowed me to compare MRI prices between local hospitals, but their own call center employees didn't know it existed, and no person at any hospital I spoke with could tell me what I would pay if I got an MRI at that facility.