AndyMan

I work at a place with a lot of fat people. Everyone loves to tell everyone else about how they're on a diet, but it must be a very special diet because they always seem to be eating huge volumes of high fat, high carb food... All of the fat people suposedly on diets carry around the biggest water cups I've ever seen. They carry them as they walk around the office, as they loom in other peoples cubicles, as they chat at the water cooler and in the copier room.. They've got their water cup perched beside their monitor when they're sitting... These water cups are HUGE. They're 60 ounces at least. If I were to guess, I'd guess they're 64 ounces. I think they're designed to carry the "recomended" 8X8 daily supply. It's amazing what people will buy, and what they'll buy into. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm confused. I had always figured that after a speed induction manuever, we generally didn't enter the 'flare' portion until the artificially induced speed had already bled off. Alternately, by the time we're flaring after our speed induction manuever, the canopy is in the same place as it would be had we skipped that manuever. This would mean that building speed for landing can be a hell of a lot of fun, but it doesn't result in a better flare. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It most certainly does not suck. The tent I bought at Walmart does exactly what it was designed for. It's huge, has 4 "rooms", and is probably over 150 square feet. It's nearly as big as our bedroom at home. It doesn't leak, keeps the flys out and there's lots of room for storage. It does everything a car-camping tent should. I have a second tent that is more appropriate for "real" camping. I bought that at a real camping store. It doesn't suck either, but fits a different need. It does everything a lightweight hiking tent should. The point here is simple. Walmart sells products that generally work as advertised. People who buy their products are usually happy with them. You can tell this because Walmart has a very generous Returns policy, yet they have a lower Return rate than most retailers. The fact that "real" stores not only exist, but prosper only proves that they don't cannibalize all their competitors. They generaly only cannibalize other discounters. Their tents aren't Eureka, Sierra, or The North Face, but their shoes aren't Prada, Nordstrom or Kenneth Cole either. People looking for discount goods would be unwise to shop elsewhere. People looking for specialty goods should. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Actually, Craichead and I have one too. The blades do collect an awfull lot of goo, but if you think about it we really don't have any basis for comparison. Most air cleaners use filters where you can't see the goo. I'm not convinced they're unhealthy, but I'll take Consumer Reports word for it when they say others do a better job. I love the fact that you don't have to buy replacement filters for it. I think we'd be willing to buy more of them if they weren't so damn expensive. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Consumer Reports has the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze classified as "useless" and "unhealthy". Buyer beware. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/ _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I just finished "Shaking Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda" by Romeo Dallaire. It's insightful, informative, yet incredibly depressing and at times gruesome. I hope one day it becomes recomended reading at military colleges worldwide. As such, yesterday I started The Da Vinci Code. I hadn't read it previously, and am finding it a far less depressing and enjoyable rebound. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It bears mentioning that the common idea that everyone must drink 8 glasses of water today has no basis in science. Snopes but more importantly, Science Daily. and the original Dartmouth study here The biggest source of the falacy seems to be that when calculating required water intake, people often forget that they should INCLUDE water found naturally in foods. If you consider that common lettuce is 80% water, a good sized salad will quickly reduce ones required water input. People should also include coffee, soda, and small amounts of alcohol. Other myths, such as the one that says 'dark urine means your dehydrated', or 'if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated' are also discussed. Personally, I drink about 25 ounces of pure water daily, plus a cup or two of coffee, a can or two of diet soft drinks, and sometimes a glass of wine. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Damn. I thought this thread was going to be about nudie bars... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Aparently some organizers also charge DZ's to come visit. Some Course Directors charge to give ratings. Some tandem instructors even charge for a tandem jump! Imagine that! I think the root problem is that home builders charge for houses. Even trailers aren't free. Damn those evil trailer makers!!! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I read that differently. From what I read, any talk of turbulence being the problem is misplaced. Since he didn't stall and didn't drop straight down, then the cause of his ill landing wasn't turbulence. The cause of the problem was his unfamiliarity with the perceptive distortions of a normal, every day down-wind landing. So I say the solution is to correctly observe the current winds before you climb into the aircraft, after you've deployed your parachute, as you approach your landing pattern, as you prepare to land, and as you flare. Landing into the wind is often preferable, but landing cross and downwind are important skills to have. Be aware of how the canopy appears to react differently in different winds, but understand that in most cases, that perceived difference is only your perception. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

To pull this thread back on track, Unlike McDonalds, Every product I have ever purchased at Walmart has been of topnotch quality. Most products I've purchased have been national brand names. Craichead and I have bought most of our camping gear at Walmart, because we camp at the DZ, and don't need the uber:chic and expensive camping gear from REI. Most of the products are national brands, like Coleman. I disagree that Walmart always kills off specialty stores, and the proof is that despite Walmart having a great selection of camping gear, there's still tons of great "real" hiking and camping stores, like REI, Moosejaw, or Mountain Equipment Co-op. Walmart does kill off smaller discount stores. Some day some other discounter will kill off Walmart. That's just the nature of discounters. Walmart is canibalizing "Payless Shoe Source", but not Prada. I don't have a problem with that. Discounting will ALWAYS be a brutally competitive and ugly playing field. When people want to buy discount goods, they'd be silly to shop anywhere other than Walmart (or Target, or whatever someday replaces either). If people want to pay more money for better products, they always have the choice to shop at a more upscale store. Walmart rarely canibalizes upscale stores. Walmart does offer good products at great prices. That much is clear. They also offer a lot of crap too, so they sell a lot of stuff I won't buy. That's true of every retailer. What's murky is some of the ethics. Some of the lawsuits have merrit. I'd bet money on Walmart breaking laws to keep the unions out. Some of the discrimination has been very real. Sam Walton might be a great business man, but he was also the epitome of a "good old boy". He ran his company like a fiefdom, and that will have to be accounted for. Like I said earlier, owning a big chunk of Walmart stock has been very good to us. I hope when the next big retailer comes along that will eventually knock off Walmart, we'll have the foresight to buy that stock, too. In the meantime, when I'm looking for a national brand at an excellent price, I'm entirely willing to shop at Walmart. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Hi Pat. I just carry mine the old fasioned way - I take the cameras off and carry it by the chin cup. I haven't found a good solution that will take a FTP with a top mounted dbox. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Frontier Skydivers is in a town called Newfane (near lockport), an hour drive to the west of Rochester. It's a great DZ, a small tight-knit group, with a turbine (otter). I know they've done a handful of tandems with parapelgic students. Give them a call. http://www.frontierskydivers.com/ _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I agree. His description simply doesn't make sense. Sudden gusts from behind do not cause the canopy to accerate forwards. Sudden gusts from behind cause the canopy to stall, and drop straight down until it recovers and rejoins equilibrium. When that scenario happens at 15 feet, it usually means a femur. The fact that the jumper found himself in a downwind landing means categorically that it was not a gust, but sustained winds that put him there. Correct observation of current winds is critical to a long and injury free skydiving career. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I was assuming it's a misprint in their website.... Anybody know what the "swooping mode" actually is? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Not so much anymore. Craichead and I love Walmart. A few hundred shares of their stock purchased 20 years ago paid for most of our new condo. We're glad we unloaded, though. It's trading near it's 5 year low, and most analysts don't see any reason for it to recover. If Teresa Heinz Kerry is really holding a Million in Walmart, she needs a better investment advisor. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I do not understand this insistance of skydivers labeling themselves with their discipline. I am a skydiver. I aim to be the best that I can be. To answer your question though, I do not see how I can possibly be a good freeflyer if I'm not also good on my belly. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I guess people are different... The handful of jumps I've done without goggles sucked badly. The first one, where I didn't do anything to protect my eyes from the wind left me with a feeling a lot like you get after swimming in an over-chlorinated pool, along with the "halo" effect for almost a full week. To each his own. Anyways, I don't have any problems with Gatorz, so I guess practically anything works to some degree... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I wear gatorz, they don't have any foam at all. Try them first on a hop and pop, then take them into freefall. If freefall doesnt' work, either dump high (because you planned ahead and exited last...) or roll over to your back. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

These are excellent questions to be asking your instructor... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I agree with avoiding swoop cords. They're real handy if you're trying to do big RW and are diving out last, but they're not very helpful in terms of slowing down a heavier jumper. They help a jumper extend the "slow end" of the range. The problem for a heavier jumper is getting a good range in the first place. Swoop cords are a solution to a different problem. TonySuits makes a great BigBoy suit. Arms and legs are made of cordura, booties are vented in a way that they'll actually inflate. When I wear my Big Boy suit, I've even found myself in the situation where I have to work to go fast - something I've never had to do before. I also agree, DrewGPM in a speedo is not a pretty thought! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

This seems like a good segway. What are the options for "rigging classes"? I know there's Kirk at Skydive Chicago, who runs two courses a year. The next one is in November. Is Tom Dolphin still near Kansas City? Does he schedule courses? Does Dave deWolf schedule courses? Anyone else I should look up? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

What she said. When I ordered my Samurai last month, Brian didn't push the signature series because he thought the stock canopy would suit me well. Talk to Brian about what you're looking for the canopy to do. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's usually recomended to stick to the same manufacturer of tape as camera. If you jump a Sony camera, only use Sony tape. Some of the off-brand tapes will cause your camera to require more frequent head cleanings, and may even damage the heads. I use the Premium stuff, which I think still comes in the blue case. That'll be the DVM-60PR. TapeAndMedia.com has DVM60PRL for $3.49 each. Unless you get dropped frames with the Premium tapes, there's little reason to switch to the more expensive Excellence line. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

What's interesting is that foreign companies will have far less leverage than domestic manufacturers to lobby the gov't for gun friendly laws. When the majority of gun purchased in American are manufactured overseas, I suspect there'll be a big change in the gun debate. It's very dificult for foreign companies to effectively lobby. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.