AndyMan

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Everything posted by AndyMan

  1. AndyMan
    Show me a good alternate to the Flat Top Pro where I can topmount both a video camera, and a still and I'd be there with bells on. The FTP costs almost as much as a good DSLR, which is ridiculous, I'd love there to be a good alternative. I have more than enough jumps with a sidemounted PC-xxx, and once I discovered the difference of having that weight centered ontop of my head, I'll never go back. Until the "consumer" helmets make that change, I'll forever preach the FTP. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  2. AndyMan
    There is no reason to pay the excessive fee for the Goldmember. The Stroboframe is much cheaper, and works perfectly well. [edit] You can 'Buy It Now' on Ebay for $49.95. http://search.ebay.com//search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=300-qrc _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  3. AndyMan
    He is quite old, and I think he's starting to lose it. I think it's unfortunate how much media coverage he's getting, because he's embarasing himself. The ravages of old age spares nobody. I do believe in life on far planets, but many (if not all) of the theories of sighted UFOs are patently absurd. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  4. AndyMan
    You simply can not go wrong with the FTP. Any other helmet is cheating yourself. I used to side-mount my PC-XXX, but once I switched to top-mount, I never went back. Having the weight centered ontop is great when you get your first super-slammer. I think you'll regret side-mounting. Secondly, the FTP is great for stability. The helmet simply does not move on your head, which is crucial to getting well-framed stills and steady video. I was shocked at the change in my video quality when I switched to the FTP. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  5. AndyMan
    I'm not sure I see your point. By comparison, if you let your private pilots license expire, you have no more right to fly your Mooney than a 16 year old who just got signed off. Why should skydiving be any different? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  6. AndyMan
    What makes Moore's law even more appropriate here., is that when Gordon came up with it, he used as example one very specific chip transistor. Yes, he was referring to CCD's. Almost. There's two sides to it. He said a manufacturer would be able to make the same product at half the price, or a chip that's twice as big at the same price. Both sides to that coin help us out here, immensely. I too think there'll be a Rebel version of the 5D within a year or two. I'm not sure I'd want it, though - the 5D framerate is a bit slow, something I presume is related to writing the immensely large file to media. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  7. AndyMan
    Doubtful. The decline in crude oil prices have been pretty consistent since refinderies started coming back online. The oil and gas industry continues to show signs of a healthy, effective market. The people I've met in the petroleum industry are not nearly smart enough to get away with the kind of price manipulation that people keep acusing them of. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  8. AndyMan
    I've seen a VX2000 sit quite comfortably on a FTP. I've got one on my 'long-term' shopping list. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  9. AndyMan
    Within 8 monthes? Definately. In 8 monthes? Definately not. Remember that gas prices are cyclical. Every year they peak in the summer and bottom out in the winter. Right now, with $2.15ish prices, prices are at about the peak summer prices of 2004. Prices are currently trending down, but they will start trending back up towards springtime, and will peak again in the summer - probably near $3.00/gallon. Next summers prices will be similar to the prices this summer, before the huricanes. I predict next summer will infact be higher than this summer - before the huricanes. To answer your question, yes - I think we'll see $1.85 prices in late winter. Those will still be record high prices for that time of year, so we shouldn't celebrate too loudly. Shortly after prices will start to pick back up as the driving season starts up again. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  10. AndyMan
    He asked for opinion. Was he right or wrong? To me, that means: "did I stack the odds in my favor and it worked", or "did I stack the odds against me, and I got lucky?" I sure as hell know that I've got plenty to learn in this sport, and I presume the same is true of gemini, and you, and everyone else. Since he asked, I answered. I think Gemini put the odds against him, when he could've put them in his favor. This isn't something I say lightly, but I know that it's the kind of answer that he's looking for - that's why he asked. It helps nobody for everyone to chime in "you walked away, you did the right thing". Giving that answer kills a perfectly good learning opportunity. We all can learn, especially from the mistakes we walk away from. I would prefer that people tell my why it isn't a mistake, than to tell me I'm not supposed to point it out. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  11. AndyMan
    I've always felt that EF-S is a temporary solution until CCD's go fullsize. I wouldn't have guessed that would happen as quickly as it did when the 5D came out... but I figured it would happen eventually. Since I don't want to toss all my lenses when EF-S goes away, I've been smart enough to only buy EF ones. I think avoiding EF-S whenever possible is a very smart move. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  12. AndyMan
    Got clicky? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  13. AndyMan
    The PC55 always struck me as looking way too much like a toy to be taken seriously. i could be wrong, though. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  14. AndyMan
    PC-100 is long discountinued. I'm curious why you want one, there's a lot of cameras out there that are a lot better, and come with a manufacturer waranty. I doubt that you'll find one new. Ebay would be my only suggestion if you absolutely must have a PC100. The Sony PC1000 is of comprable size, but a lot better quality. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  15. AndyMan
    That's what I use, too. It carries 2 SLR's, 3 stil lenses, a PC120, 3 video lenses, chargers, every cable I ever need... 3 box of tapes, 6 rolls of film... It's a good, cheap solution... But I think I'm going to upgrade to a larger Pelican 1600, for the extra space. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  16. AndyMan
    Wow, I'm impressed that the Sony guy was aware of the problem, and was upfront with you about it. There is a problem with some Sony camcorders, but they're mostly older high-end ones. Most are TRV models, like the TRV-350. People have attempted to solve the issue with Gaffers tape and other solutions, but none have been successfull. The Sony PC1000 does not suffer any issues with wind - so in this specific case, the point is moot. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  17. AndyMan
    Blatantly false and misleading ads have been aired on TV for decades. Anyone remember Nike ads saying "we don't employ child laborers" ? I would love to see TV networks step up and block ALL false and misleading ads, not just the ones that contradict their world view. I'd also love to see things go a step further, and have people (or gov't) be able to hold TV networks responsible when they do air false ads. There's no reason to limit this restriction to political ads. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  18. AndyMan
    The switches on Canon and Nikon DSLRs are simple switches with a simple 1/8 inch stereo jack. If the camera is in multiple-shot mode, then holding the switch closed will cause the camera to shoot continuously. You could just rig a simple on-off toggle switch, or hack a tongue-switch. I didn't know Sony was putting Lanc ports on their stills... Not sure I see the point. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  19. AndyMan
    I use Picasa2, brought to you from the kind folks at Google. It's got a very good interface for applying filters. www.picasa.com _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  20. AndyMan
    I am not a big believer in the "you did the right thing" approach to malfunction debriefs. I believe that for most malfunctions, there is a set of actions that will stack the odds in your favor, and a set of actions that will stack them against you. The fact that somebody walks away from a malfunction does not necesarily indicate that they followed the former path. Some follow the latter, yet get away with it. Also, stacking the odds in your favor is not a guarantee of success, either. To answer your question, What would I have done? I prefer to be in the former group. I would not attempt to land a main canopy with a brake line knotted to the point of it being 16 inches shorter. I would first try to cut the brake line with my hook-knive and land on rear risers, and if I couldn't manage to get it cut, I'd cuttaway and pull my reserve. I have absolutely no doubt that I'm about to be flamed to Hades. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  21. AndyMan
    In this case, you're lucky. All the material Brian covered is detailed in his book, "The Parachute and its pilot", available from his website at www.bigairsportz.com/publishing.php. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  22. AndyMan
    Nice pics, How did you rig the chestmount? Are these stllls, or video frame-grabs? If stills, how did you rig the shutter release? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  23. AndyMan
    Dude, the guy who literally wrote the book on canopy flight and aerodynamics said: " Your weight is balanced on the confluence wrap on your risers. Leaning forward or back will not alter the center of gravity of the parachute at all." Do you disagree? Why? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  24. AndyMan
    I emailed tony AT square1 DOT com You could also email katejumps AT square1 DOT com They have a webpage at http://www.skydiveperris.com/ppp/bigwaycamp2.asp, but it is out of date - it refers to last years camp. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
  25. AndyMan
    The people who voted for it sure seemed to think it was chili! That's all I cared about! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.