AndyMan

Exported pictures end up My Documents\My Pictures\Picasa Export\folderName _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

If he's having trouble figuring out Picasa, then photoshop is not the answer. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's Easy. Open Picasa. Browse to the pic you want to resize. Click on it. It shows up in the "Picture tray" on the bottom left. Click the "export" button on the bottom right. Adjust the slider to make the image smaller or larger. 320 is very small, 1024 is good for posting to websites. Hit OK. Done. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Two of my three dead skydiver friends were pilots. Do not think that makes you any safer than the rest of us. In my small statistical sample, it puts you in a much more risky group. Go slow, pay attention, learn. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Well, I guess he needs to decide how he wants to use his canopy. Additionally, I'd made a few assumptions. I don't think he's asking if he should go buy a 288 Navigator. I think he's asking "what's a good first canopy for me?". Without a doubt, he should be discussing this with his instructors. As a student, they are definately his best source of good information. That said, a good first canopy is one that he can jump conservatively at 20-ish jumps, and learn advanced flight techniques at 200 jumps. That often means something like a conservatively loaded Saber2, Safire2, or equivalent. If he's a lightweight, he might look for a .9 wingloading. If he's a heavyweight, he might consider up to 1.1. His instructors can give him guidance here. PD canopies are currently on 12 week back-order. I presume by the time a new canopy ships he'll have close to 20 jumps, and about ready for a 1:1 wingloading. As long as he has a good dialog with his instructors, they'll be able to help him choose appropriate gear. I had only intended my advice to knock down the suggestion that once he gets 50 jumps he should plan on downsizing. That is certainly not the case. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this statement. I kept my first canopy, a triathlon 190 loaded at 1.1 for well over two years and 300 jumps. There is absolutely no reason someone needs to downsize from their first canopy in less than 2 years. BillVon's list of skills recomended before downsizing is here. Read it and know it. It's very unlikely someone would master all these skills in six monthes, their first year in the sport. -flat turn 90 degrees at 50 feet -flare turn at least 45 degrees -land crosswind and in no wind -land reliably within a 10 meter circle -initiate a high performance landing with double front risers and front riser turn to landing -land on slight uphills and downhills -land with rear risers _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I don't know which one you're thinking about, but I recently discovered Picasa 2 and strongly recomend it for managing and basic editing of images. It's free and easy to use. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

No. All cameras have what's known as a "Max Synx Speed". This is the maximum shutter speed you can use while using a flash. This is very different than the maximum shutter speed withOUT a flash. For example, the Canon digital rebel can shoot at very fast shutter speeds, up to 1/3200 of a second. However, the minute you pop up the flash, the maximum shutter speed drops down to 1/200. 1/200 is very close to the line of being unnaceptable for high speed actions, it's close to where things (like jumpsuits) start to get motion blur. On a bright sunny day I set my camera to shoot at 1/500. If I pop up the flash accidentally, that speed drops to 1/200. If a photographer goes "old school" and manually sets up his camera prior to every jump, then the lowered shutterspeed will cause all his shots to be over-exposed. If a photographer had set his camera to TV mode where he specifies the shutter speed and allows the camera will pick an appropriate aperature, by bumping down the shutter speed will cause the camera to pick a different aperature. Remember that in addition to helping manage exposures, aperature settings also affect the focus, an affect refered to "depth of field". By having a different Depth of Field than the photographer planned on, he might find his photos out of focus. Lastly, if the photographer is an electronic "yuppie", and he's got his camera on auto-everything, including "P" mode and auto-focus, then he'd get away with it. Things would likely be in focus and properly exposed, with the only downside to additional motion blur. This photography thing can be complicated! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Both have very distinct advantages and disadvantages. Gas is great for giving a consistent flame over a long cook. This is ideal for longer roasts, like stuff put on rotiserie's. Not having to constantly monitor the coals makes enjoying a good stiff drink all the more relaxing. Cleanup is easy and quick, which means I'm more willing to use the grill almost every night. Charcoal is great in that it can give out a lot of heat, and the grill retains that heat when you open the lid. I love grilling steaks and chops over charcoal. The deciding factor for me right now is that Chicago has an ordinance against using charcoal on a condo balcony, so I'm stuck with gas. When we buy a house with a big backyard, I imagine I'll have both. Honestly, this question makes as much sense as "sautee or deep fry?". Both are perfectly good cooking methods with wildly different characteristics. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I can't stress how tiresome it is to read posts like this. This was an interesting thread. Step up, think - be insightful. Partisan hackery is boring. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I quit two years ago. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

My lavalamp is only 5 monthes old. Each morning I turn it on, it warms up and does that "shoot to the top thing". After warming up it eventually starts bubbling along as happy as a . . . well functioning lava lamp. The problem is that after a few hours it gets tired, and all the bubbles slow down and eventually stop, ending up as a stationary blob at the bottom. No love. Why does my lava lamp get tired? Is there Prozac for LavaLamps? How can I fix? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I love my Gatorz, but the first thing I did was remove the rubber strips. The added bulk made them uncomfortable when I wore a tight helmet. YMMV, of course. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think any judgment is premature. The political process in Iraq is far from stable. Attacks continue against the government, civilians, and Iraqi and American troops. Insurgents continue to use violence to unsettle the process, and to create divisions within the country. To me, Iraq appears to be in the process of being pulled (by the insurgents) into a very dificult civil war that will have much in common with genocide. I see disturbing mirrors in the pattern of attacks between Iraq and Rwanda. I hope I'm wrong. Only after the dust has settled should we figure out if it was worth it. I have no doubt a lot more blood (Iraqi, American and otherwise) will be spilled in the process. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm jealous. I LOVE cities that ban smoking. When in a city with smokeless bars, I go to more, stay longer, and spend more money. I LOVE the fact that when i come home my clothes don't stink. There's talk again in Chicago of them banning smoking. I really hope they do. Cities that have banned smoking have found that their restaurants get more business afterwards. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's absolutely possible to get a hundred jumps and a 'b' rating by October, if you've got the funds. What will be more challenging will be getting some good experience in 15-20 way RW jumps, since your dropzone is very limited in the planes it flies. Make sure to be there for all of their "Otter weekends", and maybe consider making a few trips to larger dropzones as you approach the deadline. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

For the record, I believe people who "Don't swoop - EVER" to be a far greater risk than people who try to understand all aspects of canopy flight knowledgably and carefully. People who "Don't swoop - EVER" are unlikely to practice flat turns, carves, or how to bail from an unintentional low turn, all 3 being critical skills to keeping yourself alive. To anwer your question, I consider myself "Somewhat agresive". Although I jump at a high wingloading I have gotten here gradually, and with my eyes open as much as possible. I attempt to swoop roughly half of my landings. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It'd be far easier to answer your question if we knew how cold it was going to be. Try to avoid typing in all caps. It's very dificult to read. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Mount a small mirror on your wrist. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I have seen people having different problems based on the kind of helmet they have. At my DZ, people with Flat-top-pro's have tongue switches that last forever. People with other helmets go through switches quickly. The problem, as we see it, is that people with Flat Top Pros have the tongue switch anchored in the chin cup, which leaves very little wire exposed. People with other helmets often have the tongue switch coming out of the helmet near their ear, which leaves a lot of wire exposed to the wind. Under canopy, the jumper spits out the switch and the wind blows it around, eventually causing damage. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

This is not me. I did take it, though. Eli Thompson at the Perris pond three weeks ago. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

One of my favorites: Canon Digital Rebel Sigma 15mm 1/500 shutter priority iso 100 f7.1 _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I had the same problem with my FTP, I had my PC120 top mounted and my digiRebel on the L-bracket. Not only would I get the flash, but when I switched to the Sigma 15 lens I'd also get its tip. My solution was to rotate the "L" bracket and hang it upside down. That worked fine when I was shooting film but quickly became a pain in the ass when I switched to digital because I coulnd't find an editing program that would rotate the images in bulk. I recently did find that program... www.picasa.com. A few weeks ago I dropped in on Bonehead and had them custom make me a larger top-plate for my FTP. Now I can mount my digiRebel beside my dbox'ed PC120, and have completely avoided the issue. As an added bonus, this frees up the "L" bracket for a good flash... I suspect that if you tape down the flash and add a second one, well - you'll still have the same problem except it'll be the wiring harness for your new flash that shows up in frame... That is one reason why I dislike the FTN. Maybe Bonehead would be willing to help you trade in for a FTP. Alternately, you can go inverted or move the "L" bracket down. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Brian Germain is one of Skydivings most knowledgable canopy pilots, and a great teacher and mentor. We can learn a lot by paying attention. In this post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=911101#911101 He says In this post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=910886;#910886 he talks about how "Sight pictures" change, and how this fails people who use only their eyes. In this post http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=931343;#931343 he outlines steps to learn swooping. He suggests "Use you altimeter to train your eyes for the initiation altitude. " _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

A "sight picture" is meaningless until you're able to get it calibrated by an accurate altimeter. Sight Pictures change as you move to different DZ's, and even as the seasons change at your home DZ. Of course altimeters fail, and since they're based on air preasure will "wander" a certain amount throughout the day. Accurate altimeters are fantastic additions to just plain using your eyes when learning accurate initiation altitudes. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.