AndyMan

I tried XM a few years ago in a rental car. My first thoughts were that we loved the variety of channels, but found that most of the channels themselves had relatively short playlists, to the point that each channel would get repeditive and we'd have to change channels. Is that still the case? Short playlists are our biggest frustrations with public radio stations, we've avoided satalite so far for that same reason. Thoughts? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Even with Canadas socialized healthcare, best estimates are that the government does turn a "profit" on smokers. Canada has very high taxes on cigarettes, maybe somebody can update me but when I last bought a pack they cost well over $6.00/pack. I have trouble believing that cigarettes are not revenue positive south of the border, given that the federal gov't role in healthcare is so much smaller than Canada. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I don't hear many credible calls for the names to be banned. What I do hear, is a lot of very public campaigns trying to convince people that the names and mascots are in bad taste, and that using those are poor business decisions. I happen to agree with both points. Often the ethnic names and mascots are in very poor taste. This often means choosing them are poor business decisions. What drove the point home for me most, was actually hearing reps from University of Illinois defending their mascot, cheif Illiniwek. They claimed the mascot actually honored Native American traditions. Yeah, Right. A white guy named John Madigan dressed as a walking stereotype dancing around a basketball arena. "honor Native American Traditions" my ass. To me, when the only defence is clearly tortured, the act itself must be indefensible. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Road stops are common in Canada for sobriety tests. They're only "random" in terms of where they setup, they'll choose a different spot each time. They stop everyone, give a basic interview and on that basis will send select people to a breathalyzer. Commonly they'll setup at the end of a long off-ramp, so that people have no escape. It is very effective. Canada's drunk driving rate fell dramatically after its introduction. And for that reason, It's also very popular. Privacy nuts don't even complain about it, for the most part. Citizens groups regularly ask for it to get increased funding. Since I moved to the states, I've been constantly amazed at how many people drive while intoxicated regularly. As long as the cops aren't discriminating when they stop people (ie, driving while black) I entirely support spot-checks for DUI. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Did you have your rigger inspect your canopy? The PD230 9 cell is made from an older type of parachute fabric that doesn't age particularly well. A canopy that big should be relatively easy to land, the fact that you're having trouble getting it to flare may indicate that the fabric is too porous to provide good lift. Don't ever downsize to "get a better landing". That just doesn't make sense. If the canopy fabric is worn out, then definately changing to a newer canopy, or one made with ZP fabric will definately help you. Once you're nailing landings, then start working on the Downsizing checklist before going any smaller. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I believe they also sense warmth and humidity. I'm certain they're defeatable, but I doubt it's as easy as using a bellows. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Please read this post in the Incidents forum: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=452847;page=3;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;#467069 Where the combination of not pulling down or collapsing the slider and the use of PD Soft Links may have caused a malfuction. In that particular case, the jumper did not cuttaway from the spinning malfunction and died. Otherwise, while you may not notice the speed change when you collapse your slider, it can make a significant impact to the slow speed flight characteristics of your canopy. Why do you care? You may find that when you collapse your slider, your no-wind landings get a lot better. My big question though, is that since you have a collapsible slider.... Why not use it? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That's a very fine point. I often think about it when people talk about "depending" on it. As far as I'm concerned, the only person who "depends" or "trusts" their Cypres is the person who removes his deployment handles before jumping, or jumps with handcuffs on. As far as I know, no such person has done that except for stuntmen planning on removing the restraints. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Important family events only happen once. Canoe trips happen every year. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

You don't need the Cypres card. The Cypres isn't a problem. You may have a problem with TSA objecting to the rig in the first place. Follow the USPA guidelines here: http://www.uspa.org/membership/travel/rigs.htm and print a copy of this:http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/PTT_Parachuting_102003.pdf _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I've got 500 jumps on a Stiletto 150 that I've loaded between 1.5 and 1.8 I've got a Samurai 135 on order that I'll load around 1.8 I have 700ish jumps. Prior to the Stiletto I had 200 jumps on a Triathlon 190, loaded around 1.2 I do 270 approaches on roughly half my landings. Occaisionally they result in a good swoop. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That's suprising.... I have a Rebel GII, and the website doesn't mention the remote jack, even though it does have one. I thought all Rebel's (except the original) had a remote jack. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

5 years and 700 jumps, never a broken bone. No sprains, strains, or tears requiring treatment. Skydiving is the most dangerous activity I've ever taken part of. Anyone who tells us otherwise are is lieing, often trying to convince himself of that same fact. Most importantly he is doing us no favor. Skydiving MIGHT be as dangerous as driving, if you're driving while main-lining on cocaine, heroin, and booze all at the same time, while speeding on a dirt road. A proactive, informed, and educated jumper can usually keep himself unbroken by being aware. LEARN. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Mine is finally getting to where I'm happy. Craichead gave me the fancy new Concentric ringsite for birthday.

If you're having trouble standing up your landings, don't be discouraged by other people talking about how easy it is. There's a WIDE range of gear in use at dropzones around the country. Some of this gear is close to 20 years old. People jumping newer student gear will have a much easier time standing up their landings than people on older gear. Myself, I had close to 10 jumps before my instructors even told me I was allowed to stand up my ladnings. They had taught me to PLF every landing. As you might guess, the student gear was quite old... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Dude, what are you nuts? He should just get that 21sqr foot XAOS. It'd be a much wiser choice. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Craichead and I have been known to get "comments" around the bonfire. Often these comments go like: "Hey Andy, you know tents aren't soundproof, right"? If we don't particularly care at the DZ, we CERTAINLY don't care when we're at home. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The talk show host should not be such a jackass.... But honestly, is it too much to ask for planes to have working radios? The first time I heard that, I didn't believe it, either. I am also amazed that they haven't come up with a way to commicate between planes that doesn't rely on the pilot arbitrarily listening in on a published frequency. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Everyone I know who's buying camera helmets are either going for the Optik Illusion or the FTP. All of the clamshell designs seemed odd to me in that they relied on hacks to give a good mounting surface. __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think it's more likely that in a "real" emergency, the pilot will most likely say"Hold on, and don't move an inch!". It's far more important that people be prepared for that scenario. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Big week for me! Current: 229 Loss: 3 lbs Total loss: 13 lbs. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm curious how people have injured themselves. 3 quesions, all in one poll. Back, Neck, Shoulder, Arm or leg/ankle? Broken/fractured or sprained/strained/torn? Exit, freefall, or landing? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Don't forget the dead innocent Iraqi's. It's tough to find good numbers, but some estimates put it well into the hundreds of thousands. If true, that means nearly as many Iraqi's were killed after the "liberation" as Hussein is accused of killing in the first place. More conservative estimates are 20,000. Iraq has been a cluster-fuck since day one because the hawks insisted on doing it "their way". What makes it worse is that America (and other western countries) are constantly passing up viable, meaningful, and important tasks around the world, only because they don't have "interests" (read: oil) in the region. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Well, it really depends on how "expensive" it is. I wish that the US had worked with the global community to build a consensus against Iraq, though. Going it alone was very risky. The Gulf War (part 1) gave a very good model of how it can work very well. If they'd played well with others, the war would be FAR less "expensive". One thing I detest is the notion among many western countries that they should stay out of dangerous places because their soldiers might get killed. I already mentioned Rwanda once in this thread, and it's a great example of the west staying out of a region because the administrations felt they couldn't afford a few dead soliders. Over 8 million people ended up being brutally killed in Rwanda, certainly had a few American soldiers died there it would have been worth it, if they could have stopped the violence before it started. That was the mandate of the understaffed UN mission BTW. The UN mission was never staffed because no western nation was willing to put in troops. Ironically, papers from the Pentagon ended up coming out that said the bean counters felt a dead US solider would have been worth it had that soldier saved 80,000 Rwandan people. It's ironic, because people on the ground were asking for just a few thousand well equipted troops, and all evidence suggested they would have saved millions. The exact same scenario is unfolding right now in Darfur, and again the west is hiding, with one exception. Canada is mobilizing for Darfur, and as a Canadian I'm proud. Sometimes you need to do what's right, even if that means you might lose some good soldiers. I do think Iraq will eventually turn out for the better, and "yes" it will probably be worth it. It's really impossible to tell though, that finality is a long way away and I suspect even the pessimists are underestimating the cost. It would have been far easier if the US had worked within the international community. American leftists who pushed for the war on their own terms have nobody but themselves to blame for the high cost. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Have you ever found yourself under your reserve, setting up for a tough landing, saying to yourself: "boy, I sure with I had a SMALLER reserve?" Didn't think so. Ask Sunpath if the Smart 160 will fit, and when they say 'yes' order one. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.